Chicken Wire vs. Hardware Cloth

[Dooney]

I hired an experience carpenter to enlarge my Coops run area after having a fox kill my flock. I was shocked that he used chicken wire instead of the hardware cloth that is on the existing coop/run. I was away when he finished the run but received a picture and noticed it was chicken wire. He usually does work inside the house and we have always been pleased with his quality work. I explained it wasn't preditor proof and he promised to come and replace or put hardware cloth over the chicken wire. He had also installed the chicken wire down two feet around the run. I am concerned that will not be much of a deterrent to preditors. What are your thoughts?

 

[nuthatched]

A coon can chew through, a dog can bust through. It's not predator proof.
You could layer a sturdier fencing over it.

 

[fowltemptress]

In my area the wire in the ground would rust out pretty quickly, too, so anything could dig in. If it were my coop I'd have the chicken wire removed and redo with the hardware cloth, and then reinforce the bottom 3 feet or so of the run with sturdier wire fencing. I've had roaming dogs tear holes through hardware cloth in order to get into my coop, so chicken wire definitely ain't gonna cut it.