Double layer chicken wire?

[sue121507]

Quick question on the garden fencing - how well does it hold up over time?  I am considering using it for my upcoming alteration project to my existing pasture fence - just need it to keep the chickens in, not anything else out for what I have in mind - and have already listed it over poultry netting for a bit of extra longevity and a *little* more quality on my options list.  Would love to hear from you since you have used it.

I have some extra that I used about 2 years ago, it's been sitting outside the whole time with no protection and I haven't seen any signs of rust. I'll just have to get more instead of the chicken wire.

 

[SpartanSmoke]

I am very new to raising chickens but I chose 1" mesh chicken wire for the inside and 2" x 4" 9 ga. rabbit wire for the outside for both the top and the sides. I have red tail hawks, racoons, and foxes around here.

 

[HIMA]

You gotta use 1/2" hardware wire. Weasels and other rodents can easily squeeze thru 1" wire. Believe me, a weasel will kill all your birds if it gets in! My neighbor in Arizona used chicken wire to cage them in. He built this elaborate outoor area off his existing shed and one day some dogs came and tore right through that chicken wire during the daytime and killed all his chickens. Save yourself the heartbreak and do it right!

 

[Critter Mom]

A raccoon will reach in through chicken wire and grab a chicken. The raccoon will not let go of the struggling chicken and the chicken has no way to fight back through the chicken wire. The struggle usually results in dismemberment and death for the chicken. Raccoons thrive in suburban and even urban environments and will stop at nothing to get to your chickens. If a toddler could figure out how to get into it, so can a raccoon and a raccoon's hands are much smaller.

 

[yellowchicks]

You gotta use 1/2" hardware wire. ......Save yourself the heartbreak and do it right!

x2
I have read so many horror stories about predator kills through chicken wires and wire mesh with large openings. It is an economic vs. risk assessment. Bottom line: cheap out now, cry later.

 

[MBoney]

I assure you chicken wire is not enough. If you look at the bottom left of this pic, you can see where a predator went right through. I had one chicken missing out of 12. I placed 2x4 welded wire over it the next day an had another visit but he couldn't get in. Spend a little extra or you'll be sorry

 

[chiques chicks]

There is one alternative to hardware wire in my mind.
Cage wire ½x1. It is used in the bottom of rabbit cages. Generally 14 gauge. Not sure of the price difference, I think I paid around $35/ 25 ft. I find it easier to handle since it is stiff. Generally 2ft wide.

I personally use 2x4 welded wire 5 feet high on 4 foot posts.

I live in a very rural country area, so actually have less predator issues due to all the wildlife, small rodents, etc. Sounds strange, but suburban/ urban areas have MORE predator issues IMHO.

 

[chickenewbee]

I had my chickens inside a dog crate which was inside a chain link fence, and something got to them, killed one and pulled the feathers out of another (she recovered). I never would have thought that anything could get at them inside the crate, but it did. I'm not sure what it was....there is a gopher snake that wanders around, and I caught a rat a couple of days later, so it could have been either of them.

I now wrap everything in hardware cloth.

 

[Juzaili]

good info.. i need to try this on my backyard

 

[jody411]

We used chicken wire over our entire pen, and the sm. sq. hardware cloth on the lower 2-3 feet as well as into the ground to keep anything from digging under. We covered the roof with light weight fiber glass panels.