Fencing The Run To Prevent Predator And Prey From Seeing Each Other?

[calista]

We are using hardware cloth on our run and on the top, along with an apron of wire which will be covered with cinderblocks. When we were buying the cinderblocks, the sales guy said, "Why don't you just block the view on the bottom two feet or so, then they can't see each other?" (And we'd have to buy MANY more cinderblocks.)

Yes, I know the predators (raccoons and foxes in my area) can SMELL the chickens, even if they can't see them.

Does anyone use this approach on their runs? Do you think it cuts down on predation?

 

[elmo]

I've heard of people doing this when they have two pens next to each other so the birds in adjacent pens don't see and try to fight with each other...using metal siding, rather than cement blocks, though. Of course a racoon can easily climb a cinderblock wall of 20 feet, much less two feet. Additionally, night time is the prime time for predators, and at night your chickens won't be on the ground, they'll be on their roost.

So I think your hunch about the sales angle for this was likely correct. If the openings in your hardware cloth are no greater than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch, I'd say you're good to go.

 

[chaneg78]

We did our outside run with the regular chicken wire 6ft high. Then ran the chicken wire across the roof also. Then we took the 1/2 by 1/2 and buried it one foot down towing out so that if anything trys to dig down from the outside they will start scraping the fence. It runs from down one feet in the ground to two feet on the chicken wire fence. That is to keep unwanted paws from reaching in and getting a chicken that is standing close to the fence. It has never been broken into and there are a lot of foxes coons and opposums running around.

 

[Tala]

Well, I used 2ft wide tin laying sideways instead of 24" hardware cloth. The reason? Cost.

Tin from scrap yard = free
Hardware cloth = pretty pricy

Both are equally effective at keeping raccoon paws off of the chicken's necks

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Saw somone who had a duck lot/avaiary that was set up that way. 2-3ft up the side were solid so predators couldn't see in.