Fencing...

[CATandTIM]

Is 1/2 hardware cloth better than poultry hex fencing? Our coop is almost finished and my hubby was shocked by the price of hardware cloth!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[Odelia]

It depends on your goals. Are you just trying to keep chicken in or out of an area? Then the regular chicken wire works fine. Are you trying to keep raccoons out of your coop? Then you want the hardware cloth as a raccoon can tear open regular chicken wire.. You have to decided on your priorities and budget and decided from there. There is no wrong choice. There is what works for you. For some people it is easier to replace a bird if the worst case scenario happens and for others that isn't a choice. If the wire is at ground level it is more important that you have the 1/2" hardware cloth than if it is the wire at the top of the coop covering your ventilation holes. Good luck on your new flock!

 

[subhanalah]

Look for a steel supply in your area. You can get a large roll for 25-50 dollars. (I can't remember the exact price it was a while ago when I bought it.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You can use the hardware cloth for a "skirt" - both the no-dig skirt at the perimeter and the lower 2-3 feet of the run sides - and then use a cheaper materiel (ie poultry netting or even smaller hole weld wire fencing, livestock panels, etc which gives a little more "heft" than the poultry netting but is not as expensive as hardware cloth) for the upper sides of your run -- say a 6 foot tall run with 2 feet of hardware cloth or other heavier duty/small hole materiel topped by the upper 4 feet of other materiel.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Also consider the long term costs - ie replacing the less durable poultry netting - over time the "savings" fade

 

[CATandTIM]

We found some inexpensive hardware cloth! Yay!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[F6Hawk]

Where did you find it?

We found some inexpensive hardware cloth! Yay!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[debid]

We bought our hardware cloth at Ozbo. Shipping was sloooooow but the price was really good if you have the time to wait. They lie like dogs about things being "in stock". I don't think they stock much of anything,

 

[CATandTIM]

Where did you find it?

We found some inexpensive hardware cloth! Yay!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

At the Marysville co-op feed store. $19 per 48" x 10ft roll

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[F6Hawk]

At the Marysville co-op feed store. $19 per 48" x 10ft roll

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

Ok, thanks. I found it at a hardware store not local to me for $108 for 36" X 100 ft. roll.