Fox attack, need help on new run

[cyay918]

I have had free range chickens until yesterday when I realized I lost 2 birds to a fox or other land animal. Now I have to build a run and I have a question.

I cant really afford hardware cloth so I have 2 options.

First is to buy some metal mesh stuff that has the larger openings. I can bury it a foot deep but its only 4' tall so that leaves me with a 3' tall run.

Or I can return the metal mesh, and buy cheap chicken wire. Since I know foxes can chew through it, would it work if I combined the chicken wire with a couple strands of electric fence? This would stop the fox from chewing the fence but I wonder if the fox is smart enough to dig under the electric fence strand AND the chicken wire.

Any help is appreciated. I have to do something tomorrrow.

 

[cyay918]

Would the fox be smart enough to jump up on top of the coop and chew through the chicken wire on top? Hmmmm I dont know. I just gotta protect my birds!

 

[Kernel Cluck]

You cannot protect the birds with chicken wire from foxes or coyotes. I suspect that if you go with the chicken wire/ electric strands, you would spend the same as a heavy duty fencing. 100 ft of galvanized fencing is $79 in my neck of the woods. That's five feet tall with 1x2 inch squares. That is money well spent.

 

[cyay918]

Good to know then! Ill use my 4' stuff for now and bury a foot of it under the ground to stop digging. That only leaves me with 3' tall run but I dont think Ill have to get into the run very often because the coop is huge. If I do, I guess ill have to crawl until I can get the money up to get taller fencing.

 

[Kernel Cluck]

good luck to you. Protecting the flock is something we all worry and struggle with.