Hardware cloth or welded wire for windows

[texas hiker]

My wife and I are looking at building a new coop.

For the windows of the current cop I used 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth.

For the windows of the next coop I thought about using 1/2 x 1 welded wire.

I am thinking about adding bug screen to the windows to keep mosquitoes out during the summer months.

To keep predators out, is welded wire worth the extra cost? Or is hardware cloth good enough?

The current windows are made out of 1 x 12 boards, with the hardware cloth sandwiched between the boards.

 

[poltroon]

Hardware cloth is fine.

 

[1muttsfan]

Adding a screen will decrease your ventilation, as it will quickly become covered with dust.

 

[sierraoscar]

I felt I needed a fine screen to keep spiders and mosquitos out, without this, the very large mosquitos I get locally, would be a problem at night (esp around their water area). I have to keep mosquito coils going almost every night right now, to keep them at bay for the human house in general. So, perhaps it will depend on the area you live in. I have a galv-type steel over the wire to stop them pecking holes in it. It seems to work and doesn't seem to stop air circulation too much for the space in question.

 

[Going Quackers]

Hardware cloth is fine.

I agree, that is what we used. The chickens eat all the bugs, the coops are clear of them. Heck, i'd love to hang onto a chicken on a hot summer night just to keep them away from me!

 

[Cosmo]

Half inch hardware cloth will keep predators out and will keep racoons from sticking their paws in through the larger holes of chicken wire and killing chickens. Hardware cloth is more expensive but is the way to go. Since chickens love to eat bugs I'd invite them in.

 

[texas hiker]

I am not worried about the bugs during the day, its at night I am concerned about.

 

[ivan3]

East TX? I've been through Texarkana, in early July. I could see using bird shot instead of netting.

Just blue skying: All sorts of cheap netting that would fit the bill: http://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-No-See-Um-Netting-Fabric-Tent/dp/B006ZE4X1W

One could use rare earth magnets to hold the netting in place (one at each corner of hardware cloth - on inside of window - then place netting on outside of HWcloth and align another four magnets at corners, on outside of cloth over the corners of the netting - let the mags keep the netting secure - would be easy to remove/clean/replace - would work for screen as well- (mags are cheap - I like to keep them handy for situations where other fasteners just won't do):

for example: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82E

Don't know why one couldn't sandwich the welded wire in a frame to construct a `summer door' for coop - this would allow for more ventilation and permit the use of netting over that as well (could also use large box fan (outside of door or windows - to suck the air through coop (not blow into coop). I'd probably try to run down some 1"x1" WW for door (depends on what kind of `slinky' pred load you have in E.TX)

It goes without saying (but I will) don't let anyone/thing swallow more than one magnet - and pass it- before swallowing another