Hardware Cloth Size and Guage Choice Dilemma

[EggSighted4Life]

I was planning on researching that next!

Mine is sandwiched between wood boards with screws every few inches.

 

[Brooks_]

I agree with half inch. I was fortunate to come across a paint can half full of old school square head roofing nails. They work well and are easy to use, but sandwiching as @EggSighted4Life did is probably the most secure.

 

[vall]

My quail are all protected by 1/2" HC. I have all sorts of critters up to coyote size and the only critter that's managed a successful attack is a crow that got lucky - it tore out a chunk of skin through the wire floor. The quail survived.

 

[Brooks_]

Even if the gauge were the same, the 1/4" wouldn't really offer more protection and would just clog with dust/dander more easily. Just my 2 cents, you can mail me my change. lol

 

[NatJ]

I plan on laying wire down in the bottom of the run and covering it with fill dirt right off the bat instead of hoping nothing digs under.

Your chickens will dig down to it, at least in their dustbathing holes.

Any kind of wire mesh will tend to rust underground, most of it in just a few years.

I see lots of recommendations for an "apron" on the outside, rather than hardware cloth on the inside. For the "apron," attach the hardware cloth to all sides of the run, and lay it outward flat on the ground. Supposedly, most predators try to dig right at the edge of the pen, and do not realize they could back up and dig from the edge of the hardware cloth instead. So it keeps them out. When you lay it on the ground, stake it down enough that it stays in place, but pretty soon grass or other plants will grow through it, and they hold it down. It saves you a lot of digging, and doesn't interfere with the hens' scratching.

(I've never personally done that, due to various details of where and when I've had chickens, and what conditions I've had at the time. But I'm paraphrasing what is commonly recommended on this forum, by people who do it that way.)

I'm also burying the hardware cloth about 8-12" in the ground on the outside as well.

Again, lots of digging that you can save by doing the apron instead.

 

[Krugerrand]

another vote for the apron over digging. plus, anything small enough to fit through 1/2" hardware cloth (baby mouse/snake) should be small enough for the chickens to eat.

 

[GaDawgChic]

Mine is sandwiched between wood boards with screws every few inches.

Do you have a picture of this? I am curious as to what this looks like.

 

[GaDawgChic]

Your chickens will dig down to it, at least in their dustbathing holes.

Any kind of wire mesh will tend to rust underground, most of it in just a few years.

I see lots of recommendations for an "apron" on the outside, rather than hardware cloth on the inside. For the "apron," attach the hardware cloth to all sides of the run, and lay it outward flat on the ground. Supposedly, most predators try to dig right at the edge of the pen, and do not realize they could back up and dig from the edge of the hardware cloth instead. So it keeps them out. When you lay it on the ground, stake it down enough that it stays in place, but pretty soon grass or other plants will grow through it, and they hold it down. It saves you a lot of digging, and doesn't interfere with the hens' scratching.

(I've never personally done that, due to various details of where and when I've had chickens, and what conditions I've had at the time. But I'm paraphrasing what is commonly recommended on this forum, by people who do it that way.)


Again, lots of digging that you can save by doing the apron instead.

SO many good points here! I'm just so afraid to do the apron and not have it go down into the ground right at the edge. That is probably me just being paranoid! A friend had a mink get into her coop granted it was just a lean-to-type coop and not off the ground as mine will be. That darn thing was going through mole tunnels and coming up in the middle of the coop! That is why I was like ok need to make sure to put it down on the floor of the run! She lives a lot closer to the water than I do so I don't really think I will have an issue with a mink.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do you have a picture of this? I am curious as to what this looks like.

I'll get some tomorrow to post.

 

[McChooky]

SO many good points here! I'm just so afraid to do the apron and not have it go down into the ground right at the edge. That is probably me just being paranoid! A friend had a mink get into her coop granted it was just a lean-to-type coop and not off the ground as mine will be. That darn thing was going through mole tunnels and coming up in the middle of the coop! That is why I was like ok need to make sure to put it down on the floor of the run! She lives a lot closer to the water than I do so I don't really think I will have an issue with a mink.

I extended mine out a foot and pinned it to the ground then built a raised bed over top of it to make predators dig deeper. The only holes I've seen dug are in the raised beds themselves . They all have hardware cloth under them so nothing got inside. I used 1/2" hardware cloth on the lower 4 ft of my run and 1/4" on the upper part to save money. My advise is only use 1/2" if possible because the 1/4" is too light. I originally planned on buying some welded wire fencing and laying it over top the 1/4" hardware cloth to strengthen it and reinforce it but haven't got around to it yet.