hardware cloth vs chicken fence

[countrydreamer8]

I'm very sersious about turning my 8'x8' shed into a chicken coop. I know I have to fence in an area to provide securty, what is hardware cloth? How high should the fence be around the coop?

 

[redsoxs]

Hardware cloth is a fine square mesh - holes can be as small as 1/4" - and of a much heavier gauge than chicken wire. HW cloth is the way to go when it come to providing an effective predator deterrent. Raccoons will reach through the holes of CW and hook a chicken and eat it to death right through the wire. HW cloth is more expensive but in the end will save your birds plus save you a lot of heartache. It is good to bury it around the perimeter of the run to keep burrowers from getting in. I would run the HW cloth a good 18" up the side of the run. Good luck to you!

 

[redsoxs]

I'm very sersious about turning my 8'x8' shed into a chicken coop. I know I have to fence in an area to provide securty, what is hardware cloth? How high should the fence be around the coop?

Oh, and

! Great to have you here!

 

[DeepFriedBacon]

Hardware cloth is a heavier gauge wire than chicken wire, and is a grid pattern( square holes) that are usually 1/4"-up to 1" square. Much heavier duty than regular chicken wire or poultry netting etc.

As far as the height, that depends on: local predators( are there hawks,owlsracoons etc) are you going to manually open/close the coop door, or have the run fully fenced in?

 

[Tomtommom]

I got a 50 foot roll of 48 inch hardware cloth on Amazon for under $60, with free shipping.

It's not worth getting the cheaper stuff. It warps when you put it up, it can endanger your chickens to predators (which can even be Fido next door) and I think the clean lines of hardware cloth beat chicken wire hands down

 

[poltroon]

I got a 50 foot roll of 48 inch hardware cloth on Amazon for under $60, with free shipping.

It's not worth getting the cheaper stuff. It warps when you put it up, it can endanger your chickens to predators (which can even be Fido next door) and I think the clean lines of hardware cloth beat chicken wire hands down

I can't believe they're stupid enough to ship something that heavy for free!

I would add that the real answer is that you're going to buy the hardware cloth anyway. Might as well buy it before your chickens are eaten by predators rather than after.

The one place chicken wire is useful is within other fortifications, when you are separating chickens from other chickens.

 

[Hinotori]

Im thinking of putting chicken wire or bird netting on the top part of the kennel. It's a good use for it. It's good for keeping chickens out of the garden if you get the 6 foot stuff.

Keep the dang mite carrying sparrows out. I have heavy duty braided pond netting on top and pvc ribs that support a supper heavy duty tarp that I can remove.

 

[Tomtommom]

I know, right? I don't see HOW they afford it. And it was here in two days o_o

 

[Hinotori]

I had to go look up the 48 inch because of what you said on price and I'm building new runs. Thanks a ton.

ETA I was just told it was a 100 foot roll we got.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I use shed coops and I prefer to make a fence that isn't predator proof, but gives me a huge area. I close them up at night in the coops. So I just go down to Home Depot and buy the fencing with the rectangles- I think they are 2 " x 4" rectangles.

It works well to keep the chickens contained and they have a nice large area. For keeping predators out, 1/2 inch hardware cloth is the only thing that will keep out rats and weasels. But you would need a roof if you wanted it truly predator proof...otherwise the raccoon will simply climb the fence.