Hardware Cloth Vs. Chicken Wire

[CKfarm22]

Thank you to everyone who commented. I decided to return the chicken wire and go with hardware cloth after weighing the options.

I also learned we have rattle snakes in this new area….. so yeah I’m going to have to say no to snakes in my coop.

 

[neo71665]

Thank you to everyone who commented. I decided to return the chicken wire and go with hardware cloth after weighing the options.

I also learned we have rattle snakes in this new area….. so yeah I’m going to have to say no to snakes in my coop.

They good eating. Taste like frog legs, only problem is aint much meat on them.

 

[CKfarm22]

They good eating. Taste like frog legs, only problem is aint much meat on them.

No thank you. lol

 

[RedHillChicken]

I have read here that raccoons will reach through the chicken wire to grab a chicken, then try to pull it through. I don't ever want to find the results of that in my run so I bit the bullet and bought hardware cloth to protect my chicks.

Chicken wire, or the nylon bird netting is insufficient in keeping out predators. Raccoons can reach through chicken wire and get your babies. ONLY USE 1/2" HARDWARE CLOTH. Take it from me, you won't loose any chicks if you do.

 

[TravelChicks22]

I lost a chicken to a raccoon once because I had chicken wire on my first coop instead of hardware cloth. The raccoon reached in through the chicken wire and grabbed a hen's leg and pulled it off, leaving the hen to die. It happened in the early morning, but I've seen raccoons out later than that, especially if they know there's a meal waiting.

After that I put a layer of half-inch HC over the whole run/coop area and never had that problem again.

 

[rachellea]

And i wasn’t lol. I’ve heard mix things about it. Some people use chicken wire for many years and never had a problem with predators.

I had problems in the first week. Snake , dogs tore down, and raccoon switched to hardwire cloth that’s four foot tall to reinforce the bottom. bottom. It’s not expensive on eBay the way it is everywhere else ( stores like Lowe’s even Walmart/tractor supply and Amazon are much more expensive ) luckily the dogs just wanted to lay down in a pile of chickens . Can’t say the same for the other predators who came by

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I take the view that if a predator has enough time and boldness to probe for weaknesses in a run’s wire until it finds a way in, there is a systemic problem with your predator defenses before the run or coop is to be considered.

I believe that dogs need access to your runs day and night. A predator should feel like its running the gauntlet against dogs before it ever makes it to you coop. That will keep most predators away, and the ones that still try will be so jumpy that they’ll run at the slightest noise.

If you don’t have dogs out at night, then run an electric wire around the coop.

I don’t trust hardware cloth any more or poultry wire any less than the other. I trust my dogs. And I trust electricity. I don’t trust in or believe there is such a thing as a true Fort Knox coop.

 

[jBabychickn]

Chicken wire, or the nylon bird netting is insufficient in keeping out predators. Raccoons can reach through chicken wire and get your babies. ONLY USE 1/2" HARDWARE CLOTH. Take it from me, you won't loose any chicks if you do.

This is MY true fear when it comes to chicken wire!
— I can so easily see in my minds eye - a mink, or a weasel getting in by squeezing thru the openings in the chicken wire and then going crazy inside my chicken run! The horror!!!

— Or, perhaps even more common, a cheeky raccoon or opossum “reaching thru” and snapping their heads clean off! I mean, that’s how they kill anyway! They needlessly attack by taking all of their heads and leaving the bodies behind. It’s horrifically gruesome and senseless!!
— No one needs to see any of that! … Let alone needing to go about cleaning it all up & putting your Babies to rest properly

 

[jBabychickn]

This is MY true fear when it comes to chicken wire!
— I can so easily see in my minds eye - a mink, or a weasel getting in by squeezing thru the openings in the chicken wire and then going crazy inside my chicken run! The horror!!!

— Or, perhaps even more common, a cheeky raccoon or opossum “reaching thru” and snapping their heads clean off! I mean, that’s how they kill anyway! They needlessly attack by taking all of their heads and leaving the bodies behind. It’s horrifically gruesome and senseless!!
— No one needs to see any of that! … Let alone needing to go about cleaning it all up & putting your Babies to rest properly

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

I hate seeing this stuff!!!

 

[RedHillChicken]

This is MY true fear when it comes to chicken wire!
— I can so easily see in my minds eye - a mink, or a weasel getting in by squeezing thru the openings in the chicken wire and then going crazy inside my chicken run! The horror!!!

— Or, perhaps even more common, a cheeky raccoon or opossum “reaching thru” and snapping their heads clean off! I mean, that’s how they kill anyway! They needlessly attack by taking all of their heads and leaving the bodies behind. It’s horrifically gruesome and senseless!!
— No one needs to see any of that! … Let alone needing to go about cleaning it all up & putting your Babies to rest properly

We built a fortress after loosing 6 babies to raccoons. I always advise folks to use 1/2" hardware cloth.