Hardware Cloth?

[LilMissChick]

hi everyone,

We are building our coop to be off the ground and it’s integral to our run. The whole coop plus run will be 4’ x 20’. Do we need to have all of our open run sides, door, and the space under our coop (which will be raised off the ground) need to be 1/2” hardware cloth? Or can we make the upper part be stucco mesh which has much larger holes?

Just looking at cost, hardware cloth is significantly more money. It would cost $450+ for the hardware cloth, and about half of that price if we can cut the hardware cloth amount in half.

What say you all?

Thanks!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Are you looking at the galvanized stucco mesh?

I have not done a price comparison between that and ....... Well anything.

I would look at 1/2x1 cage wire, 1x2 cage wire and 2x4 welded wire.

I am just uneasy about the stucco mesh since the galvanizing might not be as durable as on wire that is meant to be exposed to the elements.

That all said...... Depending on what predators you are defending against there are lots of options. Many people use hardware cloth on just the bottom two feet over another type of wire.

 

[Eggscaping]

[QUOTE="What say you all? [/QUOTE]
Mind you, the two of us do not have chickens yet, and so we are in the planning stage, but we plan on using hardware cloth simply because, sparrows. I have read that wild birds can bring diseases or parasites into a coop. Thus, the hardware cloth. It will keep flying critters like birds from getting inside to 'share' the food, and also mice, which can easily climb up wire high enough to get through wider gaps and into a run.

 

[21hens-incharge]

[QUOTE="What say you all?

Mind you, the two of us do not have chickens yet, and so we are in the planning stage, but we plan on using hardware cloth simply because, sparrows. I have read that wild birds can bring diseases or parasites into a coop. Thus, the hardware cloth. It will keep flying critters like birds from getting inside to 'share' the food, and also mice, which can easily climb up wire high enough to get through wider gaps and into a run.[/QUOTE]

Chicken wire has holes small enough to keep sparrows out. Just the birds sitting on top of the run or in a shade tree nearby is close enough to bring parasites and disease. Mice dig to get in too.

Nasty buggers. They drive me crazy too.

Not sure why the quote is messed up....

 

[Ghosty]

I think your estimate on hardware cloth is a little high. 4 x 20 x how high? You probably won't have to put HC in the bottom of the run, if you put a 2 foot apron around the outside. I did, but I had a pre existing black snake under my coop tunneling in from everywhere. I did my run, 16 long x 8 wide x 6 high, for $180 in 19awg galvanized after welded HC. I even had some left over for windows and my outer apron. The inner HC lining I did in 2 ft wide store bought stuff.

 

[LilMissChick]

Hey all, I live in Canada on Vancouver Island, we were all over our farm supply stores and our building supply stores and priced everything out for a 4’ wide x 78” high x 20’ long structure. My prices were calculated at the last building supply store we were in tonight. Although @Ghosty i won’t need quite as much as I was thinking because the coop itself is all wood too, so that drops the price down

The stucco mesh is galvanized wire that’s 2” x 2”, the hardware cloth we are looking at is the 1/2” x 1/2”.

The problem is, is that we can only buy hardware cloth in 3’x 5’ rolls for almost $25 a roll. The stucco mesh which is the galvanized wire with large holes is 4’ x 100’ for 79$.

I want to have open air under the coop, and I’d be building two panels that can pop out for cleaning purposes. The space under the coop is 30” high to allow for the big hens I want to buy. I don’t want to fully close it in so it’s dark. I was hoping that if I use the hardware cloth all the way around, 36” high, on the door into the run, and on all the ventilation, that I might get away with having the upper part be the cheaper galvanized wire.

The predators I’ll have here are raccoons and rats. If the larger holed galvanized wire starts 3’ up the sides will that be a problem? I guess what I’m wondering is, will rats climb the hardware cloth or raccoons?

If it’s really important to hardware cloth it in I will, it will just mean the price goes up, and I might have to order some in specialty. Not terrible, I was just hoping to start breaking ground sooner than later. Anything I have to order in will take 4/6 weeks.

Thanks everyone!

 

[LilMissChick]

Mind you, the two of us do not have chickens yet, and so we are in the planning stage, but we plan on using hardware cloth simply because, sparrows. I have read that wild birds can bring diseases or parasites into a coop. Thus, the hardware cloth. It will keep flying critters like birds from getting inside to 'share' the food, and also mice, which can easily climb up wire high enough to get through wider gaps and into a run.

Chicken wire has holes small enough to keep sparrows out. Just the birds sitting on top of the run or in a shade tree nearby is close enough to bring parasites and disease. Mice dig to get in too.

Nasty buggers. They drive me crazy too.

Not sure why the quote is messed up.... [/QUOTE]

Mind you, the two of us do not have chickens yet, and so we are in the planning stage, but we plan on using hardware cloth simply because, sparrows. I have read that wild birds can bring diseases or parasites into a coop. Thus, the hardware cloth. It will keep flying critters like birds from getting inside to 'share' the food, and also mice, which can easily climb up wire high enough to get through wider gaps and into a run.

Chicken wire has holes small enough to keep sparrows out. Just the birds sitting on top of the run or in a shade tree nearby is close enough to bring parasites and disease. Mice dig to get in too.

Nasty buggers. They drive me crazy too.

Not sure why the quote is messed up.... [/QUOTE]
Hello

I just posted asking about climbing critters below and didn’t apparently read your whole answer I looked on line I can order in hardware cloth in 3’wide x 25’ for $69 a roll which will cut it down in price a bit. That’s essentially 2 sides at $70 each, and then one more roll will do the short sides and the screen door on the run entry and the ventilation holes.

Right, I wonder how bad the disease from other birds can be? I’m trying to make this as easy access for people to keep it super clean and treatable should there be pests, I didn’t think about other birds spreading disease though. The run will be under Apple trees so we always have lots of finches, sparrows etc. in the yard.

Maybe I will look farther up island in the more rural places to see if building materials are cheaper, I live in a pretty ‘artisanal’ city which means everything costs $$$.

I want healthy happy hens so it’s worth a little more time and effort

Thanks!

 

[LilMissChick]

Are you looking at the galvanized stucco mesh?

I have not done a price comparison between that and ....... Well anything.

I would look at 1/2x1 cage wire, 1x2 cage wire and 2x4 welded wire.

I am just uneasy about the stucco mesh since the galvanizing might not be as durable as on wire that is meant to be exposed to the elements.

That all said...... Depending on what predators you are defending against there are lots of options. Many people use hardware cloth on just the bottom two feet over another type of wire.

 

[LilMissChick]

Hi 21 hens!

You could be right about the stucco mesh not being great exposed to the elements.

Okay, thanks for all the chatting this through! I’ll figure out a better way

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chicken wire has holes small enough to keep sparrows out. Just the birds sitting on top of the run or in a shade tree nearby is close enough to bring parasites and disease. Mice dig to get in too.

Nasty buggers. They drive me crazy too.

Not sure why the quote is messed up....

Chicken wire has holes small enough to keep sparrows out. Just the birds sitting on top of the run or in a shade tree nearby is close enough to bring parasites and disease. Mice dig to get in too.

Nasty buggers. They drive me crazy too.

Not sure why the quote is messed up.... [/QUOTE]
Hello

I just posted asking about climbing critters below and didn’t apparently read your whole answer I looked on line I can order in hardware cloth in 3’wide x 25’ for $69 a roll which will cut it down in price a bit. That’s essentially 2 sides at $70 each, and then one more roll will do the short sides and the screen door on the run entry and the ventilation holes.

Right, I wonder how bad the disease from other birds can be? I’m trying to make this as easy access for people to keep it super clean and treatable should there be pests, I didn’t think about other birds spreading disease though. The run will be under Apple trees so we always have lots of finches, sparrows etc. in the yard.

Maybe I will look farther up island in the more rural places to see if building materials are cheaper, I live in a pretty ‘artisanal’ city which means everything costs $$$.

I want healthy happy hens so it’s worth a little more time and effort

Thanks![/QUOTE]

I know you'll get it figured out.
That's the hard part sometimes. All the options get confusing.

One other thing I wonder with the stucco wire.....Is it sharp? I would hate to say use it and someone gets a nasty cut from it. The galvanized metal cuts tend to fester up badly.

Your locally available materials look to be pricey.


Yes, and yes both raccoons and rats are awesome climbers.

Maybe a cost savings........ The roof of my run is chicken wire. No break ins from raccoons or small birds 6+ years running. I know the raccoons have tried it out. They leave paw prints on my windows that open nearly level with the run roof.

You didn't say if you are putting a solid roof or a wire roof.