I had been just reading around the site and I came across the subject of 'hardware cloth'. I had never heard of it but it seems like a good idea to help prevent predators. I live in a rural area in California and we have everything from gophers to mountain lions. The most common predators are the ubiquitous raccoon and the fox. The occasional coyote will also menace the chickens at night. Thank God, I've never heard of a mountain lion coming close to where I live. So, hardware cloth sounds like a good investment but how do you set it up? What exactly do you do with it?
That all depends on your set up. You can tack it on to existing fencing. It can be made into panels or buried deep in the ground. It comes in 1/4 or 1/2, 3 or 4 foot tall rolls and makes great material that predators can not rip thru like they can with chicken wire. It works really well on window openings and runs.
Quote:This is hardware cloth. We used 1/4" around the bottom, skirted out about 6". Then used 1/2" above to top. Double chicken wire over top, now covered w/temporary tarp. It comes like chicken wire in rolls. It is not cheap but very sturdy and worth it for the peace of mind. We used screws and washers to attach. Lots of people find it difficult to work with. We actually found it quite easy to work with. It helps to have the right tools.
