Hawk/owl and fox proof?

[brierose3]

how do i make a 50 square meter run predator proof. We live in a fairly bushy area with probably many foxes, snakes and birds of prey. Ive heard putting fishing wire randomly strung criss cross over the run would take care of the birds. Is this true? We are soon getting ex battery hens and im sure they would have no chance against a hungry predator. Do snakes kill and eat chickens or just the eggs? Can foxes chew through chicken wire? And is there anything that would deter these animals? Thanks and happy Easter

 

[Kevin565]

Do you have access to hardware cloth? Snakes can kill chickens but they are much more likely to go after the eggs. Yes, a fox can chew through chicken wire.

 

[AlyssaK]

Will hardware cloth actually stand up to a determined chewer like a fox or weasel?

 

[blucoondawg]

I believe in hardware cloth as a means to keep out grabby coons or small animals like weasels who can go through chicken wire but I do believe the larger animals given enough time would be able to get through hardware cloth, it is just fairly small wire after all, if a dog or something could disturb it enough to get a hold of it with claws or teeth I believe they could tear it open eventually. The fact that it is a fine mesh does probably make it harder for them to grab and pull on it. I prefer a double layer, 1 stronger layer of fence for large animals with hardware cloth over the bottom to keep out the small stuff and a secure coop for the night.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It is my understanding that you have some big carpet pythons down there is Australia. They will definitely constrict a full grown (and then some) hen or rooster and swallow them whole.

Whether or not a fox can or will chew through a given amount of wire is unimportant. The thing that really matters is how long the fox has to figure out how to access your chickens. Foxes are thieves and like all thieves given enough time and opportunity a thief can break into Fort Knox, if you know what that is.

Chicken wire is only intended to keep chickens where you want them. Chicken wire is not meant to nor is it designed to keep chicken killing vermin away from your chickens. Chicken wires purpose is to keep your chickens out of your neighbors' veggie garden.

 

[brierose3]

thank you. Probably will be using hardware cloth or something thats stronger than chicken wire. Also, apparently a fox can climb, and pretty well, and with so many trees it wont be easy to put a mesh roof so how could we solve that problem?

 

[blucoondawg]

One possibility to stop climbers would be a strand of electric fence around the top portion of the run, another would be to ad a section of fence to the top at an outward angle to hinder them from going up and over the top, as you see in the movies on prison fences and such. Here's a link from this forum showing what some pen raised fox kits can do for climbing:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/216194/how-high-of-fence-can-a-fox-jump/10

 

[ozarkchicks]

hardware cloth has never failed me, works great to protect the chickens and our rabbit

 

[brierose3]

How high would the wire need to be so the chickens can't fly out? Sorry, a lot of beginner chicken questions here...

 

[centrarchid]

How high would the wire need to be so the chickens can't fly out? Sorry, a lot of beginner chicken questions here...

Answer is breed dependent, age dependent and can be strongly influence by wing-clipping.