how to tack the wire.

[sueche]

I am a newbie chicken owner and now its time to make the coop. I am looking for the best way to attach the wire. I saw somewhere here something that is easy to use but for the life of me I can't find it. I think they had something that look like a washer on it??????

what type of wire do you use? hardware cloth at the bottom ? chicken wire on top??

thanks soooo much

 

[mississippifarmboy]

There are lots of different ways. I've used everything from power-drive screws with washers on them to roofing tacks to fence staples. Now I use an air nailer/staple gun combo, makes it soo much easier & faster.
I build all kinds of coops and pens here and use different styles and sizes of welded wire, chicken wire, hardware cloth, even have used old metal refridgerator racks for doors. It all depends on your situation and needs.
A bit of warning though, chicken wire will keep chickens in or out, but won't keep anything else much from getting your chickens. A dog will go right through it.
Look at some of the coops in the coops section here to get lots of good ideas!
Good luck.

 

[midget_farms]

Hi - welcome to chickens!

The wire you use depends on what you are using it for.

If you want a wire floor so the droppings will fall through then you can't use hardware cloth there - they droppings wont fall through.

You can use a stapler for most of the wire, but if its a wire floor - they make roofing nails with rubber washers - not sure that is what you want though.

You can pick up an electric staple gun for around $30 and just zip a ton of staples onto it. This will work fine.

 

[Baymen Moe]

As you can see I used the washer and screw system. It worked very well for me and I hung all the hardware cloth solo.
You can see the finished product on my page.

 

[elmo]

As wood dries out, staples will loosen more than screws. You can either use screws with big heads, or use a screw/washer combo.

Chicken wire is only effective at keeping raptors out of your pen. I would definitely not use it anyplace I was counting on security against the really deadly night time predators, like raccoons, because they can climb and rip right through it.

I also would not recommend the use of a wire floor. As the previous commenter has noted, chicken droppings catch on the wire, and a wire floor has security issues and is hard on chicken feet, to boot.

 

[sueche]

Thanks , those washer and screws are just what i was looking for.


I was wondering bout the side bottom of run.
do you not use poultry wire?

 

[Baymen Moe]

Quote:
I used hardware cloth for my entire run.

 

[Noymira]

Quote:
Where did you get your hardware cloth? What size/guage did you use? That's a nice looking setup you have!

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

We use the washer/screw system as it's the easiest method to replace the wire as needed. We use a few staples to pull the screen tight, then use the screws and washers. Plus, seems to be largely secure, even with big peafowl. We make a bit of a sandwich with the wire.

First inside layer is 1/2" mesh, it's either 18 or 20g. Keeps the less the bright ones from getting caught in the larger grid or babies from getting out, and keeps smaller predator feet from getting in.

Between that and the wood frame is 14g 1" x 2" wire. 18 and 20g is too thin to keep most things out to me, but the bigger grid doesn't keep feet out, or all predators, and heads can get caught (peafowl being the main problem there). It's probably way overdone, but it's how we feel most comfortable. That is dug down 3' and goes out flat 3' also.

Then the wood/PVC frames.

Then the outside is electrical wired for the various predators. It's not so much a list of what we have here, the list of what we don't have would be shorter. The coons/opposums/birds of prey/fox/coyotes were all more/less respecting the fence set up (the coons liked to try to see if they could take apart the latches), but the new idiot from Hades neighbors had the worst stupid small terrier who was NOT respecting the fence set up or the guard dogs. So we wired up the fence, and now the dog is staying far away and the silly little hawk who was trying to find a way to break in for a chicken dinner hasn't come back.

This may be Fort Knox of Chicken Coops.

 

[sueche]

Quote:
whoa I think your right. No one is getting in or out. hhmmm should i bury my fence?? the coop in inside an already fenced in yard, and I live in Raleigh.