Howdy! It’s been an exciting first day.

GrovesEdge

In the Brooder
Jun 25, 2025
14
51
39
Howdy from Texas! This site has already been so helpful in getting ready for our girls. We picked up six 10 week old Buff/RIR mixes yesterday. One day in and chicken TV is everything it was cracked up to be.

Last night the girls gave us a run for our money getting them into the henhouse! So glad we didn’t give up. This morning there was a hole leading into the run.

I’m so grateful to be here! We thought hardware cloth was pretty foolproof. We have a lot to learn.
 

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Hello! Welcome to BYC! Something tried to get in but hardware cloth did it`s job! If you haven`t aleady I would consider putting an apron around the perimeter of your run. Make it at least 2 feet wide use some landscaping staples to fasten it down.
Thank you for sharing. That’s a great way to look at it! Guess we better stock up on hardware cloth!

Yesterday, at the beginning of the day they were running away from us. We came out to the coop a couple of times to sit with them and offer treats. By the end of the day they were running to us when we visited. What a feeling! Talk about triggering protective urges.
 
Welcome & congrats on your new flock! They are so cute.:love

Glad your ladies were safe - I have never had anything bust through hardware cloth, so hopefully you figure out what you are up against!!
Thank you! I’m so glad you haven’t had this happen! Hopefully it won’t be the norm.

We think it was an opossum. The hole is pushed in, but not out. No fur stuck in the wires. We don’t think it managed to get in.

Happy to have a place to ask advice from experienced keepers!
 
:welcome Welcome aboard! Folks here are very knowledgeable and are more than willing to assist you in anything dealing with our hobby. With that said, I've had mixed feelings with hardware cloth. Its good at keeping small critters out, but a hungry coyote or fox, and/or raccoon will be persistent enough to get through. I have a 4 foot perimeter fencing around 4 individual coops, which have their own perimeter fencing surrounding them, but it's never a guarantee. Anyways, just wanted to say Howdy back at you!
 
Welcome to BYC.
One of my dogs, a boxer, chewed a small hole in my 19ga hardware cloth once but I've never had anything else get through. One of my smaller runs is a little further from the house. Its a 10 x10 chainlink kennel covered top to bottom with hardware cloth and the door is framed to keep anything from squeezing through. I like the double protection.
 
Thank you for sharing. That’s a great way to look at it! Guess we better stock up on hardware cloth!

Yesterday, at the beginning of the day they were running away from us. We came out to the coop a couple of times to sit with them and offer treats. By the end of the day they were running to us when we visited. What a feeling! Talk about triggering protective urges.
It doesn`t take them long to figure it out! After I fed my girls this am I brought them what was left of a cabbage my wife just harvested. My biggest Black Jersey Giant hen launched and flew about 25 feet 4 feet high to get at it! Looked like a big black missile lol They are something else!
 

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