I need to put something in my enclosure to keep the chickens from flying out

[PRchick]

I have some 6 week old chicks that are out in the coop. The coop is on the side of the house and most of that area has a roof, but there is a part that does not have a covering. There is a 6 foot fence, but they will eventually be able to fly over it an get out. Maybe not the Brahma or the Orpington, but the Ameraucana, Cream Legbars and the Polish might. What should I use to put over that area? I'm considering bird netting, but I see it comes in nylon or plastic. Or, I could go with chicken wire. Which would be the best thing to use. Oh and here is a picture of the babies.

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

Nice birds! I would personally put some hardware cloth over that area. It's a little pricy if you buy it in large quantities, but I like it since nothing can get tangled in it, and nothing can get in (from a predator protection standpoint).

 

[PRchick]

Nice birds! I would personally put some hardware cloth over that area. It's a little pricy if you buy it in large quantities, but I like it since nothing can get tangled in it, and nothing can get in (from a predator protection standpoint).

Thank you! What size hardware cloth?

 

[aart]

What should I use to put over that area?

Depends....on a few things.
How predator proof does it need to be?
What is the size? Dimensions and pics would help immensely if you want specific suggestions.
Climate....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

Thank you! What size hardware cloth?

When it comes to size, whatever you can get your hands on- for chickens I personally like the ones with 1- 1 1/2 inch spaces.

 

[PRchick]

I'm in Texas and in the city, so I don't think there will be a lot of predators coming from the top. The size is about 6x12 feet and it would go over a 6ft privacy fence. It's not a big area.

 

[PRchick]

1 - 1 1/2 inches sounds good. I put 1/4 inch in the coop.

 

[Alaskan]

I'm in Texas and in the city, so I don't think there will be a lot of predators coming from the top. The size is about 6x12 feet and it would go over a 6ft privacy fence. It's not a big area.

There are so many raccoons in cities. They are good at hiding, so you don’t tend to see them.

The could easily get through bird net.

Not sure what else would get through the bird net, but with wire you would never have to worry.

As to what size wire...

If it is only on the top, and raccoon hands reaching through would NOT be able to reach a roosting bird, then the larger holes are probably ok.

One other thing though... if you have lots of tiny sparrows they at times will get pretty bad at flying in and eating all of the chicken feed. 1 x 1.5 inch wire gives the sparrows easy access.

 

[PRchick]

Thank you Alaskan. That is good to know about racoons. The wire will be used for on top of the fence. I don't think I will have a problem with the sparrows because the chicken feed is in an enclosed area the sparrows should not be able to get to.