Is horse wire ok to use for a run?

[Mrs. Green Thumbs]

I have a very nice lady giving me a roll and a half of horse wire for my pen. Will this be strong enough? It's not much but I figure I can use it sparingly in the front of the pen and use wood for the side's and back, and hopefully find enough metal out of her scrap pile to make a roof. Sound good? Plus a nice coat of blue paint (salvaged from my mother's garage).

 

[patandchickens]

By horse wire, do you mean the 2x4" mesh 'no-climb'? That is fine for a chicken run, certianly strong enough and all that will go through it is baby possums and the smallest gauge of raccoons -- well, and rats and weasels but they will get in just about *anywhere* really. I would highly recommend adding something smaller mesh (preferably 1/2" mesh) on the bottom 2-3' to prevent reach-through incidents. Also remember you will probably want to either bury a couple feet of it, or (my preference) run a 2-3' wide apron on the ground outside it, to prevent predators from digging in.

OTOH if you mean something with holes larger than 2x4", it is pretty risky in terms of letting predators slip thru.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat