Is it okay to use a fence as a side for a run?

I think I've about decided where we'll be putting our coop this spring. It's in a corner of our back yard that is as flat as anything in our yard, and it's away from the porch, but not a hike. It's also close to the back gate for easy compost heap access.

My question is this: We have a wood board fence in this area of the yard. If I festooned the outside of the fence with wire mesh, and made a nice predator proof skirt, could I use the fence as part of the run? I'd still have the expense of the hardware cloth, but it would save on framing and construction time. Is there any reason I shouldn't use the fence? The other side of the fence is just our "south 40," so the only neighbors that might be bothered would be the woodland creatures who live there.

Also, I could use some advice on the wire mesh I should use to line the outside of the fence to keep out the predators. I'm assuming I should go with 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth for the anti-dig skirt, but what about the mesh I use to keep chewers off the fence? Should I stick with the small mesh, or could I get away with something wider?

Let me know what you think?

--Nikki

(this one is a message from my little girl, who is fascinated by BYC smilies.)