Looking for some help!

[gatorshark75]

It's regular chicken wire at the moment but mr chicks told me about hardware wire so I'm gonna get a roll of that and go about 3' up all the way around.. Is that a good idea? And maybe a stran of electric fence!! Oh and I have shot many coons around our house with my bow last time we had chickens

you dont need electric fence its not gonna stop a coon he will figure a way around it they are very smart all you can do is use wire they cant tear through i use a type of fence wire made for dogs its got square holes in it they are 2in x 3in its 14 gauge and 4 feed tall the coyotes here haven't been able to tear into it so i think foxes and coon wouldn't stand a chance of getting into your pens if you run a row of it on the bottom of your pens

 

[gatorshark75]

oi and its a lot stronger and cheaper than hardware cloth

 

[Sonya9]

It's regular chicken wire at the moment but mr chicks told me about hardware wire so I'm gonna get a roll of that and go about 3' up all the way around.. Is that a good idea? And maybe a stran of electric fence!! Oh and I have shot many coons around our house with my bow last time we had chickens

Hardware Cloth can be pretty expensive too. Here it is $69 per 25 foot roll for the 48" high cloth. If you decide you want to bury it then seriously consider renting a "ditch witch" at the hardware store, it digs a very narrow ditch a few inches deep, perfect for putting fencing in.

Figure out all of the costs ahead of time including the single hotwire and setup (I am not sure a single hotwire will really do much btw).

I ended up buying electric poultry netting, 164 feet of netting with the power unit and all accessories set me back about $350 including shipping. The whole net is hot and it is easy to move so I can shift it to fresh grass as desired, I don't want the chickens on bare dirt after a couple of weeks while their pen is surrounded by lush grass and weeds and such. A moveable fence means they will always have some fresh green grass to root around in.

I have no desire to slaughter all of the local wild life that may take an interest in the chickens (of course they will want a free meal, who wouldn't?) so I much prefer the electric fence. It keeps everyone (chickens, wildlife, etc...) safe.