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drumstick diva said:
I suppose chickens can get along with just one visit daily but, there are a million unforeseen incidents that can wipe our your flock. Personally I would be too stressed to leave them alone all that time.

They would probably be very skittish because they wouldn't have much attention from humans and they certainly wouldn't have much of a chance to charm you with their unique personalities.
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Michael OShay said:
Again, I would use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Hardware cloth is a little more expensive than chicken wire, but it is much stronger (not so much a consideration with chain link behind it) and most importantly, the openings (1/2 or 1/4") are small enough that no predators can pass through them (not even mice). Many BYC members call tell you sad stories of chickens lost because they used chicken wire (even wrapped around chain link) instead of hardware cloth.
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Do you think the hardware cloth would be ok for a complete fence, as in not having the chain link behind it? I've never seen the stuff that I know of, so I don't know how sturdy it is.

I'm thinking about having the runs fully enclosed on all sides, so maybe hardware cloth on the sides and chicken wire on the top and in the ground under foot?

drumstick diva said:
I suppose chickens can get along with just one visit daily but, there are a million unforeseen incidents that can wipe our your flock. Personally I would be too stressed to leave them alone all that time.

They would probably be very skittish because they wouldn't have much attention from humans and they certainly wouldn't have much of a chance to charm you with their unique personalities.
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Lol, I have 7 horses that I only see once a day, along with a cat that I only see for about an hour a day, then there is my dog that gets maybe 2 hours of attention a day... I think the chickens will be ok and figure out how to lay eggs and mix compost without me there all the time. I would LOVE to live on the farm and never leave, but sadly, things cost money which means I have to have a job.
 
You could use hardware cloth for fencing, but as just a fence, there are a lot of predators it won't keep out (not will any other type of fence). They will either climb or fly over it, or dig under it.
 
I have pens made of all hardware cloth. It will keep out all but bears...don't know what would help that! I have it on all fours sides for my pricey chickens. The less expensive chickens I built pens of 2x4 fencing and lined the bottom two feet with the hardward cloth and also put an apron of hardware cloth around the outside bottom. So far it's done well against dogs and a hog that tried to get to the feed.
 

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