Newbie with Questions

[jette]

We are new to chickens and house 4 in a small house - we are working on getting them on the roost and out of the nest boxes. It was about $400 pre-fab including little pen - waist of money, but we have it working. We are removing little pen and keeping house and building a 9 foot by 16 foot pen area (hoop style top) with cattle panel. NOW, here is my question. I have heard that we need additional safety around the the cattle panel (smaller than chicken wire), but I do not see why? We live in a suberb neighborhood in California and do not have rats or mice around. Cattle panel seems secure against racoons. The house inside is secure for nights, but we want the extra security of the pen to be quite secure too.

Please provide ideas - we are completing the Pen this Saturday

I wish I could attach a photo - but I cannot.

 

[amenfarm]

The holes in a cattle panel are large enough to permit wildlife to reach through a pull what it can of a chicken through the bars, in the case of a raccoon it will eat it through the wire. While right now I don't have chickens, my grandfather did and what can happen isn't fun. The saying "build it and they will come"? happens with chickens, you probable have wildlife you never see, and once they find your chickens you want them as safe as possible. Depending on how tall your run is you may only have to do upwards of so many inches on each side, 1 x1 weld wire. do you have the bottom secure so nothing-- say stray dogs, can dig in?