OK to put new chicken wire right over rusty/torn old?

[Sunny Side Up]

I'm in a quandry because I have a messy house to clean up quickly for MIL's visit -AND- a chicken tractor which needs repair quickly in order to hold some fast-growing chicks.

I usually put off the house-cleaning chores in order to do the more interesting chicken & garden projects. Which is why I'm in a rushed panic now with MIL "comin' 'round the mountain" any day. But there are also 17 yeepin' cheepin' chicks who need to move to a bigger pen ASAP.

This tractor is made with PVC & chicken wire. Much of the wire is rusty but holding together all right except for around the bottom 2'. The few remaining meat roos in there are making tears in the chicken wire near the bottom, probably when they get into a their fights.

I'd love to take the time to replace ALL the chicken wire with new, but then I'd have to stay in it with the chicks when MIL comes. So what I need to know is:

If I take 3' new chicken wire & run it horizontally around the tractor OVER the old torn wire, would that be a good temporary fix? Will the old rusty wire affect the new, will it "infect" the new with its rust? Could I leave it like that or should I take the time after MIL leaves to re-do the job completely & correctly?

I do all my coop construction myself and make it up as I go along. So any & all imput from more expert builders is appreciated very much. Thank you!

 

[whatnow?]

I'm a newbie on the chickens, but I would say that the rusty wire isn't a problem... rust isn't contagious. The reason it appears to "spread" is because the coating which prevents it in the first place has been jeopardized (usually through a gouge or a cut.)

Is chicken wire a significant scratch/cut risk or is it too flimsy?

 

[LynneP]

The only thing is, do you have any spiky bits that could entangle or impale a chicken? if it's truly temporary you might get away with it, but I'm always nervous about loose bits around animals, they seem to find it and get hurt...

 

[d.k]

* You run a risk also of sick chickens if they eat the rust, b/c it's toxic. Rust is basically oxidized iron, which puts them in danger of iron overdose.

 

[twigg]

If you can, put the new wire *under*, that is, on the chicken side, of the old. Then when time permits, cut away the old.