Plastic chickenwire?

[Duckymark]

I have some dog fencing sections that I have used as a run extension in the past when the number of chickens starts to exceed my coop size. The only problem I have had with them s that some birds want to sleep in the yard and not in the coop. In the past it has been turkeys ducks and geese that have ignored the coop. I have lost a couple to predators reaching through the chain link. I have found some inexpensive plastic 3/4 inch hex mesh that I would like to put up on the bottom 3 ft of my panels to help keep predator hands out. I'll be using these panels as a meatie run for my CX and they seem to just stretch out wherever they are to take naps and sleep and I'm worried about the predator loss again. Will the plastic chickenwire deter the smaller predators since the chain link will be behind it?

A 50ft by 3ft roll of the plastic cost as much as a 15ft by 3ft roll of hardware cloth.

 

[Chicken Whisperers]

It might: it's worth a try. If you feel uncomfortable about it just switch to taller wire or more sturdy or whatever you want to fix

 

[townchicks]

Just about any predator after your chickens can and will chew through plastic.

 

[jthornton]

Put the chicken wire at least 6" away from the chain link, the chicken wire will keep the chickens in but will not keep predators out so keeping the chickens away from the chain link is the only way.

JT

 

[rjohns39]

coons can and do tear through chicken wire, I imagine the plastic stuff wouldn't be much of a challenge for them. I just retrofitted all of my tractors with 1/2" hardware cloth, screwed down. And on my doors I put 2x4 welded wire under the hardware cloth.

As @jthornton said, you could use the plastic inside the fence to keep the chickens away from the chain link.

 

[Chickassan]

That plastic stuff is ok for a very temporary run or overhead cover but not much else. I've got an emergency roll and the squirrels have chewed more holes than I can count.

 

[Duckymark]

Ok thank you all. I don't want to make the run size for these guys smaller so I'll use the more expensive hardware cloth to line the chain link. The top has 2 inch poultry wire across it to guard against Hawks and climbing coons. I have 4 CX as a trial in meat birds and I'm making an 8ft by 8ft run for them with an older wood goat house as a coop. I've read that roosting bars can cause breast blisters and that they are height challenged for jumping and flying. The goat house is 2x3 ft. If the CX do well I'll make a meat coop that allows them to stay on the ground. My regular chicken coop has several vertical elements and is full of aggressive wyandottes.

 

[rjohns39]

I use an 8X8X2 tractor for my broilers.

 

[Duckymark]

I use an 8X8X2 tractor for my broilers.

I have a few leghorns in with my CX and they seem so active in compairison to what I've seen online. I like it, makes them more chicken like and less blobby meat ball. I have the rare lap sprinting broilers.

Here is Nugget protecting Wis little buddies.

It may look like just the CX are eating but that's because the leghorns eat less and they already filled up.

 

[rjohns39]

I find that adding a couple of heritage chicks in with my CX makes them more active and better foragers.