Plastic Hardware Cloth?

[cochicks]

I was at the hardware store to get more 1/2 inch hardware cloth for our new coop when I noticed they also had plastic 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Has any one used this before? I was thinking it might work well for the top of a run to keep out birds of prey...

 

[CoyoteMagic]

One word, Worthless. Don't waist your money.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

also had plastic 1/2 inch hardware cloth

"Hardware" means "metal"

You saw plastic netting​

 

[jeremy]

Raccoons can, and will, chew right through it. Then proceed to chew through your birds.

 

[tammyd57]

Plastic? To protect the lives of your birds? I wouldn't do it. But good luck and let us know how that works out for you.

 

[ZooMummzy]

My hands attest to how much I love hardware cloth

It is killer on the skin but I wouldn't trust anything else.

However, on the top of my run I have bird netting, the kind you throw over fruit trees etc. I've had it up for 2 years now and I've never lost a bird to a hawk. They fly over but keep on going. They don't even roost anywhere near. I live in the city though so I really can't say about it in the country. It is tricky to get attached and stable and you have to check it weekly (or at least I do - I'm paranoid), but to me it is worth it. We will be replacing it this summer just because I don't want to take chances on another season of weather. On my fences and gates (and buried and cemented 12" down) though, metal hardware cloth.

 

[gumbii]

i used it on the roof of the chicken's large run... it's horrible IMO, but cheap and a pretty easy fix for hawks and stuff... when using a stapler, it will cut it up sometimes... but yeah, i wouldn't use it on my permanent run or coop...

 

[tammyd57]

I have plastic bird netting over my chicken yard, but it's ONLY to keep sparrows out of the chicken feed, NOT to protect the chickens. We have a lot of hawks here, but no hawk problem because there is an overabundance of natural prey for them that are easier to get than my chickens. I use chain link fencing and (metal)hardware cloth for everything else.

 

[patandchickens]

There are two things you might be talking about -- one is that very thin hard-to-see plastic netting, and the other is indeed called "plastic hardware cloth" on its label (or something like that anyhow) and is a much thicker stouter product, the versions I've seen have been grey, it is more like a miniature version of plastic snowfencing.

Either one will help keep chickens in and birds of prey out. The stout grey stuff will do a more-guaranteed job vs birds of prey, I expect (people occasionally have hawks get in through, or get tangled in, the nearly-invisible netting), but I am not sure it'd do ENOUGH better job to justify its considerably higher price and the fact that it will catch snow a lot worse. (Both will come down in any appreciable amount of snow, though).

Neither one will keep anything else out, though.

Pat

 

[Chris09]

cochicks,

Do you know if it was the cheaper stuff like Pat (patandchickens) described or was it the heaver gauge PVC or Vinyl coated welded wire?
The heaver gauge PVC or Vinyl welded coated wire is good wire (but too rich for my blood) and if it is the 14 Gauge it is a lot better in keeping out larger predictors out than the 1/4" x 1/4" hardware cloth. I have see where a rat ripped a whole right through that cheep 1/4" x 1/4" hardware cloth.
The only wire I will use on my pens is 1/2" x 1" 16 gauge welded wire or 2" X 1" 14 gauge welded wire. It depends on the application, on witch of the 2 wires I use.

Here is a link to a supplier that has the heaver gauge PVC or Vinyl welded coated wire.
http://www.klubertanz.com/images/Klubertanz_Pg7.pdf


Chris