Reinforcement ideas

[whinniebee]

Hello all, I'm in need of some advice. 2 days ago, some neighborhood dogs ripped a hole through our hardwire cloth and killed half our flock. It's been devastating, we have 4 younger hens we were just about to integrate. We obviously need to patch the hole, but now we don't feel secure with just hardwire. It keeps the smaller predators out, but we don't know who the dogs belong to, or if they're just strays, so there's no guarantee that they won't come back and break into our run again. Does anyone have advice on what we could add for extra security? Our run is 20x10, fully enclosed with the back 1/3 tarped off. We also have a 18" skirt buried around the perimeter. I've attached some pictures.
Would double layering more hardwire work, or shoukd we invest in some sort of metal fencing to wrap around the body? Unfortunately, money is tight at the moment, but our 4 younger girls are outgrowing their quarantine setup, so we need to get something figured out soon.

 

[horror_trashcan]

My immediate thought was a chain link fence to cover the bottom half where bigger animals could reach, you'll still need the hwc for the smaller predators but I'd say a fence would fix your issue. I'm not sure about a double layer of hwc, I'd say they're just going to rip through both layers. If you have scrap wood you might be able to make a few feet high of wooden fencing, I don't think the entire walls need to be covered. Terribly sorry about your chickens.

 

[SourRoses]

Did they rip a hole in the cloth or did they tear the cloth off of where it's attached with plastic zipties?
If the latter, look into metal zipties and use a lot of them.

If the former, those are uncommonly skilled dogs, so I would use a heavier gauge wire fencing like 2x4 "no climb" or 2x2. It also usually costs less that HW Cloth.
That would only have to be 4 ft high and surround the perimeter against the existing structure (so they can't jump it).

 

[whinniebee]

Did they rip a hole in the cloth or did they tear the cloth off of where it's attached with plastic zipties?
If the latter, look into metal zipties and use a lot of them.

If the former, those are uncommonly skilled dogs, so I would use a heavier gauge wire fencing like 2x4 "no climb" or 2x2. It also usually costs less that HW Cloth.
That would only have to be 4 ft high and surround the perimeter against the existing structure (so they can't jump it).

They ripped a hole in middle of the wire. I will post a picture once I get back. Thank you for the advice.

 

[StinkyAcres]

What is the wire gauge of the hardware cloth?

You may need an electric fence. Just a few strands should do the trick.

 

[whinniebee]

They ripped a hole in middle of the wire. I will post a picture once I get back. Thank you for the advice.

Looking at it again, it does pull up from where it connects to the bottom/skirt, but they still tore their way through it. We will probably get some 2x4 heavier gauge to wrap around the body.

 

[aart]

Looking at it again, it does pull up from where it connects to the bottom/skirt, but they still tore their way through it.

If they can get a tooth in, HC is not that hard to rip up.

We will probably get some 2x4 heavier gauge to wrap around the body.

That would probably do the trick.

 

[perkolator]

If it was my situation I would likely back the HC with a beefier fencing material; this is basically what I chose to do on my own run using 2"x2" woven fencing (thick old stuff, around 12ga) as my strong fence, with 1/2" HC over the top to keep small predators like raccoons from reaching inside. For yours I'd probably use something like 2"x4" welded wire fencing, which is very commonly available at a feed store or Ag supply. You may get away using only 36", but 48" would be better. Wanna say a 100ft roll would be around $150. I always find use for extras of this fencing material, as I use it in my garden to protect plants and to make cages and trellises too.

 

[eworms]

I'd suggest putting welded wire outside the hardware cloth to make it just a little harder for them to get teeth into the hardware cloth. Even if the welded wire keeps the dogs out, they might hook a tooth into the hardware cloth. If the hardware cloth is damaged, that could allow smaller predators in. It's surprising how much damage a determined dog can do in a night.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It looks to me as if your hardware cloth (hwc) has insufficient support. I see large areas where there is nothing but hwc between what looks like 8' gaps between tubular steel supports. I would use chain link or field fencing with 2x4" openings to completely enclose your run, and then use hwc to reinforce that up to about 4' high to keep smaller predators out. Obviously the hwc alone is not robust enough to withstand an attack from a large, determined predator.

You also need to prevent attacks at the ground line. Extend the hwc down around the perimeter of your run in an "apron" outward about 18" and cover it with gravel to keep predators from digging under and getting in that way.

I'm sorry for your losses.