Run Fencing Question

[gavinandallison]

We have chain link runs, with hardware cloth zip tied to it with a 1' skirt which we allowed the grass etc to grow through........... go see my pages and you will see....

 

[oldchickenlady]

There is no easy way to bury 1 foot of wire...unless you have someone else do it! I just laid 1x2 wire down around the outside (2x4 welded wire would work just as well) and staked it down with tent stakes. I attached the wire to the bottom of my run's 2x4 boards with fence staples and staked down the outer edges. Nothing has gotten in or out. Since you are using chainlink and won't have a board, just use needle nose pliers to curl the edge of the 2x4 wires around the bottom edge of your chain link.

 

[patandchickens]

Chainlink is fine IF IT IS INSTALLED CORRECTLY and is a heavy gauge to begin with (the cheaper chainlink sold these days is not strong enough to keep dogs from going thru even if it *is* installed correctly). It is not at all easy or inexpensive or fast to install chainlink correctly though, especially if you have not done it before. Your posts need to be well-set and absolutely even and level; you need a top rail of the same pipe you're using for the posts (you CAN use wooden posts for chainlink but it's a whole lot more annoying to do) and a heavy bottom tension wire (or rail or board); you need to strain the chainlink quite tightly but not so tightly you damage/distort it; and it needs to be correctly attached at all points.

If you've done chainlink before, or if you have ALL THE PIECES from a CORRECT previous installation and are willing to be very careful about following directions, you can certainly do it.

Otherwise however you should not regard it as a predatorproof fence; if it is incorrectly installed, for instance too wibbly, animals can pretty easily just pry a hole in it and go thru.

If budget is a concern, and chainlink cannot be done properly, I would suggest maybe doing a good job on a smallish run with 2x4" wire mesh, configured so that you can enlarge the run later on as funds become available.

An apron of chickenwire and/or LARGE pavers is a reasonable digging barrier -- I mean, chickenwire is not ideal for the purpose but is not bad, especially compared to the cost and aggravation of burying the base of your run fencing (which is exceptionally difficult to do with *chainlink* unless you're going to do a crappy incorrect job of installing the chainlink)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[chickenfarmer17]

i have chainlink fence for my layers and its not buried and i have only lost 2 to a skunk but now he i gone'

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[rickochet]

With chain link fence it would seem that the chickens could stick their heads thru it and maybe get hung up.Also,around here (Arkansas)our chicken wire is cheaper then chain link fence,plus its easier to handle.I purchased 120'X4' with 1"holes for 71.00 at our local Co-op.But hey,Im new and learning too.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I think that's why the o.p. said they were going to put chickenwire or rabbit wire inside of it. It works fine that way.

Also,around here (Arkansas)our chicken wire is cheaper then chain link fence,plus its easier to handle.

BUT, key thing, not actually predatorproof. A chickenwire-only run is a kind of risky proposition unless you have some other means of being totally sure that no dog, coyote, fox, raccoon, etc will ever come in contact with the run. You can DO it of course if you want, but it is not at all equivalent to chainlink.

Pat​

 

[darbywpd]

Thanks for all the great information, for now I think the chainlink is not cost effective. From reading everyone's post's, I have come up with this:

6' wood poles
chicken wire from top of pole to bottom, plus a 1' apron
4' welded wire over the chicken wire on the bottom half

Like I said in my original post, had some money problems arise suddenly, so I am trying to balance safety/security with cost.