Sagging Chicken Wire Top

[Violet22]

Hello! I am putting together a predator proof enclosure for my new ducks. I am mainly using 6x6x6 chain link dog panels. It's 1,000 square feet and configured oddly, I have one set up with 3 sides for one 12x12 area, because I bought a metal truss system with a tarp for shade, and the rest is kind of open. I have 36" 1/4" hardware cloth on all the sides. My problem is I need to put 1" chicken wire on top of it all to keep out predators. Because of the lengths of the spans, I can't for the life of me get it taut and keep it from sagging. Some areas are 12' across, and some are about 18' across that I need to cover.
I read the archives and I one lady said her husband used wire with tension fasteners across the pen, then put the chicken wire on top of that. That got me to thinking, and I priced some cable and "Gripples", but they are very expensive. I was wondering if poly strapping cable would get taut enough and last outdoors and keep the chicken wire from sagging too badly. No matter what I do, it won't look real pretty, but if I can at least keep it from sagging down on my head, it would be good! Any thoughts or other ideas? The spans are too large to use wood or pipe I think, and I thought something like wire or strapping would be easier to secure to the pipe framing. A stiffer fence material like hardware cloth would be better, but I really can't afford it for the size area I am doing.
Thank you for any thoughts and ideas! I need to get this done, they are outgrowing the bathtub MUCH quicker than I thought!!
Caroline

 

[bills]

You should go to a fencing store, and buy a roll of fencing wire. This is a very strong galvanized wire that is usually quite inexpensive. I don't know what Gripples are, but perhaps look at buying some smaller "turnbuckles" to use to tighten the wire. You need to make sure your chain link panels are firm, or tightening the support wires to much, may cause them to bend inward, at the top

Once the support wire's are tauntly in place, lay your chicken wire over it, and use smaller pieces of wire to fasten it to the main wires. You can tighten up the chicken wire so it doesn't sag as you do this.

Rope would probably work if you used turnbuckles to really tighten it up, but not poly rope, as it stretches. You would need some decent nylon marine type rope. It will last for a few years. Wood will work but you would need a few center supports with a span as wide as you mention.

Pipe would span the distance if you got large enough diameter, so it didn't sag, but would likely be pretty expensive. Perhaps the 4" white PVC pipe that they use for drains would work. They are quite light, but I still wonder about spanning them 18 feet, without some sag. Perhaps a T glued in the middle with a down pipe support would work.

HTH

 

[patandchickens]

The problem with trying to run a tension wire that tight is that, over such a large span with just chainlink panels as sides, it will merely draw the tops of the panels inward a bit until the chickenwire sags as much as it did before. (And you've destabilized the run walls).

What you need is rigid bracing, I'm afraid. Either from below, circus-tent-pole style (although this is not as appropriate with chickenwire), or rafter-style all the way across the pen from one side to the other. Run the braces across the shortest dimension possible - so if you have an area of (say) 8x16' to cover, run 8' rafters rather than 16' ones.

(You *could* use a rafter-type arrangement, attached inside the top frame of the fencing, to resist the tension of the wires you're proposing... but honestly I don't see the point, because if you do that then you don't NEED the wires, the rafters themselves are quite sufficient to support the chickenwire.

Remember that raccoons will go right through a chickenwire top, rafters or no (in fact, as raccoons are *heavy*, they may go right thru just from gravity alone! and yes, they most certainly will climb up onto there) so you will need to make sure the birds are shut up in a predatorproof coop at night.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[1acrefarm]

If you do put a top on those panels you have to keep the snowload in your area into consideration. Georgia normally has a very small snowload and the weight of the snow on my top panel crushed my side panels last March.

If you fasten 1x4s to the top it will support the wire or for particularity long runs 2x4s. There are several ways to fasten them on but I would just drill a few holes in the lumber where it meets the panels and use tie wire.

 

[Violet22]

Thank you everyone! You've given me lots to think about........I *think* if I got the tension right, it wouldn't pull the panels inward.......I'll have to experiment. A little sag won't bother me, as I said it's not going to look pretty whatever I do, but right now, with just the chicken wire, it's sagging a few inches. I could put up with even an inch or so of sag. I did think about PVC pipe.......I may end up with a combo of what everyone mentioned, I'll just have to play around with some things, but now I have some more ideas and materials to think about working with.
Georgia, thank goodness I don't have to worry about snow load! The only load I have to worry about is what Pat said.......Raccoon load! I had a smaller enclosure at this location for chickens and I never had a problem in 9 years, but I think I will play it safer this time. I have been focusing on my fox that live here, but need to put some more thought into keeping the raccoons from getting through the roof.
Thank you again,
Caroline

 

[Violet22]

Don't know if anyone cares...

.....but just wanted to let you know what I ended up doing. I am really short on time, so for a quick and easy fix, I grabbed some plastic coated wire clothesline.......I was hoping since it was for outdoors, it MIGHT have a little UV protection in it, I also thought it would be more pliable than plain wire. I just strung this across the tops and tightened it with short thick black rubber bungees. The bungees will be easy to adjust if it sags.
It's doing what I wanted, and keeping the chicken wire from sagging too much below the top. In places, it's maybe 1/2" at most, and I can live with that. Thank you again for your help, even if I didn't do exactly what you said, it all gets me thinking! Some of the things I do plan to do in the future, just now, this was all I had time for.

Caroline

 

[tamiep]

, I grabbed some plastic coated wire clothesline.......I was hoping since it was for outdoors, it MIGHT have a little UV protection in it, I also thought it would be more pliable than plain wire. I just strung this across the tops and tightened it with short thick black rubber bungees. The bungees will be easy to adjust if it sags.

Caroline

We are faced with the sag, as well! How did this work out? How far apart did you put clothesline? How did you attach bungie to wire?

 

[runt325]

Mine is doing the same thing.