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Tpedroni said:
My 11-year old son and I are just starting with backyard chickens. In fact we are studying up and getting prepared for our first chicks in the spring. We just bought some of our first materials to build a hoop coop. Ugh! Chicken wire has significant amounts of lead?
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Welcome to BYC!
 
drumstick diva said:
Welcome to BYC. Actually chick wire is NOT recommended for chickens. It keeps them in but doesn't keep any predators out. They can slice through it easily. Rather most folks prefer to use 1/2" hardware cloth which is more expensive but much stronger.
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Thank you. Unfortunately the hardware cloth sold here also can leach lead into the soil.
 
Acre4Me said:
Welcome! How old is your son? This is a fun activity with kids - we started keeping chickens with our then 11 yo kid.

lead content: where are you finding out your information About leaching into soil?

What type of environment is your hoop coop going into? Fenced yard? Large or small? Predators in the area (which includes neighbor dogs)? Based on this you may need a heavier duty wire or set up if you have some larger predators. If you are only concerned about smaller ones, the 1/4” is fine. If you have raccoons, 1/4” is fine, but it needs to be well secured- with screws and washers so it cannot be ripped out.

Do you deal with any snow load?
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He is 11. Yes we live in metro Detroit so we still get significant snow. We have opossums, skunks, foxes, and raccoons and there have been a couple coyote sightings even though we live jn a suburban environment. Also falcons and hawks. However for better or worse we see a lot fewer of those now that we have a dog.
 
Tpedroni said:
He is 11. Yes we live in metro Detroit so we still get significant snow. We have opossums, skunks, foxes, and raccoons and there have been a couple coyote sightings even though we live jn a suburban environment. Also falcons and hawks. However for better or worse we see a lot fewer of those now that we have a dog.
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I have found articles online about both chicken wire and hardware cloth leaching lead into soil. I’m happy to share them.
 
Tpedroni said:
He is 11. Yes we live in metro Detroit so we still get significant snow. We have opossums, skunks, foxes, and raccoons and there have been a couple coyote sightings even though we live jn a suburban environment. Also falcons and hawks. However for better or worse we see a lot fewer of those now that we have a dog.
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Lead in hardware cloth and chicken wire
 

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