So...im at the wire stage...what one do i choose???

[Portalguy]

Just got a very bad price shock with welded wire fencing:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=199874

To add insult to injury, the wire said MADE IN CHINA and the quality was poor... the welds pop on any attempt to tension it between the posts. I called around and there was no fencing available that was not from China. So I had to leave it a little loose.

So do your shopping and see if you can get old-stock fencing at pre-Obama prices. Or see if you can reuse some old fencing; prices of many things such as staple foods have doubled recently along with steel, which has made me a regular visitor to the local dump... there are some great finds there. They chip up used lumber, brush and trees, which makes excellent bedding.

 

[RendonRoo]

sorry asylum, I would use fence staples and put it on the outside of your framing. Good Luck

 

[k2chickens]

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what are you sorry for??

 

[The Chicken Lady]

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This is a really smart idea. It can help you to foresee potential problems and make better choices while you are adding "finishing touches" to your coop.

 

[coloradowildflower]

Finally, a question I feel confident answering!!!

We went with 1" x 1" rabbit cage wire. We got it from Lowe's garden department for about $12 for 15 feet (two rolls will do your tractor. It's the same design as ours).

Now for the scary part: two nights after we put our babies out, we heard this AWFUL sound. We went out but found nothing. The next day, two HUGE dogs were back, trying to get in at our chicks. The tough cage wire kept them out. I'm certain that poultry net would not have held up to them!!!

I think it's also worth mentioning that the 1 x 1 is more secure than the bigger wires. We had a cat come by a couple of nights after the dogs (I know . . . we need a fence) and she got two fingers through and scratched two of our chicks' combs. That was bad, but I think it would have been MUCH worse if we'd had the 2 x 4 fencing I was considering at first. The 1 x 1 is great, because the birds can't stick their heads out and the predators can't get in.

Just my opinion, but I was facing this decision a while ago and am SO GLAD we went with the 1 x1 cage wire. Good luck and enjoy your tractor!

 

[1shelby1]

just saw this,and thought i would add-saw someone local had used stucco wire(used to hold stucco in place over wall).it looks like chicken wire but is super strong....maybe find that at the dump?

 

[k2chickens]

1x1...thanks!!! but it will not be a tractor. I need to find a way to bury some wire attached to the bottom of the frame to keep preds. from digging and entering the run.

 

[macnugget]

You can put 2x4 wire on the bottom to keep the pred from digging under and still the chickens can scratch. we have done it with both our coops and it has worked fine

 

[k2chickens]

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couldn't they still scratch anyway because the wire would be mounted on the outside of the frame going into the dirt??

 

[CityChook]

If you're not going to use it like a tractor, then for sure bury the wire. If you're going to be moving it, you'll want to do an apron to discourage diggers.

To bury: run your hardware wire over your framing from the base of the coop section, across the run portion and over the base framing. Using screws and washers (or fencing staples), attach the wire to the framing with a 12 inch overlap at the bottom. This is the part that will be buried. Does that help?