Hi all. I joined this site in 2012 but at that time the town we live in didn't allow chickens. That zoning ordinance was changed this year and my wife and I are planning on purchasing six Golden Comets in the spring. I bought a prefab coop which I have assembled and have set fence posts for an 8'x11' run. I was going to enclose it today but as I stood at Home Depot I found myself uncertain about the wire to use. I have read hardware cloth is the best and others say not true. I was looking at 14 gauge galvanized welded wire with 2"x4" openings and was concerned about the size of the rectangular openings. This run will be for day time use only and will have a top for hawk protection. I ended up coming home with nothing and just feeling confused and frustrated. I have read differing thoughts on this site but none that really address my situation. Any thoughts? I would like to finish the run up before the snow hits......
Welcome to BYC! We're glad to have you. I personally wouldn't use the 2" x 4" wire. Holes that large are large enough for a raccoon or other predator to reach through and attack a chicken. Hardware cloth is what I would recommend. It is sturdy, and raccoons can't reach through it.
Glad you joined us! In my opinion, hardware cloth is the best material for runs. Its durable and its holes are small enough that chickens can't get caught in it or pulled out by predators. The only disadvantage that I know of is that it is rather expensive. One thing you definitely don't want to use is chicken wire--it is weak (easily torn apart by animals), and predators can stick their claws in to pull out or eat parts of birds. The 2"x4" wire would probably work okay for only daytime use, but I personally would play it safe and stick with small holed hardware cloth.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! X3 I won't use anything but hardware cloth. It is very sturdy, nothing can get through it, keeps all the predators out. You don't want to worry about your flock even during the day. Cats, bobcats, dogs, fox, weasels, small hawks will reach right in, all kinds of daytime predators can get through the fencing you are considering. So get some hardware cloth and you will have a safe flock.
Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll just go slow and budget for hardware cloth. If there's not six inches of snow I'll be able to get the run done.
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Hardward cloth is the only way to go. It's strong enough that larger predators can't tear through it, and the openings are small enough that small predators can't squeeze through the opening in the mesh and predators can reach through the openings. Hardware cloth has saved many chicken owners a lot of tears. Golden Comet is one of a number of labels under which some hatcheries market their Red Sex Links. They are produced by crossing a red gene rooster with a silver gene hen, and not only can the chicks be identified by color at hatching, but they are egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. You will get loads of eggs from those ladies. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock.
The only negative I have ever heard about hardware cloth is the price. People use chicken wire because it is dirt cheap. It's flimsy and sags and any predator worth his salt can tear through it Hardware cloth securely affixed to wooden framework etc. will not sag or tear& will last a lot longer than chicken wire. You may want to focus on the predator and coop forums and see how best to protect your flock. Rule of thumb is allow 4 sq.feet inside the coop for each bird - not including roosting and nesting areas Allow 10 sq. feet per bird in the enclosed outdoor run. A covered top will keep out climbers and raptors, if it's a solid top it will also provide some shelter from rain and snow.
glad you joined us and congrats on your spring planning. Totally agree with the 1/2 " hardware cloth.. Unless you will always be close to protect them. A prefab house is usually small? So likely they will be only roosting, laying there and spending most of their daytimes in the run. IMO you should think about a roof on the run, it does run the cost up, but gives then somewhere to live,scratch, play when raining…and bet in your area snowing. If you are planning on baby chicks in the spring, you have plenty of time to get it done.