Stretching Hardware Cloth Tight - Best Practices?

[aart]

If my shipped eggs hatch tomorrow or Saturday, sometime next week. I usually keep them in my basement in a playpen for a few days to make sure they're all eating and drinking well and past the pasty butt stage, then they'll go out.

Sweet!!
I wonder if the 1/2" will be too big at first?
Maybe it's quail I'm thinking of seeing 1/4" used over 1/2" at first<scratcheshead>
Looking forward to seeing the progress.... here, with pics, right?

 

[Mosey2003]

Sweet!!
I wonder if the 1/2" will be too big at first?
Maybe it's quail I'm thinking of seeing 1/4" used over 1/2" at first<scratcheshead>
Looking forward to seeing the progress.... here, with pics, right?

Yeah, it's quail that need 1/4", chicks are fine on 1/2" - they're so light lol. I'm pretty sure the GQF brooders and the like use 1/2". Smaller would be harder to get the poop to fall through.

I'll try to take some pics

 

[Mosey2003]

@aart

 

[aart]

Sweet!

 

[Ghosty]

I'd say you did a great job. The 19 gauge hardware cloth doesn't want to flatten out completely, and it gets worse the bigger the piece you are dealing with. Individual square cutouts overlapped would be the only way to get it any tighter, I would think.
I ordered some 16 gauge hardware cloth for my brooder floor. The bigger gauge wire is very stiff and straight, and pulls so tight, it doesn't need any internal support. Well worth the money if you want a stiff brooder floor, imo.

 

[aart]

I ordered some 16 gauge hardware cloth for my brooder floor.

Hard to find......where did you get it(link)?

I've found that some undulations in the mesh are created during fabrication and welded in place, impossible to stretch those out....and not a problem unless it's bad enough and in a place where a predator could get a tooth in.

 

[Ghosty]

Hard to find......where did you get it(link)?

I've found that some undulations in the mesh are created during fabrication and welded in place, impossible to stretch those out....and not a problem unless it's bad enough and in a place where a predator could get a tooth in.

Ya, I agree. The tighter you get it, the more you push those undulations toward one corner or end. I have to sink more screws on the finishing end to prevent too much gapping. The final corner bubbles the most, and I have to remove screws up a ways, to divide the bubble between screws and make it manageable. On large pieces, like my run panels, I start out allowing and incorporating the undulations into each side. I work from the middle out to the corners, so I know how much bubble I'm dealing with in each quarter, and can divide it between the screws. If you make your first end tight and flat, you will end up with so much bubble, you won't know what to do with it.

I got the 16 gauge GAW HC from Klubertanz, a cage supply company. You can buy it from them by the foot in whatever width you want, so you don't have to fork out the cash for a whole roll. You will have to download their catalog. The welded wire is at the top of the catalog. http://www.klubertanz.com/

 

[Ghosty]

This is store bought 19 gauge and 16 gauge GAW from Klubertanz side by side.

 

[Mosey2003]

Oh wow...