try "cattle panels" to brace your runs

[chixie]

we use cattle pannels for all my fences... my nephews dog eats chainlink so we built his pen out of cattle pannels...works great

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

We LOVE using those cattle panels around here also, they are tough and strong and easy to work with. Our local hardware store charges $20.00 per 16 foot panel. Delivery is 20.00 which is well worth the hassle of trying to haul them ourselves. Bolt cutters work perfectly for cutting the length you want, grinding off the sharp edges if necessary. I personally think they are a cheaper way to do fencing (at least in our area) because they are so sturdy we often use less fence posts than with regular wire.

 

[that_crazy_lady]

I used the livestock panles from my run. I had them sitting around from who knows when. I coverd them with wire I had laying around. what I've got looks bad, but I don't have to worry about them getting in the dogs yard, or hawks. works for me.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

thanks for your advice but its to keep out coyotes and cougars... sorry, chicken wire just won't cut it.. I needed 4x4 and cattle panels for strength on top of chickens wire and hardware cloth in the corners... expensive yes... or 300 dead chickens... uh no thank you.... cattle panels work for me

Field fencing would be far cheaper than cattle panels, and no dogs or even cougars will go through it

A 100 X 16 run would take about 14 cattle panels
You could do a 100 X 20 with one roll of field fence.
But hey, it's your money, so as long as youre happy, its fine​

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Yup. That's how the guys at TSC loaded them up for us.

I'm really surprised if your feed store doesn't know this - since they sell them all the time

They had them on sale for $17.99 on Black Friday, and $19.99 at the end of the season when I got mine. Normally I think they run about $22 each at my TSC.

I have two that I use for an invisible drive throught "gate" between my back deck and property line. I only wanted one fence post there so there would still be room to drive on either side of it. It has chicken wire attached to the bottom to keep my birds in, but the strength of th panel keeps out dogs/etc. and the guage of the wire holds itself up without using any extra fence posts - it's zip tied to the posts so that I can take it down if I want to drive through, but it's considerably cheaper than a "real" gate since I only use it very occasionally.

 

[maf2008]

If that's what you call "safe" from preditors... I checked out field fencing and my neighbors have it surrounding our property. Looks to cheap and flimsy for my hens.... I dont believe that a hungry preditor will stop at just ONLY 12 gauge wire...

the openings in the holes are 4 x 4! (too easy for a racoon or possum.... duh.....)

My guard dog stays in the "chickens field" to protect the area surrounding the runs and coops. There is a 12 foot creek and trees a few feet from the coop area..... In the morning , I hear a pack of coyotes in the creek BY MY COOP howling (for a taste of chicken???).
Nooooo way. I will not take a chance

My runs look like fort knox and have cattle panels/and goat fencing as well as 2 layers of chicken wire AND one layer of
"plastic coated fence wire" at the bottom.... PLUS the electric cow solar fence too!Then there is the goat fencing along the creek about 3 more feet away from that.....

My husband thinks I over did it a bit.... Well my neighbors "lose" chickens every day to racoons/bobcats/coyotes and wild dogs.... One neighbor finds dead deer hanging in her trees and even saw a cougar on her front porch.... (she is my next door neighbor 1/2 mile away)

Besides... I have to build all of this myself or beg/ bribe family for a little help here and there.... have you ever tried to get a husband or son up off of the couch to work?

My family is full of excuses... on why they do not want to help on the chicken coop....So I have to buy products I can handle. I cant lift a roll of wire that big... BUT I can DRAG 16 feet of cattle panel.

So field fencing is good enough for you... I just cant that chance, thanks for your timely advice on how I spend my money and yes,
I AM VERY happy with the strength of my coop runs!


Quote:
Field fencing would be far cheaper than cattle panels, and no dogs or even cougars will go through it

A 100 X 16 run would take about 14 cattle panels
You could do a 100 X 20 with one roll of field fence.
But hey, it's your money, so as long as youre happy, its fine

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

the openings in the holes are 4 x 4! (too easy for a racoon or possum.... duh.....)

That's the same size opening you gave for your "cattle" panels.

Here those would be called "goat" or "hog" panels, and run about $30, and are only 3-4 ft tall
"Cattle" panels usually have 6 x 6 holes, and are 52 inches tall.

.... I dont believe that a hungry preditor will stop at just ONLY 12 gauge wire...

I never said to use field fence alone, but INSTEAD of the more expensive panels.​

 

[maf2008]

3. No Flaming (verbally attacking people or groups of people - e.g. a profession, an organization, a company.)
4. No Trolling (posting to provoke others, luring them to flame or rant). Trolling is sometimes done involuntarily, so please be considerate when posting.

 

[Katy]

maf2008: In this thread as in others, you take offense at anyone who disagrees with you. If you post on an open forum maybe you should be ready to take differing opinions with getting bent out of shape everytime.

 

[Stumpy]

Quote:
I'd love to see that. Would you mind posting a photo of the different fencing, apron, etc. close up?