what is a good way to protect hen house from every critter out there

[baldessariclan]

I'm personally not a fan of the expense and complication of electric fencing -- think that good, secure fencing will do the job just fine by itself (unless you've got bears in your area or similar).

On the other hand, electric fencing can provide some entertainment value. A sister-in-law of mine said they used electric fencing around their chicken enclosure, and they used to get a chuckle in the evenings while watching TV or reading books, and were occassionally treated to the screech of a raccoon when he grabbed ahold of that stuff!

 

[hbwbk]

Thanks every one I'm taking every thing in and it seems every one says stay away form chicken wire.So I came up with this the wholes are barely there at all. I am using 2 kinds of wire and criss crossing it.
The only thing I have to do is put some under ground. I can't afford electric fence. Is there anything I can do to the hen house to make it fort nox.
I am using screen for the windows and there will be a screen door for th opening so fresh air can get through only during the day. The girls will be inside at night. Every thing will have good closers on them.
I hope that raccoon gets his in the end They are big around here but we see only a few. Thanks again. I love reading all your posts. Please keep them coming as any help is always appreciated.

 

[sourland]

Predators will rip right through screening. You might want to consider 1/4" hardware cloth for the door and windows.

 

[patman75]

No screen, Screen = dead chickens
No chicken wire, Chicken wire is death wire.

If you use anyone of these in your coop you will be posting again on this forum on how you lost all your chickens.

Welded wire, hardware cloth, and/or hot wire is what you need to use.

Depending on your soil you need to burry your fence a good foot or more.
or
Go with an apron design. Run the fencing 2-3 feet out away from the coop and bury it. Predators go up the fence and start digging. They will then hit the wire and not get in. They are not smart enough to back up 3 feet and start digging.

 

[panner123]

Quote:
go to afence.com

 

[KatieandRon]

Where do you get hardware cloth?

 

[hbwbk]

Ok no screening on the hen house thank you. I'm not using chicken wire on the pen. Started with a welded garden wire and had some cloth so I used that on the inside.
across the top we are using the welded wire with a dog pen shade cloth over the top of that.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Hardware cloth or 1/2" welded wire, can be purchased at most farm supply stores and some hardware stores. Mennard's, Lowes, Home Depot, TSC, Thiesen's, even Walmart in some areas.

I found that by the time I figured the cost of all that fencing, electric fence was not more expensive. All you need are a few fiberglass posts, Wire, and a good charger. When added outside your other fence, it doesn't take more than once or twice for a varmint to decide to leave it be. I haven't had a single loss since adding it to my Fort Flocks.

 

[FarmerRob]

Quote:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/

Whether you buy from Premier 1 or not you should at least get their catalog. It is a great educational tool. They do have good products but you have to judge for yourself whether the price and shipping costs works best for you or not.

I got the barbed wire at the base idea from one of their catalogs. I asked one of their customer service people why that would help and she told me that when a dog/coyote/etc is digging under a fence they will raise their back up to guage their progress and hit the barbs and hopefully back out. This is easier than digging down and burying more woven wire but the buried woven wire is probably more effective. You can always do both if you wish.

http://www.kencove.com/fence/

These guys have several sizes and shapes of the fixed knot fencing, however, for chickens and predator control you want the smaller mesh.

http://www.zarebasystems.com/

You can find loads of additional sources of products and information by just using Google or your favorite search engine and plugging in "electric fencing."

After you decide what brand and type product you want you should check with local sources and compare their prices with what you will pay to order and ship the same thing to you.

DO NOT be suckered in with descriptions that make claims based on the "miles of fence" that can potentially be energized with a particular charger. Distance energized is affected by soil moisture or dryness and the amount of green or dry grass that may be in contact with the hot wires on your fence. Ideally you can spray the ground and kill the weeds. However, Roundup and other similar products can get pretty expensive if you have much pasture fence to deal with. And trying to keep it down with a weed whacker can also be very time consuming if you have very much fence to cover. If you are only trimming or spraying around a coop and run either approach will work well and not be a burden.

The only proper way to compare chargers is in "Joules OUTPUT or RELEASED" not in "Joules STORED."

I know that budget is always a consideration for most of us but personally I suggest getting the best charger you can afford. You want to leave intruders with a memorable impression.