I'm new to chickens, I don't have any yet either. I'm going to start building a coop later this week when it warms up. I have recently purchased this rural property and don't have any fencing. There are coyotes in the area, and I've also seen a few large dogs roaming around the front yard. The coop itself I will be making out of wood, likely recycled barn wood, otherwise 2x4's and 1/2" plywood and a couple feet off the ground. The run I want to use hardware cloth, possibly 1/2" 19 gauge but not sure. The location will be against the house, so I would expect to hear something if there's a problem during the day. Should this be adequate protection for them? By the end of the year I hope to have a strong fence surrounding my property, but I'd like to start the chickens now so I have them for my garden this summer. Will this work?
From what I have seen here, most people that use hardware cloth use 1/2 x 1/2/19gauge and have been pleased with it's performance. I have used 1/2 x 1/2/19g for other projects and have been pleased. I will use it for my new coop as well.
