Who named It "Chicken Wire"? The Racoons did.

[okallthis4eggs]

Seems everyday I read or hear of another horror story about somebody who depended on "Chicken Wire" to protect their chickens. I guess it has some good uses but one of them is not to keep your chickens safe. I'm sure some are going to tell me they used chicken wire and never had a problem. To that i say "Your just lucky". A determined and hungry coon will sooner or later try to change your luck. Its not worth it to me to risk all my time and efforts to raise healty, productive birds only to have a coon visit one night and go on a killing spree. Hardware cloth is the best choice in my opinion to keep chickens safe. I think a racoon must have named "chicken wire" because they know if they want a chicken dinner all they have to do is find chicken wire and behind it waits a chicken dinner.

 

[dainerra]

nah, it's "chicken wire" because it is meant to keep chickens in. just as hog fencing is made to keep hogs in. They need to make "raccoon fencing" to keep the coons out!

 

[Habibs Hens]

even here in UK where there is no coons or cayotes

they still dont recommend chicken wire as foxes can bite it through as can rats

i have found my rabbits can bite through chicken wire aswell

i used galved mesh

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Well dainerra looking at it that way I guess they should rename "hardware cloth" and call it " raccoon fence"

 

[Baymule]

Thanks to BYC and the hours I spent educating myself, my coop is wrapped in hardware cloth. I live just a few blocks from city hall but still manage to get possums and raccoons lurking about. If not for BYC, I would have thought chicken wire = chicken coop/pen.

 

[destinduck]

Ive been lucky for about 15 years then. I also live near a swamp. Coons and possums abound.Yeah of course a really starving coon could get in. When stuff is starving they will also dig, eat wood or make their mouth and paws bleed to tear chickenwire to get in. Seems like everytime when you pin someone down on the chickenwire issue the coon pulled the bird thru the wire or the wire was rusty or something or he dug under. I will say they are highly intelligent and will find a chink in any armour. Also you can use that cheap chickenwire if you use a cheap electric fence tro go with it. Alot better than hardware cloth or any other wire for that matter. Yall know coons can climb right??? Figure out how much you got in that coop with all that hardware cloth or whatever and I can build three times the pens and make em totally coon proof with the cheap zapper, Just saying chicken wire alone works 90% of the time on its own and the main point is it doesnt break anyones bank. Price a roll of hardware cloth as opposed to chicken wire. Now you see why so many use it including myself. This is my opinion.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Thanks for your input destinduck but for $75.00 worth of hardware cloth and not having to fool with a electric fence and chicken wire i consider it well worth the extra money. Also I don't have to worry about a coon reaching thru the hardware cloth and grabbing a chicken either. Does that electric fence have a battery backup if the power fails? How much does that electric fence cost and how often does the battery have to be replaced? Or is it solar powered? If so it still has a battery. Just askin cause I don't know but you seem to think its much cheaper that way. Finally I think the comparison I was making was chicken wire vs hardware cloth. Not chicken wire with a electric fence around it vs hardware cloth. The electric fence is keeping the coons out of your run not the chicken wire. The hardware cloth is keeping the coons out of mine.

 

[destinduck]

It IS cheaper. Check for yourself if you dont believe me. Price hardware cloth and price chickenwire with a charger. Also its not to hard to "fool "with a electric fence.You just plug it in any outlet (110) regular house outlet and/or extention cord and attach one wire to the ground wire the other to the hot wire. Not exactly rocket science. My power doesnt hardly ever go out does yours?I truly dont know many peoples whos power does to be honest here and once they get popped they dont come back anyway. I guess I dont like that its also hard to see your birds with hard ware cloth also. BTWI also still have some non electrified pens with only just the chicken wire.Again never had a problem. The charger is 25 dollars at ace . I know the hardware cloth works for you. You just have to accept the fact that chicken wire works for most all us "other" people. We agree to disagree. Im good with that.

 

[chicks@feathers]

Good 22 or 12 guage works the best on any varmit than wire LOL but yes elictric fence works and hardware cloth but always bury about a foot of your wire under ground to stop the diggers

 

[destinduck]

You got that right Chicks. I employ all methods. Shooting, trapping and shocking their monkey!