Would chicken wire be a safe choice behind a picket fence?

[Pekin747]

For our extended run. We used 2" × 4" 5' welded wire. No roof. The hens don't bother to fly out. I know there is risk that predators can dig under or fly over. But so far so good. So for us the risk seems about right.

The run is hw cloth, including apron and full roof. When they are in there they are in a pretty secure location.

The run ur talking about is that the one in ur profile pic caus either looks fabulous

 

[50-45-1]

Hiehgt almost makes waht to close 4" gaps with moot...

Say....whaaaat?

 

[Sea Wolf]

aart said:
Hiehgt almost makes waht to close 4" gaps with moot...

Say....whaaaat?

I have Alaskan Malamutes and they are called "moots" by many fans of the breed. I think what they were suggesting was that a "moot" be stationed at every 4 foot gap in the fence?

 

[jreardon1918]

The run ur talking about is that the one in ur profile pic caus either looks fabulous

The extended run is the fenced sta on the right. The secure run is on the left, attached to the coop. Just took this picture. They are a target for hawks, fox... but they really like this area.

 

[Sea Wolf]

As for the picket fence, it will look lovely but expect the birds to frequently fly over it to explore the other side. I put up 4 foot high chicken wire for a run with an open top. Unlike picket fence, they could easily see through this and still insisted on exploring the other side. Not until I added another layer of 3 foot high (to make a total of 6 actually) did they stay put. Chicken wire on the inside of the pickets will be fine. This is, of course, assuming you are locking the birds up at night. Your average predators will visit at night, dusk and early dawn. Running an L of hardware cloth around the outside with the longer part of the L just underground will thwart diggers. The open space above the run will still tempt large hawks so suspend several hanging pieces of "Scare Tape" over it to repel them. I use just plain chicken wire. I don't have issues with diggers and most predators because the birds are locked up as soon as they go in for the night. I also have dogs which seem to repel the others at the barrier of the yard by the scent of their urine along the fence.

 

[aart]

Hiehgt almost makes waht to close 4" gaps with moot...

Say....whaaaat?

Lots of typos in there(fixed now) and rushed sentence structure.
If preds can go over the 4' fence, closing fence gaps is moot.

Definition of moot:
2.having little or no practical relevance, typically because the subject is too uncertain to allow a decision.
"the whole matter is becoming increasingly moot"

 

[BigBlueHen53]

aart said:
Hiehgt almost makes waht to close 4" gaps with moot...


I have Alaskan Malamutes and they are called "moots" by many fans of the breed. I think what they were suggesting was that a "moot" be stationed at every 4 foot gap in the fence?

No worries, Aart,
I type like that when my sleeping pill kicks in!

 

[aart]

I type like that when my sleeping pill kicks in!

I do it stone cold sober
....am a terrible typist, I spend more time fixing my typing than typing it.

 

[HeyHo]

The extended run is the fenced sta on the right. The secure run is on the left, attached to the coop. Just took this picture. They are a target for hawks, fox... but they really like this area.

I just did essentially the same thing! And I'm in the same area of MA. We lost a hen to a hawk during supervised free range so I created a temporary area next to the "real run" just like yours. It is in deep woods, so it is pretty hidden from above. We do less free ranging now (due to a hawk nest on the neighbors' property). But the girls love this extra area! It isn't predator proof, and I use it carefully, but it has really made the girls happy to have the extra area for several hours a day.

You are right -- it is all about balance and risk assessment.

 

[jreardon1918]

Hawks are all around or property. Saw one recently standing on the ground just outside the unsecured run. It did fly into that area. But the hens had plenty of time to get inside. That time... We regularly see a fox patrolling the perimeter. So I do understand the risk.