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

[Wisegirl99]

Hopefully someone can help solve my dilemma. We are trying to create an extended outdoor area for our chickens. Of course we want to make this completely safe. This area will be completely surrounded by a picket fence, with some type of protective covering over it. The openings in the picket fence are about 4 in wide. So we are going to attach some type of chicken wire, or hardware cloth to the back side, about four feet high. I'm wondering if chicken wire would be a safe choice. The total cost for us to do this with chicken wire will only be about $45. If I choose hardware cloth, it's going to be $170. This job is getting to be pretty expensive, considering I already paid about $700 for the fencing. But I do want to do the safest thing for my chickens. We are also planning on burying The wire to form an apron around the fencing to prevent burrowing predators from getting under. Any help is appreciated!

 

[PirateGirl]

Chicken wire does not form an adequate apron. The same types of predators that can/will dig under a fence can tear through chicken wire

 

[123RedBeard]

Price out 1"X2" or 1"X3" 14 gauge welded wire fencing ... should be cheaper than hardware cloth, but much sturdier/stronger than chicken hex wire ...

How big of an area/run are you adding?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hardware cloth your new best friend best price on large rolls Amazon

 

[HeyHo]

I don't have any great advice, but I will be interested to see what suggestions you receive. I just created an extended outdoor area for the flock and (mostly) use it on beautiful days when someone in the family is around. I have a solid coop, fully enclosed run with a roof and buried apron. The chicken "yard" is accessible via a chunnel and is simply stakes and wire fencing. I am thinking about upgrading with a real fence, etc. but am weighing costs of doing so.

 

[AmyJane725]

Hardware cloth is extremely reasonable on Amazon. If you want complete safety it’s the only way to go.

 

[Cryss]

Chicken wire is easily ripped by predators. Raccoons are famous for reaching through 1x2, grabbing a chicken and ripping off its head. 1/4 inch hardware cloth is thinner wire, not as strong. Your friend truly is 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It's worth the investment.

 

[123RedBeard]

On the typical tiny runs often seen with store bought coop ... yes, a raccoon could reach through ... if its paw will fit through and grab a chicken that can't get out of reachable space ... however ... in a run with sides over 25' feet long, not likely to have a chicken leaning up against the fence while they see a raccoon on the other side of the fence!

 

[Cryss]

On the typical tiny runs often seen with store bought coop ... yes, a raccoon could reach through ... if its paw will fit through and grab a chicken that can't get out of reachable space ... however ... in a run with sides over 25' feet long, not likely to have a chicken leaning up against the fence while they see a raccoon on the other side of the fence!

It happens frequently because chickens will run to a corner and huddled up against that fence when frightened. Clever raccoons use this against them, scare them into a corner and grab them. Chickens won't run to the center of the run, it feels too open and vulnerable. My chickens actually run to the fence to watch me walk the dogs and I let them sniff through the fence of 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Is the 25 ft wide run covered? Raccoons climb over fences. If they need to they will simply rip a hole in the chicken wire. I watched a man have to pull his dog away from a chicken wire fence because the dog pushed his snout through. He was letting his dog look at the new chickens and thought the dogs excited reaction was funny until it broke a bit of the new chicken wire "accidentally". Chicken wire is made to keep chickens in, not keep predators out. Use it to make partitions inside coops and runs to separate birds from each other or from a storage area.

 

[Pekin747]

I got chicken wire from a second hand dealer I'll try find it to see what it's called it's a lot thicker than regular chicken wire but keeps out fox bagers large cats and I used some for my serama enclosure so I'd imagine it would keep in any type of birds
Also hardware cloth seems to be a very high recommend use in other threads Idk what it is and have never personally used it my go to choices r either tin for the bottom which brings the fencing to about 5 feet and then chicken wire
Or this new type of stuff that I gave and never looked at the name