Remember when we all thought chicken wire was enough to keep everything out?

I was out in the coop in my backyard in Tacoma about two years ago, just after dusk. Heard a huge racket and ran out with a flashlight. A raccoon had torn right through the chicken wire on the run and was inside. It got one of my Buff Orpingtons, Betty. I felt sick. The next day, I went to the hardware store and spent $127 on half-inch hardware cloth and replaced every single inch of that run. It took me a whole weekend and a lot of zip ties. Has anyone else had to make that switch after a predator got through? What did you end up using to secure it?

4 comments

4 Comments

jennifer_west2mo ago

Chicken wire is basically a joke for keeping things out. It's only good for keeping chickens in. A raccoon can shred it like paper. Hardware cloth was the only thing that stopped the foxes around here. I used screws and washers on the wood frame, zip ties just don't hold up over time. That initial cost hurts but it's cheaper than losing more birds.

scott.mia19d ago

Cheaper than losing more birds" is the truth right there. I learned that one the hard way too. @sean_murray mentioned burying the hardware cloth a foot deep, and that made all the difference for me. I had a digger problem last spring, some kind of weasel or something, and they got right under a shallow barrier. I ended up doing exactly what you did with screws and washers on the wooden frame, and man it was a pain but nothing has gotten through since. The zip tie thing is so real, they just get brittle in the sun and snap after a season. Hardware cloth is a pain to work with but once it's up right you can actually sleep at night lol.

parker_bell19d ago

Yeah @jennifer_west I used to think chicken wire was fine but man you changed my mind.

sean_murray2mo ago

Buried the hardware cloth a foot deep too.