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Anybody know of a good source of it, and anything to avoid? Hole size? 

I need about 25 metres and enough height to keep chooks at the right side....how high would that be?  :)

Mine has 25mm holes but that does allow small birds to get in and nick the chooks feed... so maybe smaller than this if you want to keep them out? I got mine from an agricultural merchant called Scats.

I made my run 2m (2x1050mm rolls slightly overlapping) high so I could get in with the chickens but I also put wire over the top as well, not so much to keep the chickens in as to keep the fox/sparrowhawk out.

Jon

Quote from: jonny211 on March 31, 2009, 21:33:08
Mine has 25mm holes but that does allow small birds to get in and nick the chooks feed... so maybe smaller than this if you want to keep them out? I got mine from an agricultural merchant called Scats.

I made my run 2m (2x1050mm rolls slightly overlapping) high so I could get in with the chickens but I also put wire over the top as well, not so much to keep the chickens in as to keep the fox/sparrowhawk out.

Jon

It will keep the Sparrowhawk out but it's no deterrent for a hungry Reynard. Fox's teeth will go through chicken wire no problem.

Weldmesh is the thing to keep foxes at bay, chicken wire will keep chickens in but not a lot out!

Hills of Devon  (online) is very good for both types of wire and have good prices if you need quite a bit ;D

Hmm, don't have a problem with foxes but we do have sparrowhawks - I hadn't thought of that.

I was thinking of using 2" mesh as it's thicker gauge wire and slightly cheaper. Any reason why not and how high to stop the chickens escaping? I'll worry about the s'hawks later.

Sparrowhawks would only be a threat to chicks, so as long as they're caged in, there's nothing to worry about.

It's always best to protect them. I have chickens in the back garden and some idiot near where i live keeps losing their harris hawk. As you don't need a licence for these birds the police can't help, when it regularly comes to bother my chooks >:(

A hunter of ground prey that will kill a hare. That'll definitely have your hens!

we used heras fencing for our compound, part of the roof is the same with plastic corrugated roofing on the rest  :)

Quote from: manicscousers on April 01, 2009, 18:42:53
we used heras fencing for our compound, part of the roof is the same with plastic corrugated roofing on the rest  :)

I'm in negotiations for some Harris fencing from the guys at work, only problem is that it's 50 miles away.... ::)

It's scrap to them, slightly damaged so unsaleable/hireable, but as long as it keeps chooks in I don't mind. Might cost more to get it here than to buy mesh, though, which is why I was asking.

So, how high?  ???

ours is about 6', the bottom is in the ground and surrounded by flagstones so nothing can dig in , anyone tall has to stoop  :)

Heras fencing is ideal. How high? To keep them in? Ours can fly over a 5 ft fence but only by getting on a 2 ft perch first.

The harris fencing I have round my hens is 2 metres high.. I stretched and tied debris netting over the top of the run .Works really well . except when it snowed earlier this year  ;D ..but wern't a prob, I just tightned it up again after the snow had melted.

They ended up wanting £9.75 per panel for the fencing, but free delivery.

As I wanted at least 10, it was cheaper to buy the mesh from ebay - £55 + £12.50 postage for 50m x 1.8m 2" mesh.

So I'll be busy tomorrow.  :)

The mesh you are buying sounds fine. Usually you have a line wire at the top and the bottom, and possibly half way down that you tension and then clip the wire mesh to. The line wire is simply a strand of plain wire, mild steel is best for you as high tension is difficut to cut and work with.
If you leave the top foot floppy above the line wire it discourages things climbing over, or flying up onto it in order to hop in or out.
Not sure where you are, but I can get lebths of ine wire , once used. I am in Surrey. Any Forestry or farmworkers will usually be able to find some line wire for you.

we got ours for nothing  :-X

ipt8, too late! I've already put it up.

It does have 3 line wires anyhow, top, middle and bottom (of course).

May post piccies if and when I can be bothered  :)

Quote from: RobinOfTheHood on April 10, 2009, 17:50:29
ipt8, too late! I've already put it up.

It does have 3 line wires anyhow, top, middle and bottom (of course).

[May post piccies if and when I can be bothered  :)]

if you dont i will call & take some,

then post them for you ;D ;D ;D