A Fisher Cat Pays a Visit
Our first set of chickens were thrashed by what looked like the work of a head-hunting fisher cat--an odd type here in suburban New England. Our chickens, tragically named after Jane Austen characters, came to disastrous ends--four of them were left headless and scattered indiscriminately, while the other four had vanished. One imagines the fisher cat family sitting snugly at table.
The Sleepy Possum
Ordinary chicken wire has its uses; but here, it was not the best choice. Soon our newly acquired replacement chickens were visited by quite a respectable possum who bunked in the cozy chicken cubicles, less tempted by eggs but rather by the shelter and soft beds of straw. Imagine scanning past the cubicles, checking for eggs, and finding a possum snoozing next door to a seemingly oblivious chicken. Chicken wire boasts flexibility, yes, but is highly susceptible to rust, is hardly rodent or small animal-proof and strong animals can shred it. As is often said, chicken wire is more for keeping chickens in than for keeping predators out. However, It can work well in areas devoid of predators or on the top of a pen in warmer climates to keep airborne hunters at bay.
A Strong Choice--½ inch, 19 gauge wire
More pricey than chicken wire--though if you add in the resulting security of your flock--it's less expensive. ½ inch welded wire is the safe, strong option. While being more difficult to cut than chicken wire, it keeps out a wide variety of predators and should be used on all openings, such as vents and windows, of the coop. Sized right to keep smaller predators from reaching in, ½ inch, 19 gauge wire mesh is certainly the stronger choice. It can be bent by hand and at the same time, it holds its shape well. Bury it 8-12 inches with a curve outward from the coop at the bottom. Vinyl-coated hardware cloth is a great way to avoid rust.
Keeps out larger animals, such as:
And smaller ones:
Finding the Hardware Cloth Solution
½" x ½" mesh, 19 gauge galvanized after weld (abbreviated generally by GAW) wire mesh and fence is commonly known as hardware cloth. Molten zinc is applied after the 19 gauge wire is welded into a ½" x ½" mesh. Here the workhorse zinc covers the entire wire cloth mesh, completely sealing it for protection against corrosion and rust--particularly crucial are the vulnerable welded areas which benefit greatly from this zinc bath. This guarantees that 19 gauge ½" x ½" mesh will be assured of long life and being of lighter weight and strength it ends up costing less than the thicker 16 gauge ½" x ½" mesh. It's great for enclosing small animals or keeping out rodents, gophers, and other nuisance animals. This also can be used for economical flooring for game birds while 16 gauge is also recommended. Keep in mind that availability may be an issue and that this is a material that requires special ordering. Louis Page can help with all those particulars.
As you can see cutting this mesh takes some strength and some helpful tools...
or here's a video with a good option...
In From Above
Ominously, predators don't just come from the ground and sides, but also from above. In thinking about a covering for your chicken run, consider thinking about aviary netting. Louis Page stocks a great netting that is extremely tough and can cope with snow load if you live in a cold climate.