Jump to content
Tweety

Weldmesh v Chicken Wire

Recommended Posts

I am planning to build a run for my chooks and would be very grateful for advice from the many brilliant people on this forum who have done the same. I went to our local estate supplies place today and they laughed at me when I said that I wanted weldmesh because foxes can bite through chicken wire. They said that the galvanised chicken wire they sell is used by the Forestry Commission to protect pheasants from predators and that it would be fine for my run. It is much cheaper than any of the weldmesh I have found so far and, as I need quite a lot, price is one of the factors to be considered although the safety of my girls is paramount. Can anyone recommend a good source of reasonably priced weldmesh, or would it be ok to use the chicken wire doubled for extra security?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with chicken wire is once is starts to rust it falls apart very easily and this is how foxes bite through it. I did a bit of research on it. Galvalised chicken wire would last longer before rusting so this may be why you were told it was okay, but even then you would find that over the course of time it would weaken still. Im opting for chicken wire that is both galvanised and PVC coated from B&Q as cost is a factor for me too, its the cheapest I could find as it comes in 10m rolls and I didnt need loads like all the mail order ones that are 30 or 50m and its only £20 a roll.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also in the midst of building a new run, so I have been doing quite a bit of research in wire and weldmesh. I am building the run so that my chooks can have a big space, don't need to freerange so much if I am not in the mood to stand in a freezing garden :roll: I am going to use weldmesh then I don't have to worry at all about them, I am currently checking suppliers on E.bay to find a really good deal, the best deal going at the moment is £50 inc. delivery for 30m am hoping something a bit cheaper comes up soon :roll:

 

Tessa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered a roll of 30 metres of 1"X1" 36" wide green pvc coated 19 guage square mesh for £34.99 off ebay. I was assured it would be adequate strength for building my new run. I am planning to build panels using 2"X2" timber (also bought off ebay).

 

What do you think? Worried now. :anxious:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a look in my gallery (link below) at my old chicken wire pen & my new weld one.

 

We bought our mesh from Ebay too - it was a great price 8)

 

One of the main factors in our building a new pen was so it could be weld mesh this time, as chicken wire,while it did the job,was not ideal.

We have had a rat problem, & they have been able to get through the wire holes - we once had a stuck one as proof of this :lol:

 

So in conclusion I would say 100% go with weld mesh, if you want their new home to be as secure & permenant as possible :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tweety

 

I went for 16guage weldmesh, which is stronger than 19guage. I contacted FlyteSoFancy to find out what they used on their poultry protextion pens, and they said 16g, which is why I opted for that in the end.

 

Ebay was definitely the best place, and we found numerous guages, hole sizes, and lengths. In the end we bought it from an Ebay store called Animal Kingdom. His seller ID for listings is ak_onlinekingdom

 

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Animal-Kingdom_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

 

If he doesn't have the guage/mesh size/length you want listed - either in the listings or in his store - then just email him and tell him what you're after.

 

We bought 30metres of 36" wide, 16 guage, 1"x1" mesh for £52.99+£9.99 postage . It arrived the day after we ordered. (For info, the same size in 19g would have been £29.99+£9.99postage).

 

Hope that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. Your replies have convinced me that I should go for weldmesh, which I suspected would be the case!

Love your new pen Cinnamon.

 

Thanks :P

it now has a roof of sorts.The top bit (the pointy bit) it wood & roofing felt,while the bottom 2 thirds will be conservatory grade plastic.

We are just waiting for the plastic sheeting to come.......

I can't wait - no more trudging up the garden with 4 full Grubs every night :P:P:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

witchhazel I just went and looked at your blog for info on your construction and saw the model your husband made for you. What a lovely man he is

 

Thanks for that Bron. Yes, he is - especially as he's not too keen on this whole chicken malarkey.

 

He made the roof sections (of the proper run) today, and I'm hoping we'll put the whole thing up next week if the weather is OK. Then we've just got the polycarbonate roof to go on, he's built the roof trusses so that I can slide the polycarbonate up and down "sun roof" style!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi CatsCube

 

This is where I got mine from http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GREEN-PVC-COATED-GALV-WIRE-MESH-30m-36-1-x-1-19g_W0QQitemZ330202672922QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1269QQcmdZViewItem

 

I plan to use it for most of the run and the top under the polycarbonate roofing, but may still get some thicker weldmesh (16guage) to reinforce the bottom 3 feet having read the comments on this thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh thank you very much. Thats a bargin!!!!

I have just ordered a roll!

 

It is cheap, but it doesn't say it is weldmesh, is it going to be strong

and foxproof enough?

 

Tessa

 

No it doesnt say its weldmesh but I was going to just get normal chicken wire anyway, so its not going to be any weaker than that. Foxes arnt an issue for me where I live anyway. But its old chicken wire that is chewable anyway when it starts to rust and becomes weak, if this is PVC coated it wont rust and weaken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But its old chicken wire that is chewable anyway when it starts to rust and becomes weak, if this is PVC coated it wont rust and weaken.

 

That's what I thought. At the moment I've got pvc coated chicken wire for the enclosure to keep the girls off my flowerbeds. Despite regular visits from Mr. Fox, it hasn't been able to get through this, so I reckon the stuff on ebay should be OK for most of the new run if I just reinforce the bottom with a length of thicker weldmesh.

 

I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives.

 

Lin :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...