[birds in a basket]

Have been trawling through the pages and am wondering which really is the best mesh to use on the chicken run - the normal chicken wire or the wire mesh (squared variety).  Bearing in mind we live surrounded by fields and have foxes and badgers and probably mink!  Can't bear the thought of coming home after work and finding SOMEBODY has chewed through the chicken wire............. 

[wildwitchy]

wire mesh - predetors will chew threw chicken wire. Either make a good skirt around the pen/run or dig the wire a good 6 - 12 inches down around..put slabs around edge to stop them digging in.

[joyfull]

galvanised welded wire mesh - you can get it from Hills of Devon quite cheap - get the thickest wire you can (the lower the swg the better)  .

[birds in a basket]

Thanks Wildwitchy and Joyfull - have just scared myself stupid reading the "foxy" pages on this site wire mesh it will be - need I say more!

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, we have used Hills of Devon also and were very impresed with them. The mesh was cheaper than anywhere else, and it is delivered free the next day! We chose 19gauge weldmesh that was 1"x1/2" for the wall panels and 16gauge for the same size for the roof of the runs. Remember its not only foxes that pose a risk to your girls. Forum members have had problems with badgers/stoats/pole cats/mink/rats/magpies/ravens/crows etc etc so the mesh should be small enough to prevent all preditors from getting in. 

[joyfull]

although mice will still get in but your chickens will soon eat them up 

[dizzylizzie]

From what ive seen my girls do to the mice i think they come in the 'prey' section rather than the preditor !  

[joyfull]

yep along with the frogs 

[joyfull]

just be careful what poison you put down for the rats - if you use any that is.

[wildwitchy]

although mice will still get in but your chickens will soon eat them up 

don't scare  birds in a basket, joy & dizzy lizzie! 

but you're right! 

[karlooben]

there are also some very good deals on ebay as well so its worth looking around for wire . my wire isnt buried into the ground but it does have motorway sleepers { slighty smaller then railway ones ] around it with weed control memrane  on top of the wire and then wood chip or slabs all the way round , my run has been up well over a year  and the foxes are on the site every night and i havent had one prob yet , also i have a bait box within the run tucked away so the girls cant get near it and i havent had an probs with that yet .

[joyfull]

Loobys run is like Fort Knox 

[dizzylizzie]

Hey Looby...you didnt mention the machine guns your girls have to keep the foxes at bay

[karlooben]

  i am still trying to find some action men figures with guns attached that are the right size to go on the corners  if only i could afford to have some made it would be sooooooooo funny .

[birds in a basket]

Chris is just querying the heavier gauge on the roof ie 16g (1.6mm) and the lighter mesh on the walls ie 19g (1mm)?  Is the fox not more likely to chew though walls than roof?