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I bought a $200 'predator-proof' coop from a local farm store and it lasted less than a year.
The wire they used was so thin a raccoon just bent it open one night. I lost two of my best laying hens, a Barred Rock and a Speckled Sussex. Has anyone found a brand or a specific gauge of hardware cloth that actually holds up?
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christopher_west11d ago
Yeah, I saw a post on a chicken group about this... they said the stuff labeled "hardware cloth" at the big box stores is often still too flimsy. You gotta look for 19 gauge or thicker, and make sure it's welded, not just woven. That thinner stuff is basically just window screen to a determined raccoon.
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lilyo301d ago
Good point about the welded vs woven. I tried the woven stuff once and a possum just pushed right through it like it was nothing. Where do you even find the 19 gauge welded kind? My local store only seems to carry the flimsy woven stuff or that plastic coated wire that feels weak. Do you order it online or is there a specific type of store that carries the good stuff?
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