DIY chicken run

[Milliefive]

I want to double the size of my chicken run. It's not large, so it shouldn't be a big project. However, adding up the materials in Focus DIY this morning, and it works out more expensive than buying an extension on Ebay, where it is £40+postage.

The big cost is a roll of chicken wire - does anyone know where I can get good wire cheaply?

Thanks

Millie

[Totally Scrambled]

Evening Millie,
How much wire were you looking for? Hills of Devon now do shorter lengths of mesh. Might be worth looking at.
http://www.hillsofdevon.co.uk/aviary-mesh.html
Dom

[Milliefive]

Thanks Dom,
That's much better than the DIY store price. Now I am thinking that instead of just doubling their small run, we should go the whole hog and build something much bigger.

Hmmm, the small option could be done next weekend. The big option. . .

Thanks for the link anyway!

Millie

[Totally Scrambled]

Millie,
Wood is often cheaper at timber merchants rather than DIY stores. If you have any nearby they might be worth a look. If you ask nicely they'll even cut it into the lengths you want too.
Dom

[Mrs B]

B&M Bargains generally have chicken wire at £5 a roll, I THINK it is 10mx0.6m.

It has the larger holes if you see what I mean

[Steve the Gas]

I would never use chook wire .... too flimsy

[Mrs B]

I would never use chook wire .... too flimsy

Neither would I on the run but I have used it to protect my precious plants and to make chook barriers

[foghornleghorn2]

I would never use chook wire .... too flimsy

Neither would I on the run but I have used it to protect my precious plants and to make chook barriers

Chicken wire is good enough to keep chooks out, or in, but not good enough to stop a predator.

[Phenomenon]

Chook wire is ideal so long as it's used correctly.

I used chicken wire but put tension on it when I fixed it to its posts. By the time the the wire had been pinned to the post (working vertically) I had about 9 or 10 inches to bury under the ground in cement. The wire is very taught and has no give in it.

[manda]

Yes but as FHLH2 said chicken wire is OK for keeping chickens in or out but it won't stop a hungry predator...foxes can chew through chicken wire.

[HedgeHugger]

Welded Mesh.
Hills of Devon are the cheapest for that also.

[Steve the Gas]

Sorry, chook wire is pants imo.

[Phenomenon]

Sorry, chook wire is pants imo.

The grade of wire we bought would take some chewing.

Most of the farms nearby use it because it's incredibly difficult to chew through, as foxes are our main predator it works fine. The farm at the back of our house use similar grade wire and he's never had a fox chew its way in, and believe me, we have some foxes round here, the racket they make from dusk onwards is something else!

I think it boils down to preference, but if a fox could chew a hole in this stuff I'd move.

[Steve the Gas]

Fair enuff, if you are confident.

[Phenomenon]

Fair enuff, if you are confident.

Ask me again in 6 months.