What is Chicken Wire and should I be using it?

At Farm and Pet Place, we provide a great range of Chicken Wire Netting. We have a range of various sizes to suit your own needs.

What is Chicken Wire?

Chicken wire or netting is a steel wire mesh most commonly used for fencing and housing poultry such as chickens, other livestock and small crops.

What is Chicken Wire made of? Does it rust?

It is commonly made of a thin and flexible steel. However, it is incredibly reliable and stands up well against the elements. This is due to it being galvanised steel. Galvanisation refers to the steel being coated in a protective zinc coating. This is to protect the actual steel from corrosive substances and therefore prevents the steel from rusting.

What is it used for? What is it best used for?

Chicken wire is primarily used for housing and fencing poultry such as chickens and turkeys, however it can be utilised for many other things:

• Chicken fencing, coops and runs
• Poultry livestock fencing – e.g. Turkey
• Fencing for other small animals or pets – e.g. Dogs, rabbits
• Garden fencing
• Boundaries for small vegetable crops or flower beds

Should I use Chicken Wire? Why?

You should use chicken wire if you require an inexpensive way of keeping your poultry and livestock in a safe environment for them to wander. It is commonly used to build inexpensive and spacious cages for small animals. The hexagonal steel wire netting makes a perfect fencing for protecting gardens and crops from browsing animals including chickens, other poultry, rabbits and other small animals or pets.

Will it keep out predators?

Unfortunately, the one area chicken wire does fall short, is resistance to predators and other intruders. For all it’s worth in standing up to the weather and other elements, it can be undone with a bit of persistence from a hungry predator. An animal such as a fox will eventually tear or bite through the wire, and could even tear from underneath and burrow through. Also, something smaller such as a rat could simply crawl through the gaps in the mesh fencing.

Is Chicken Wire safe?

There can be a number of safety concerns when it comes to using chicken wire with your chickens or indeed any other of your animals. Like everyone else, we all need that peace of mind for our animal’s health and safety when introducing new products to them. There is always the possibility that the wire can break or tear. Any loose or exposed ends can contribute in harming your animal, from scratching to serious wounding. Therefore we recommend carrying out a routine maintenance on the fence, in order to check there are no loose ends or pieces. We would also recommend never using the wire as flooring in a coop or pen, as this can contribute to foot injuries. In conclusion, we would recommend chicken wire if you require an inexpensive way of confining a small number of garden chickens, under some regular supervision. However, something tougher and more secure may be best for more permanent housing.  ]]>