How To Splice Hardware Cloth For Poultry Run?

16 years ago

We are in the process of building a fancy new chicken run. Does anyone have a quick, strong method to splice together overlapping sheets of hardware cloth? I need to be able to seal out rats and mice (or whatever else may want a chicken dinner), so that means a lot of splices fairly close together. Or does anyone have a better method?

Any tips or suggestions on tools, techniques, etc.?

Thanks all! :)

Velvet ~:>

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blueberrier1

16 years ago

Velvet sparrow-you have advised so many of us-

I just finished splicing on a new ckn tractor. I overlapped 2-3" on the 1/2" hardware cloth, used electrical cable ties to stabilize the overlap, and then interwove 24-26 gauge wire at the edges on the inside and outside faces. Seems quite tight to me. I bent the tip of the wire so it would come back to me for another'go'round.' If you sew, it is like a whip stitch. Would help if you had a buddy on the other side.

cella jane

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velvet_sparrow
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks cella jane. :)

You know, I was thinking seriously about the industrial size zip-ties...my husband uses them in his service tech work and they are monsterously strong. Plus he can get them in bulk and I could use them quickly and by myself. My only question is, how will they hold up in our southern California sun...

I was also thinking of a whip-stitch-type thing using wire, but you are right, it would take two people and if possible I'd like to be working on the splicing while my husband finishes the rest of the run (we are planning a trip and the ol' clock is tickin'). I also considered using hog rings, but I think they might have too much 'give' to them.

Being in the city, fencing supply places are practically non-existent, so knowledge like this isn't common. And asking the folk at Home Depot just earns me a panicked stare. *L* But one way or another this run will get there. :)

Velvet ~:>
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Hi! I had a similar problem this year and put up a fence of wire poultry netting... only to find that the mesh was not fine enough to screen out baby rabbits! So I covered the outside of my fence with plastic hardware cloth. That did the trick for over a month, except I had a wonky gate... eventually the rabbit found the gate and I found the rabbit in the garden AGAIN! This time, though, it couldn't find its way out and there was a five minute chase with it fearing for its life while I tried to figure out how the heck to get it out again! It finally burst through the plastic hardware cloth in a corner and I haven't seen it in over a week! The upshot is that I think your fence will work more or less, but a determined animal might get through. How determined the bunnies will be probably depends on what other kind of forage is available. Also, while I was researching rabbit fences, I noticed that there's a big difference between rabbits in various parts of the country. You probably have eastern cottontails like I do. Lucky us, they are smaller, don't really jump high, and are less prone to eating every darn thing than the jack rabbits out west! Now, if you were to try to use that fencing to protect a small tree or shrub in winter, I think you'd probably find the bunnies going that extra mile to try to chew through it! But let us know what happens- finding out whether or not someone's solution has worked is one of the most helpful parts of gardenweb! Cheers! Sunni
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Maggie_J
16 years ago
What about J-clips, like people use for rabbits cages? There is a special kind of pliers to crimp them tightly. That would certainly keep out mice and rats... not sure if they would hold up against a really determined raccoon.

We did the whip stitch thing when joining pieces of chain-link fencing over a frame for our summer rabbitry. It worked very well and it is surprising how easily one learns to bend the wire so one person can work from one side only. Of course, hardware cloth would be more challenging than chain-link because of the size of the holes.
Dibbit
16 years ago
The zip-ties would certainly work in the short term. You could probably do the whip-stitch 'thing' after your trip. And, you should be able to get the zip-ties either through your husband's work or from one of the big box stores - those, they would have!

While the sun may degrade the zip-ties over time, unless you would be going away for months, I think they should hold more than well enough for you to get back from your trip and use wire for a more permanent "fix". I'm not familiar with the J-clips, but they could be put on after your trip as well.

There are times when "Good Enough" really is good enough - you don't have to have it perfect, right now, you only have to have it workable and safe for right now....
auryn
16 years ago
I built my run about 5 months and I stitched the panels together with wire, by myself.
You just gotta bend about 4 inches of the end of the wire back onto itself and it becomes like a needle.
velvet_sparrow
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. :) I think we are going to go with the industrial-strength zip-ties, my husband says they are UV resistant and should hold nicely for now.

Velvet ~:>
walter Piotrowski
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
J- clips won't work with the tool on 1/4" hardware cloth.The tool won't fit through the holes... sorry, I tried it and had to give up... Maybe on 1/2" cloth? I wanted 1/4" since I was told mice can get through a 1/2" hole. 1/4" works great. I used the securing wire that came with the roll of hardware cloth. Stainless steel .032 safety wire is much smoker and easier to sew with.

How To Splice Hardware Cloth For Poultry Run?

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