What kind of Wire to use for Keeping 3 Week Old Chick In? |
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Kalahari Desert Rose
Joined: 23 Aug 2012
Posts: 6
Location: Babylon 5 |
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:32 pm |
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I was wondering what kind of wire to use to keep 3 week old chicks in. At first I had a very strong chain-link fence (keeps the adults in quite well), but after seeing the size of the babies I ended up placing 10" pieces of plywood all around the pen. For the most part it seems to keep them in, but they can get out if they try to fly. I have seen some people use chicken wire, but I'm not sure if that would be strong enough. _________________ Only one, human captain ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, then be somewhere else. ~Delenn to Screib in Babylon 5~ |
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featherhead
UPA Forum Moderator


Joined: 08 Nov 2007
Posts: 869
Location: Louisville KY |
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:42 am |
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Welcome, Kalahari
In addition to keeping the chicks in, you'll want to keep other animals out. It's easy and inexpensive to run a length of chicken wire INSIDE the perimeter of your pen. If you place it outside the pen, there's a possibility that babies can get trapped between the fences. Once the babies are too large to escape the chain link, you can take the chicken wire down. If you plan to have chicks in this pen every year, you might want something more permanent such as 1" welded wire cage material. Whichever you choose, run this all the way to the top of your pen because the chicks can/will quickly learn to fly to the top of your pen! Good luck and keep us posted. _________________ Be the change you want to see in the world. |
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D C T
UPA Forum Moderator


Joined: 16 Nov 2007
Posts: 891
Location: Georgia, USA |
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:36 am |
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Experience has taught me many things.
I had a mother peahen in a pen that has two foot high roof metal
around it but is 2"x4" dogwire above that.
This was fine--until a one week old peachick flew to top of metal
and popped through the dogwire
and the only good news is that I was there to rescue it.....
One inch cage wire or half inch hardware cloth over the dogwire
is good.
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I never use hexagon chick wire since finding a broken fragment
of it in the gizard of a very dead three month old peachick.
Besides this kind of wire rusts and breaks up way too soon so
that I consider it to be "hazardous waste" _________________ friendly poultry orthopedist |
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