I am trying to come up with a cheap fence to keep the chickens from trashing the garden and the yard. The kick is I can't fence in the garden. So I was looking at the electric fences but well I bought some angora rabbits so I need a cheaper fence. I want to be able to move it around and I lock up the birds at night so I was thinking maybe it didn't need to be charged. Is just grabbing some step in posts and the bird netting you use on trees or deer fence a bad idea?
Quick chicken question (new question added)
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Hinotori
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I used deer netting to keep my chickens out of the garden last year attached to lightweight plastic covered metal posts. The posts are the kind sold to support lightweight garden plants. I had 6 foot netting because some of my girls have no problem flying over stuff. It kept them out very well. It was up and working until the elk herd came through and ran through it and freaked out.
rhoda_bruce
Almost Self-Reliant
My 2nd coop was awesome and all made out of recycled material. The house was framed with treated 2X6's that were used as a road for a drilling company.....the job was over and the locals could help themselves. Imagine a 1/2 mile road all made of 2X6's..... the siding was from a trailer that needed to be ripped apart. The fence was cypress branches, put into the ground with used tin nailed to hold in the birds. Above, in the trees, was a very strong rope, with a trawl hanging, that canopied the whole coop and yard. I felt like I was in my little piece of Heaven when I was in there. I laughed so much at the chickens antics, especially when they'd be playing football with DH's cigarettes.
I now have a much bigger coop, which costed a lot, but the fence was not expensive. I use 2X4 wire 5' high and metal fence posts, I get at Lowes. I guess you can just see what your budget allows. $100 can give you a small run. Guess it depends on what type of chickens you have, such as will they fly (but you can always clip the left wing feathers). Also depends on if you have a preditor problem. I've used clothes line wire to form a canopy to drape deer netting, so the hawks can't get my birds. I paid $13 at Lowes. If you can do that, then you can probably go with 4foot fence posts and wire to save money. We used zip ties to hold it to the wire and to make splices in the netting. Come to think of it, that was also pretty, but not as pretty as the trawl canopy.
I now have a much bigger coop, which costed a lot, but the fence was not expensive. I use 2X4 wire 5' high and metal fence posts, I get at Lowes. I guess you can just see what your budget allows. $100 can give you a small run. Guess it depends on what type of chickens you have, such as will they fly (but you can always clip the left wing feathers). Also depends on if you have a preditor problem. I've used clothes line wire to form a canopy to drape deer netting, so the hawks can't get my birds. I paid $13 at Lowes. If you can do that, then you can probably go with 4foot fence posts and wire to save money. We used zip ties to hold it to the wire and to make splices in the netting. Come to think of it, that was also pretty, but not as pretty as the trawl canopy.
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Hinotori
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Birds are easy to keep corralled. It's the predators that are an issue. We've had problems with the neighbor's dog so the birds are in a chainlink pen at night. I let them free range most of the day since I'm usually home.
Blaundee
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I would just fence the garden, but I have a bunch of birds and it would be FAR easier to fence the garden than try to move around a chicken fence every day LOL Have you looked at the mobile henhouses with pen? There are several different styles, and look pretty easy to move.
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the1honeycomb
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When I had a smaller area to cover. I built a PVC frame and covered it with netting. It was as portable as my coop and no taking it apart to move it
Slinkytoys
Enjoys Recycling
Google "Chicken Tractor"
