How to Construct a Chicken Wire Fence
Good fences make good neighbors out of chickens and rabbits. Building a chicken wire fence is a good way to protect your garden or your hens from those neighbors of the canine variety too. With a little work and a little help, you can build a sturdy and attractive fence for your garden. Two people can easily do the job in a short time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Poultry netting (chicken wire), 48-inch height
- Light duty 4-foot-tall steel fence
- 4-inch by 6-foot square wooden posts
- Bailing wire
- Wire pliers
- Staple gun
- Hole digger
- Wooden stakes
- String
- 1-inch by 4-inch boards
- Post driver
- Quick-set concrete
- Shovel
- Carpenter's level
- Hammer and 1-inch nails
Instructions
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1
Decide where you want your fence to go. Drive a stake in the ground at each end and tie string from end to end. This will provide a guide for placing your posts.
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2
Use the shovel and dig a trench about 6 inches deep along the length of the fence.
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3
Use the post hole digger to dig a hole 2 feet deep. Put corner post in and tamp a little dirt in to hold it. Level the pole with the carpenter's level and pour the concrete in around the post. If the pole isn't steady enough to stay level, you can brace it with a 2-by-4 until the concrete is dry. Repeat this step for the other corner.
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4
Unroll some of the chicken wire. Enlist a helper to hold the roll while you bend up the bottom 6 inches and place that in the trench in front of a corner post. Staple that end of the wire all the way up the post beginning at the bottom. Nail one of the 1-by-4 boards over the mesh where it is stapled onto the post.
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5
Use the post driver to set the steel fence posts every five feet along the length of the fence. Be sure to drive the posts down until the y-shape on the post is buried. Do your best to keep all the posts level.
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6
Get your helper to assist you in stretching the wire around the first steel post. Use cut pieces of bailing wire to tie the wire to the post in at least three places. Remember as you go to keep the bottom 6 inches bent up into the trench. Repeat this step with every post until you reach the end corner post.
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7
Stretch the wire tight around the corner post and staple it to the post, working from the bottom up. Use the wire pliers to cut the wire off evenly. Nail another 1-by-4 board over the wire where it is stapled onto the post.
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8
Fill in the trench with dirt and pack it down. This will keep moles and other burrowers out of your garden.
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Tips & Warnings
Decorate your garden fence. Plant morning glories or peas along side the fence for a beautiful accent.
If a big roll of poultry netting is too heavy, try using two rows of 24 inch netting instead. You can buy shorter length rolls also to reduce the weight of each roll.
When using tools, keep safety first. Wear heavy gloves while handling the wire or when cutting and installing the tie wires.
