Reddit reviews YARDGARD 308229B Hardware Cloth 48 Inch x 50 Foot, Silver
We found 3 Reddit comments about YARDGARD 308229B Hardware Cloth 48 Inch x 50 Foot, Silver. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Dozens of uses including coverings for window and screen doors, tree guards, drains, gutters, under eaves, soil sifters, and much moreUniformly welded, this quality fencing product is a galvanized after product, providing a double zinc coating for maximum rust resistance and long lifeGalvanized.Coated hardware cloth is heavy-duty, strong and durable19 gauge1/2-Inch x 1/2-Inch mesh
It's not available right now, but I bought this from Amazon. It was less than half the price of Home Despot, and with free shipping, it worked out well. It's super sturdy, and good for keeping out predators.
We faced this exact problem. Moved into a new home with a severe gopher problem. Fumigation was ineffective. We cleared the backyard out to bare earth and put hardware cloth in under our soil amendments and new sod.
In my research (UC Davis has a great right up here), there are no effective repellents for gophers. The only effective treatments are exclusion (putting in hardware cloth), poisoning and trapping. I went the trapping method and baited with peanut butter. We've been able to clear gophers out of the backyard and I'm working on hunting down the last (I think) gopher in the front.
One more note: don't waste your time with chicken wire. Gophers can chew through the wire and it'll rust away too quickly to help for long.
Food and water typically goes in a covered area of the run. Only way to keep rodents out of it is to only feed them a day's worth of food at a time. This prevents waste as well.
Chickens will go in every night. If the run is fully secure (2"x4" welded wire, chain link, or other strong wire, not chicken wire), then you don't need a door. If the run is open on the or is otherwise not fully secure, then you do need a door that can latch. They could probably figure out a swinging door, but so can a predator. Unless you're in a very cold area, just leave it as an open hole if your run is going to be 100% enclosed.
As for cover for the run, it depends on the size and how you're building it. 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth is the best if they're going to be roosting somewhere that a raccoon could reach. Chain link or 2"x4" welded wire is sufficient for the most of the run. 50' 1/2", 50' 1/4"
I free range my birds, so I don't really do much coop cleaning. Laying down fresh hay after a rain in the uncovered portion of my coop is about all they get. You probably want to replace the substrate when it's dirty... People love walk-in coops for that purpose.