Chickens # 10

After losing several of the new Tymawr-Farm flock to the fox after they flapped over the too-low fence, and having several more near-misses as I discovered them roosting in the hedge or even more inappropriate places, I decided it was time to do a proper job on their fence.  6ft high chicken wire (I use 2" mesh which is fine, and much cheaper than 1") is the ideal stuff for the job, although a bit more difficult to track down than the usual 3 or 4ft.  The weather has been wet for several weeks here, which makes the ground ideal for fencing (in the dry it is nearly impossible!) - I use a long, heavy, ancient and rusty iron bar to start the hole, bashing it in and twisting it around to a depth of 18" to 2ft or so.  Once I've done that I use an equally ancient fencing maul (a heavy sledgehammer with an oversized head) to hammer the stakes home (for a light job like this 2-3" round stakes are ideal).  As the posts I had were only 5ft long I then made up the rest of the height (to 6ft) with some of my store of scrap wood.  After cable-tying the wire onto the posts I finished the job with a nice tight single strand of barbed wire about 6" above the ground to hold the chicken wire down.

It doesn't look pretty but it looks effective!  Photos to follow......