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Chicken wire, orpoultry netting, is amesh ofwire commonly used tofence infowl, such as chickens, in a run or coop. It is made of thin, flexible,galvanized steel wire withhexagonal gaps. Available in1⁄2 inch (about 1.3 cm), 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) diameter, and 2 inch (about 5 cm), chicken wire is available in variousgauges—usually 19 gauge (about 1 mm wire) to 22 gauge (about 0.7 mm wire). Chicken wire is occasionally used to build inexpensivepens for small animals (or to protect plants and propertyfrom animals).
Aaron Damen, an Americanironmonger, built the world's first wire-netting machine in 1879. He based his design on cloth weaving machines. Soon the invention spread far and wide due to the vast improvement over the then used wooden fence.[1]
DuringWorld War II, the fine wire used to make chicken wire was used to make large wire ground mats forradar systems, evening out the random reflections from the uneven ground below. The installation of these systems caused a countrywide shortage of chicken wire in the United Kingdom.[2]
It was also commonly used byGerman soldiers to helpcamouflage theirstahlhelm helmets by weaving plants and branches into it.
In construction, chicken wire orhardware cloth is used as a metallath to holdcement orplaster, a process known asstuccoing. In Australia, that cladding material, known as "Conite", was used in the 20th century, particularly to help overcome the housing shortage after World War II. It involved stapling chicken wire, backed with building paper, over the frame and then applying cement render, finished in white cement.[3]
Concrete reinforced with chicken wire or hardware cloth yieldsferrocement, a versatile construction material. It can also be used to make the armature for apapier-mâché sculpture, when relatively high strength is needed.
Inchemistry,molecules with fusedcarbon rings are often compared to chicken wire — seechicken wire (chemistry).
Inphotonics, the chicken-wire effect is a predominant pattern of low transmission lines between multifiber bundles in afiberoptic used to couple the intensifier tube to theCCD sensor. The lines have a pattern similar to that of chicken wire.
In machine tool design, chicken wire may be used for safety guarding.
Chicken wire is sometimes used to provide grip on surfaces such as wooden steps or decking.
Chicken wire commonly used in construction has been found to block or attenuateWi-Fi,cellular and otherradio frequency transmissions by inadvertently creating aFaraday cage.[4]
