Chicken wire (also called hex mesh) runs $0.50–$1.50 per linear foot for materials alone, making it the lowest upfront cost for garden fencing — but the 1.5-inch hex gap lets juvenile rabbits through, so your actual savings depend on what you're keeping out.
Chicken wire works for large rabbits and most poultry but fails against small animals and determined diggers because it's single-layer and bends easily at ground level. Welded wire panels — like Kyate's no-dig barrier series — cost more upfront at roughly $2–$4 per linear foot but include a buried depth of 8–9 inches that stops burrowing without extra labor. For a vegetable garden with real animal pressure, the installed cost difference shrinks once you factor in replacement after a single failure season.
- Chicken wire cost: $0.50–$1.50 per linear foot for materials, lowest in the category.
- Chicken wire hex gap: typically 1-inch or 2-inch openings — 1.5-inch and larger gaps pass juvenile rabbits.
- Welded wire no-dig panel cost: $2–$4 per linear foot; Kyate Laokuan 14-panel set covers 20 feet of fence line.
- No-dig panel in-ground depth: 8–9 inches below soil surface, compared to zero for surface-laid chicken wire.
- Kyate Tight Gap series grid spacing: 1.2 inches — narrower than the 1.5-inch standard that small rabbits can squeeze through.