I want to put some quarter-inch wire mesh on the hinge side of a yard gate to exclude rabbits from entering the yard. The solution that I'm looking for is something that would exclude rabbits. So far I've only considered the quarter-inch wire mesh that you get from hardware store in rolls. If there's another solution for rabbit exclusion I'm interested in that as well.
I've prototyped where the mesh would go by opening the gate as wide as it will go that it would stretch the mesh to its full extend and then taped some paper on the gate. I then moved the gate to the full extent in the other direction to see how the mesh would buckle when it was compressed. You can see these in the images.
From the paper prototype it looks like the wire mesh might be a problem in restricting the opening and closing of the gate. What are the solutions to this? Other materials that would work? Other methods of creating an exclusion at that point?
Update: Added an image showing the gap as 1 3/8" wide. Rabbits get through that easily.
Best Answer
Instead of hardware cloth that has to buckle and flex to cover the gap, consider a thin stiff material that could be fixed to narrow the gap. I don't know what size of rabbit skulls you're up against but I have to imagine that if you can narrow the gap to under an inch from the 1-3/8 it is now (ie, block off 1/4 inch from each side) then the heads, and the rest of the bodies, won't be able to pass through.
A bit of material installed to the stile and the jamb (can I use those words in the context of a gate?), in line with the hinges, will narrow the gap while the gate is closed but won't bind or prevent the gate opening either direction. Here are some materials you might find in a home center:
Fasten with screws, magnets, adhesive, foam mounting tape, or whatever suits you and the chosen materials.