chicken wire protection

I planted tulips for the 1st time last year. Some people recommended covering the bulbs with chicken wire / hardware cloth to protect them from squirrels. Since i wasn't worried about underground diggers, i put the wire on top of the ground, covered it with mulch, and weighed down the ends.
Now i am getting leaves poking up, and i am wondering - am i supposed to take the chicken wire off? Do i still need to protect the bulbs? Or will it constrict the leaves as the plants (hopefully) get bigger?
thanks!

amy
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I've never moved the chicken wire once in place. But if you do have underground diggers, you still need to cover the tops - those buggers will trot over and drill down to your bulbs.

What size wire did you use?