Chicken run skirt

[Ccort]

For the run....how far UP the run should the hardware cloth go? And how far out should the skirt go? Do I have to dig a trench around the run and bury the skirt or should I just lay the skirt and cover it with pavers?

 

[Ccort]

For the run....how far UP the run should the hardware cloth go? And how far out should the skirt go? Do I have to dig a trench around the run and bury the skirt or should I just lay the skirt and cover it with pavers?

My main predators are raccoons, opossums, skunks, hawks.

 

[WIchickMama]

What is your run made of? Chicken wire or other material?

 

[Ccort]

What is your run made of? Chicken wire or other material?

Metal and chicken wire right now. The chicken wire goes the whole way round, except the floor. I have a full roll of hardware cloth to put on as needed.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ideally, the entire run should be covered in 1/2" hardware cloth with an 18-24" horizontal skirt or 12-18" of wire buried vertically in a trench as an anti-dig barrier.

I'm on the wrong device to get a good photo of my coop's skirting.

 

[Brooks_]

Ideally, the entire run should be covered in 1/2" hardware cloth with an 18-24" horizontal skirt or 12-18" of wire buried vertically in a trench as an anti-dig barrier.

I'm on the wrong device to get a good photo of my coop's skirting.

I agree with those numbers and add not to use much covering (pavers) on the cloth. You want the predator to think it's digging at the edge. Add a lot of pavers and it will just dig from farther out.

 

[3KillerBs]

And now I'm back on my desktop. Here's the skirt on my big coop:

 

[rosemarythyme]

No pavers, use landscape staples to tack it to the ground.

Ideally you want the apron about 18-24" out from the side of the run. As far as how high UP, it depends on if this is part of predator proofing (i.e. I have the hardware cloth up about 2' on my chain link fence to prevent raccoons from reaching in) or if you just need a bit of extension to attach it to the bottom of the fence (in which case a few inches would do, just enough to screw or staple and sandwich into place).

 

[WIchickMama]

Yep what everyone else said. If you can't do complete hardware cloth sides, I would do a minimum of 3 ft, lots of stuff can climb.

My skirt is 18" out all the way around the bottom, have had the girls for almost one year and no problems at all.

 

[Ccort]

I agree with those numbers and add not to use much covering (pavers) on the cloth. You want the predator to think it's digging at the edge. Add a lot of pavers and it will just dig from farther out.

Hadn't thought of that.