Thanks! We have no grass here on the mountain except in the spring for a short time...so it is plain dirt most of the year. So anything I do will be on dirtI WISH we could get a little grass!!! Also trying to find some alternatives to leaving the coop floor dirt, because we are wet and snowy a good portion of the year and it stays pretty muddy. I am planning on hatching Bantam Cochins....which have feathered feet so mud is not ideal!
This is what my wire apron looked like when I installed it. Grass grew up thru it and you can no longer see it in most places.
So the way this works is a digging predator will start at the base of the coop, trying to dig under to get in. In doing so, they are standing on the wire. They immediately hit the wire, and if they continue probing for a way in, it is up and down the line. They never figure out they need to back up to way out there and tunnel their way in.
So if grass isn't an option, it could be any low growing ground cover, or simply a landscape mulch of rocks or wood chips/bark.
Most common options to dirt floor are wood or if it is truly permanent, concrete. Wood floors are a viable option to keep things elevated and dry. It also has to be something that can deal with moisture, be it treated plywood or a plywood covered with vinyl floor sheathing. The thing with a low elevated wood floor is it leaves a nice place for rats and mice to hang out, so you have to be careful with how you handle feed to it doesn't spill and start collecting vermin.
Another option to dirt, wood or concrete might be to line the interior of the coop floor with concrete paving stones. The elevate the surface a bit, are cleaner will drain and if placed in there tight, should not allow a place for rats and mice to hang out.
