Celticdragonfly
Crowing
So we started out following this video:
https://carolinacoops.com/predator-apron/#.XN51sI5KiCr
But everybody here was insisting that the 2x3 mesh was way too big, it would let everything in. I revamped my plans to go to 1x1 mesh. People told me that was too big and would let rats in. I gave up, and ordered .5x.5 mesh.
And my poor husband Miles spent Sunday afternoon trying to attach it. I bought a good wire cutter for him, as he was hunched over miserably trying to cut all the "fingers", and was pointing out to me just how many MORE of them there were. He was having a very difficult time stapling the stuff to the coop. Partially because the coop is level, but the ground is NOT, so the far north end of the run is up on a bit of a post, which means the bottom of the run and coop is at varying distances from the ground. Partially because he was having a terrible time getting the staplegun up to where it needed to be with the mesh that tight. I was watching him ending up shoving the mesh in towards the run with a foot, having pliers in one hand gripping the mesh and holding it up against the run, and the other hand holding and operating the staplegun.
I'd been inside the run, as we'd been working on putting pavers in the gap and whitewashing the inside (and by the way whitewash in a paint sprayer does not work well, that's a whole separate problem/rant), and opened the door to step out - and started to slip and nearly hurt myself on the tilted mesh. And apparently broke a little bit of it where it's stapled under the door.
And then Miles got up to where it was coop instead of run - and discovered that the edge there is a couple inches farther back than the edge of the coop, so.... now the mesh doesn't reach. He was somewhere between incredibly frustrated and close to rage.
He's willing to try to tackle it some more, although I don't know how soon, I was really trying to use the one clear non-rainy weekend day to get stuff done. I've even suggested that he let me buy the 2x3 mesh TOO, and lay the .5 x .5 mesh underneath it, then use the staplegun to attach the easier 2x3 mesh to the coop and run, and use the sod staples to hold the two together. He didn't think this would work.
Seriously, how do people manage? Ok, I get that the guy in the video, it looks easy because he's using the not safe enough 2x3 mesh - but for all of you that insisted we needed .5 mesh (some were even advocating .5x.25!), how do you deal with getting that in place and attached?
I want to get this thing finished and have the city inspector come approve it so I can get that worry off my shoulders. I expect he'd approve it without the apron, but I don't want the chicks out there without it.
https://carolinacoops.com/predator-apron/#.XN51sI5KiCr
But everybody here was insisting that the 2x3 mesh was way too big, it would let everything in. I revamped my plans to go to 1x1 mesh. People told me that was too big and would let rats in. I gave up, and ordered .5x.5 mesh.
And my poor husband Miles spent Sunday afternoon trying to attach it. I bought a good wire cutter for him, as he was hunched over miserably trying to cut all the "fingers", and was pointing out to me just how many MORE of them there were. He was having a very difficult time stapling the stuff to the coop. Partially because the coop is level, but the ground is NOT, so the far north end of the run is up on a bit of a post, which means the bottom of the run and coop is at varying distances from the ground. Partially because he was having a terrible time getting the staplegun up to where it needed to be with the mesh that tight. I was watching him ending up shoving the mesh in towards the run with a foot, having pliers in one hand gripping the mesh and holding it up against the run, and the other hand holding and operating the staplegun.
I'd been inside the run, as we'd been working on putting pavers in the gap and whitewashing the inside (and by the way whitewash in a paint sprayer does not work well, that's a whole separate problem/rant), and opened the door to step out - and started to slip and nearly hurt myself on the tilted mesh. And apparently broke a little bit of it where it's stapled under the door.
And then Miles got up to where it was coop instead of run - and discovered that the edge there is a couple inches farther back than the edge of the coop, so.... now the mesh doesn't reach. He was somewhere between incredibly frustrated and close to rage.
He's willing to try to tackle it some more, although I don't know how soon, I was really trying to use the one clear non-rainy weekend day to get stuff done. I've even suggested that he let me buy the 2x3 mesh TOO, and lay the .5 x .5 mesh underneath it, then use the staplegun to attach the easier 2x3 mesh to the coop and run, and use the sod staples to hold the two together. He didn't think this would work.
Seriously, how do people manage? Ok, I get that the guy in the video, it looks easy because he's using the not safe enough 2x3 mesh - but for all of you that insisted we needed .5 mesh (some were even advocating .5x.25!), how do you deal with getting that in place and attached?
I want to get this thing finished and have the city inspector come approve it so I can get that worry off my shoulders. I expect he'd approve it without the apron, but I don't want the chicks out there without it.
