Predator proofing, apron or buried

[reddingaz]

We took the girls out of the brooder for their first adventure outside this past weekend and got a bit of a surprise - The enclosed run that we set up is approximately 20'x30' and surrounded by 2"x4"welded wire (12gauge if I recall correctly?) which is 3' high & then also layered with chicken wire upto 6' with poultry netting over the top.

We live in a rural desert setting & don't have raccoons or opossums or anything like that but do have hawks and an abundance of coyotes and strays that people dump out there.

We've been working with our 3 dogs for the last month since the girls arrived to try & get them used to the birds & teaching them that they're not toys, etc, etc. 2 of the 3 seem totally fine with them but the third one got super excited when we let the girls out in the run and surprised the heck out of us when he tried to chew his way thru both layers of the wire fencing! We figured he'd try digging (which is why we burried the fencing 2 feet) but never figured he'd try & chew his way in!

We'll be headed back to the feed store to get a roll of heavier gauge fencing before everyone moves out there permanently

 

[jimmywalt]

My buddy at work who has chickens suggested I burry a 1" x 6" or 2" x 6" into the ground around the coop and then screw the horizontal board under the coop and run to this board.

I'm going to do that because I can't see anything digging 6" down and then 6" back up to get in my coop/run (we live in a subdivision so would only have to worry about raccoons or opossum during the night. I think I'll keep the hens locked in the coop at night.

Here is a picture of the run that I just built and the coop (pre-fab) that I purchased.

 

[aart]

My buddy at work who has chickens suggested I burry a 1" x 6" or 2" x 6" into the ground around the coop and then screw the horizontal board under the coop and run to this board.

I'm going to do that because I can't see anything digging 6" down and then 6" back up to get in my coop/run (we live in a subdivision so would only have to worry about raccoons or opossum during the night. I think I'll keep the hens locked in the coop at night.

Here is a picture of the run that I just built and the coop (pre-fab) that I purchased.

Don't fool yourself, a dog or fox will do just that, 6" is nothing to them.

Best to put an apron of mesh a couple inches below the surface 18" out for wall, they'll dig down pretty far but are much less likely to back away from wall to dig down....they hit that apron and give up.

 

[nab58]

jimmywalt,
That's the same coop I ordered. I'm waiting for it to be delivered and already know its going to be too small for my six chickens. We're planning on attaching a run like you built. Are you planning on attaching the run to the main run?

 

[nab58]

Can someone draw a diagram of what an apron looks like? I don't get how a burrowing predator is prevented from digging between the side of the coop and the apron.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

It's either attached to the coop/run, or extends beneath it so there is no "space between"

 

[aart]

Wall |
|
|
|
|_ _ _ _ _ Apron

Extend the wall mesh and bend it into an apron rather than burying it straight down.
Make sense?

 

[jimmywalt]

jimmywalt,
That's the same coop I ordered. I'm waiting for it to be delivered and already know its going to be too small for my six chickens. We're planning on attaching a run like you built. Are you planning on attaching the run to the main run?

Can I ask how much you paid? It's on sale now at TSC for $199 though April 21st I believe.

Yes I'm going to attach my run to the main run but in a "temporary" way with 4 eye-hooks (2 on each side top and bottom) so that when I need to move one or both it will be easy to take apart. If you would like I have all the measurements from the display at TSC which helped me build my run so that it would be the exact width. If memory serves me right the TSC coop is 41" tall and my run is 36 (because the hardware cloth either comes in 3' or 4' width).

 

[MoonShadows]

"Apron" on chicken run to prevent digging predators.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

We're doing a new coop and will be setting a permanent run. Right now we use a paddock system but it's not secure so the girls need to be in the coop when we're not around.

For the run, our plan is to initially install an apron. Then we're going to add a raised flower bed on top of the apron. No digging. The apron will be under at least a foot of dirt and there will be the wooden boards of the raised bed to further discourage digging in.

My intent is to plant lettuces, climbing beans and cukes as a sort of "chicken treat" garden. They'll not be able to get to it because of the hardware cloth, they'll have to wait until I pick and share it with them. Plus, I hope it will climb the fence and shade them a bit, too.

That's my plan. Fingers crossed it gets done in the next few weeks!