Wire flooring in run

Digging a trench isn't necessary it will work but it's extra work the wire can lay on the ground either with landscaping on it or just let grass grow through it. Hardware cloth with grass grown through is not going to move

Hi, thanks for all the responses! I should have gave more info & added pictures, I apologize I am new!

Here's my coop, right now it is still sitting in the garage my boys just put it together the other night and I intend to paint it. I don't even have my babies yet, so we have plenty of time to get everything together before they become big girls. The roosts are out at the moment, but I have them so they do exist!






I am having my hubby build me a 15 x 31 run, that the coop will sit inside completely. He will leave me a 4 ft area behind the coop so that I still can gather eggs. I may up it to 20 x 31 though, I haven't decided. Cost is an issue. That said, I can't afford to lay a slab, so they won't have concrete at all. I did plan on having the boys dig around the whole run and put hardware cloth in the ground, in one area it will have to be skirted because of tree roots. But it is the only area where they would have the coop nice and shaded by a huge maple tree.
Just wasn't sure if I should do the run flooring too with wire. I have to be honest I am FREAKING out over predators! (I tend to be a bit neurotic with some things!) So, I've been researching the best protection ideas as possible before the coop/run get up.

Here's a picture of a run I found online, I fell in love and will have him model mine after this.

blucoondawg said:

Digging a trench isn't necessary it will work but it's extra work the wire can lay on the ground either with landscaping on it or just let grass grow through it. Hardware cloth with grass grown through is not going to move

Click to expand...

Its not to keep it from moving. Its to keep predators from digging under.

I am also considering doing the "deep litter method", I just came across that tonight but will need to research that more so that I fully understand.

MNBobcat said:

Its not to keep it from moving.  Its to keep predators from digging under.

Click to expand...

I know what it is for, a predator is not going to dig through a hardware cloth skirt on the outside of a run it does not need to be trenched into the ground.

You can use strong wire mesh or slabs around the edges/for the run to sit on. You don't really need to worry about the centre. It's unlikely you'd find some ultra-savvy, digging expert animal who could figure out how to start out from the edge and under the slabs/wire to come up in the middle.

blucoondawg said:

Digging a trench isn't necessary it will work but it's extra work the wire can lay on the ground either with landscaping on it or just let grass grow through it. Hardware cloth with grass grown through is not going to move

Click to expand...

How does skirting work with the mower? I would hate for the mower to catch lifted wire (he don't pay attention sometimes), I think he would run me over if something happened! lol Since it will be a smaller area do you just weed whack it? Or am I totally overthinking?

9281022 said:

How does skirting work with the mower? I would hate for the mower to catch lifted wire (he don't pay attention sometimes), I think he would run me over if something happened! lol Since it will be a smaller area do you just weed whack it? Or am I totally overthinking?   

Click to expand...

you take hardware cloth and bend it in an L shape the vertical part fastened to the run the lower leg of the L laying flat on the ground. Just install it with care so it's down as flat as can be, maybe weed whack around it for awhile until the grass is good and grown through. If it's laying down flat a mower will go over it fine your mower blades would be set a few inches above the actual wire.
The animal will come yet to dig but it's gonna dig right against your run and encounter the wire, animals are stupid, they don't have the kind of reasoning ability to move out to the edge of the wire and dig their way in from there. This is what most on this forum will recommend as opposed to a wire floor. I am in a very remote area with plenty of predators and don't really encounter anything trying to dig in anyways