Anti dig skirts

[Egghead_Jr]

Basic metal tent peg, fabric staple is all it is. You don't really need them as the grass will grow through it and disapear in a little over a week.

Poke factor is not what's working here. It's the fact that animals dig at fence/pen line and don't think to back up. 18 inches is all that's needed out flat from fence line. With a stationary pen I lift the sod and place the welded wire down then replace sod. I cut 2x2 sod squares and peel it out.

 

[coleco]

Yard staples are exactly what you think. They are big steel staples maybe 1- 1.5" wide and maybe 5" long. They come un-galvanized so that they rust and bond with the soil. I purchased them in a box of 1000 at the landscape center because the price point was much better. I think they ask 10$ for 50 or 45$ for 1000 ridiculous!!!

I space them maybe 2' apart and if the wire sticks up I use more. As previously mentioned the grass grew up and I cant even find the skirt anymore.

 

[123RedBeard]

Just for clarification ... Even though we speak "English" in America, and obviously they also do in England too ...

A "Garden" in England is what us in the states would call a yard or lawn ... Could be flowers planted, but not required ... But plenty of grass!

 

[pugasaurusrex]

Have any of you that currently use no-dig skirting actually seen evidence of a predator trying to get into your run and then fail because of the skirting? I had a fox dig under my pretty secure chicken run (or at least I thought) and kill my beautiful cream legbar, so I'm sort of nervous about this solution. It almost seems too easy to work!

I just want to be sure skirting works before I install it! And it it's not fail-safe, I'll opt for the more expensive solution: electric fencing and a shotgun.

 

[coleco]

I have seen evidence of a skunk digging but that was it, he gave up. It does sound simplistic but just like a minnow trap sometimes the solution (back up and dig) is just outside of an animals toolset.

 

[Eliza1313]

I have had a raccoon manage to go under the skirting, but it had not been weighted down properly. A couple of bricks, stepping stones, or boards is usually enough to hold it down. Depending on your soil type, don't rely on the yard staples alone. They don't work in my soil type (sandy top layer).

I have started switching over to lath instead of hardware cloth/welded wire. Both for skirting and for the bottom few feet of the coop/run. Anything that tries to dig or break through it is going to tear themselves open (cheese grater style). So not kid friendly unless you are going to bury it. Their feathers appear to protect the birds from being harmed by it. If you do use it on the run or coop put trim boards over the cut edges, to prevent it from being able to slice open skin. For those that don't know what lath is, it is metal that is used as an anchor for stucco and found in the masonry section of hardware stores. Price point, in my area, is a little less than a similar length of hardware cloth that is 2' wide. The lath I get come is sections 27" x 8'.

Future plans are to build out wooden frames over the lath skirting, fill with garden dirt and plant an edible greens garden for the chickens in the surrounding frames. Then put a hinged wood framed and hardware cloth lid over the plantings, so the chickens aren't as likely to get to the roots of the plants and the plants can replenish themselves.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Why would you use hardware cloth for skirting? That is expensive. I cut a 4 ft roll of 2x4 14 ga. welded wire in half. Full width for run and 1/2 width for skirting. It's under $40 for 4x50' roll at your local box store (home despot, lowes).

It's not going to stop a weasel but I couldn't imagine the cost of weasel proofing a run. Night time predator and simply lock the coop each night. That I make weasel proof.

Skirting works. Placing it under the sod holds it in place. If no grass then bury it a few inches down, that will hold it.

 

[Eliza1313]

I have open air coops, live in a hot humid climate. So the no dig skirting is my predator proofing. Since their coops are basically covered runs with roosts. Night time temperatures here are in the 70s right now.

Most of the predators in my area could easily squeeze through the 2 x 4 welded wire. Skunks, opossums, and raccoons (juveniles anyways). So it depends on how they have the coop/run set up on what they should use as skirting. If they are looking to prevent daytime predators, such as the neighborhood dogs, from digging under then they also should put skirting around the run or if they have a dirt floor in the coop.