First Time Chicken Lady who needs advice on skirting or digging in a barrier.

[RobinMichelle]

Hello lovely people,
I have a few questions about readying the run for the little ladies.
First if I wire the 1/4" hardware cloth will I need to cover the whole run in hardware cloth? Can I do 4' ft up and hot wire it? Then Would it be best to dig 6" down and 6" out to set the hardware cloth or can I drape 18" out?
I will be topping it with hardware cloth for the climbing or flying predators.
All new to me but I am ready to raise some babies into beautiful happy ladies!
I attached a pic of the run, the coop and the little ladies,
Thank you for any suggestions!
Peace,
Robin in Carlton Oregon

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Hi! Welcome! I'm in Brightwood. I love Carlton! Jealous of your weather right now... My son and cousin are in Dundee, it's amazing the difference given just the 1.5 hours between us. I deal with different predators than you as I'm up against Nat'l forest. So my chain link run is about keeping out the big ones. You're smart to worrying about Hawks. Racoons will be on your list and various other things "can," happen. If you want to prevent rats from getting in, hardware cloth everywere is the only way. I have feral cats for that so I don't have it all the way up. My advice though is dig down a bit farther, maybe 10inches. I have dumped bags of quikrete on my hardware cloth in the ground and I've never had an issue with digging predators. If you're really planning on hotwire, you'll be in excellent shape. Trail/night cams are great when you're starting out so that you can see what's really out there. ENJOY, good luck!

 

[SueT]

Hi Robin, it says you joined in 2014 but this is your first post? How can that be? Well, welcome back!
What size is that heavy fencing you show in the pic? Are the rectangles 2“X 4”? If so, I don’t think you need to cover the sides with anything, but you could do skirting that goes up a little way. I created my run with 2” X 4” mesh fencing and have skirting to keep chicks in and predators from digging around the outside. It only goes up about a foot inside and is bent at a 90º angle at the ground and buried outwards a few inches.

 

[perkolator]

I would suggest 1/2" HC instead of 1/4" - the smaller hole mesh is thinner gauge wire, and will tend to "cake" with debris and look dirty all the time vs the 1/2" that's more commonly used.

Definitely do the perimeter anti-dig skirt and the lower-wall protection. A raccoon can easily reach right through that 2x4 fencing - they team up and scare them into a corner for another coon to flank and reach through to grab their meal, which is a horrifying aftermath to discover. I'd get a roll of either 24", 36" or 48" HC -- if you use the 24" you can just do a strip around the bottom of the walls and another along the ground for 24" or protection in both planes. No need to bury anti-dig skirts, just put it on the surface and anchor it down with landscape fabric staples or stakes, the grass will grow through it to hold it down. The 36" or 48" may be a little bit cheaper than the short rolls and can be bent 90-deg to make the two planes of HC protection, just more tricky to do - when I do this I roll it out on the grass, measure and cut a section with my angle grinder, then lay a 2x4 on top to use like a "metal brake" to create the bend nice and straight. I used galvanized fence wire to install mine, some people use hog rings, metal zipties, UV-rated zipties (shortest lifespan), etc.

 

[RobinMichelle]

Hi! Welcome! I'm in Brightwood. I love Carlton! Jealous of your weather right now... My son and cousin are in Dundee, it's amazing the difference given just the 1.5 hours between us. I deal with different predators than you as I'm up against Nat'l forest. So my chain link run is about keeping out the big ones. You're smart to worrying about Hawks. Racoons will be on your list and various other things "can," happen. If you want to prevent rats from getting in, hardware cloth everywere is the only way. I have feral cats for that so I don't have it all the way up. My advice though is dig down a bit farther, maybe 10inches. I have dumped bags of quikrete on my hardware cloth in the ground and I've never had an issue with digging predators. If you're really planning on hotwire, you'll be in excellent shape. Trail/night cams are great when you're starting out so that you can see what's really out there. ENJOY, good luck!

Thank you for the suggestions!

 

[RobinMichelle]

Hi Robin, it says you joined in 2014 but this is your first post? How can that be? Well, welcome back!
What size is that heavy fencing you show in the pic? Are the rectangles 2“X 4”? If so, I don’t think you need to cover the sides with anything, but you could do skirting that goes up a little way. I created my run with 2” X 4” mesh fencing and have skirting to keep chicks in and predators from digging around the outside. It only goes up about a foot inside and is bent at a 90º angle at the ground and buried outwards a few inches.

Good Morning Sue,
Yes I have been planning on doing this for many years! Finally in it.
The fence is 2"x4" slots.
I appreciate your thoughts, Thank you!
Robin

 

[RobinMichelle]

I would suggest 1/2" HC instead of 1/4" - the smaller hole mesh is thinner gauge wire, and will tend to "cake" with debris and look dirty all the time vs the 1/2" that's more commonly used.

Definitely do the perimeter anti-dig skirt and the lower-wall protection. A raccoon can easily reach right through that 2x4 fencing - they team up and scare them into a corner for another coon to flank and reach through to grab their meal, which is a horrifying aftermath to discover. I'd get a roll of either 24", 36" or 48" HC -- if you use the 24" you can just do a strip around the bottom of the walls and another along the ground for 24" or protection in both planes. No need to bury anti-dig skirts, just put it on the surface and anchor it down with landscape fabric staples or stakes, the grass will grow through it to hold it down. The 36" or 48" may be a little bit cheaper than the short rolls and can be bent 90-deg to make the two planes of HC protection, just more tricky to do - when I do this I roll it out on the grass, measure and cut a section with my angle grinder, then lay a 2x4 on top to use like a "metal brake" to create the bend nice and straight. I used galvanized fence wire to install mine, some people use hog rings, metal zipties, UV-rated zipties (shortest lifespan), etc.

Thank you! You have answered so many of my questions! I am going to do just what you suggested and I appreciate the tip on the 1/4" looking dirty.
Robin

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

This is my absolute favorite website for for all things, but their infographic on predator protection is top notch.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/tips-for-protecting-poultry-from-predators

 

[aart]

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208