Advice - Predator Proofing Shared Privacy Fence

[Pearson115]

Hey all. Looking for the best way to protect my 9 girls whose back wall of the chicken run will be the shared privacy fence between me and my neighbor. It will be a covered run. I can't do an apron because I'd be going under the privacy fence and extending the apron in to my neighbor's yard... I am doing an apron on all other sides, but this back side is giving me some trouble. My only thought is do go down vertically, or cover the entire floor of the run with wire buried under sand...

Thoughts? Thanks so much!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would go down vertically if possible. If that just doesn't work, maybe try to apron it so the wire folds in under the run instead of out past the fence and cover it with pavers or at least a good amount of bedding material to keep the chickens from walking on it.

It won't work the same as a traditional apron but it may help deter pests at least from burrowing all the way in, and is less intrusive than covering the entire floor with wire.

 

[123RedBeard]

I don't know how much real estate you have ... but I don't like shared fences ...

Build your fourth side of the fence about 3'-5' inside, away from the shared fence ... then you have control of the chicken fence, and can maintain both side of it, as you see fit.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Build your fourth side of the fence about 3'-5' inside, away from the shared fence ... then you have control of the chicken fence, and can maintain both side of it, as you see fit.

Also a good option, if space and budget allow for it. That way there's no issue if something happens to the shared fence and no "who is going to pay for repairs and when?"

 

[azygous]

I had the same issue when I was trying to come up with a way to secure my garden fencing against digging squirrels. I literally watched them one day as they would run around and around the enclosure to try to find a vulnerable spot. When they did, I used that information to formulate a plan.

What I ended up doing was to sink hardware cloth vertically about six inches into the ground coming down from the fence. Then on the inside of the fence, I laid heavy pavers. If the squirrel or other predator dug straight down and began going under the wire, they would find they could not surface on the other side because of the heavy paving stone.

This has worked just fine for a good number of years. Another way you could implement this same principle is to make a footing form going straight down about six inches under the fence and then bring it out from the fence on the surface of the soil at least a foot. Or more, if you can afford the extra cement.

 

[aart]

Build your fourth side of the fence about 3'-5' inside, away from the shared fence ... then you have control of the chicken fence, and can maintain both side of it, as you see fit.

That was my first thought...need to be able to maintain fence and run wall.