building a run; apron question

[ozimmerman]

Hi,
we are getting our first chicks in a couple of weeks. We have the coop on our property already, but want a predator resistant run. I believe I want to do an apron on the surface outside the fence, secured with stakes and maybe a couple inches of soil.

My question: do I get, say a 3' wide roll of hardware cloth and bend it 90 deg. and place a 2' wide section across the ground and attach the other section as part of the vertical fence. Or can I build the vertical fence, then lay a completely seperate section adjacent to the fence, over the ground, as an aprong and tie the 2 together.

The second option sounds easier, but I am concerned about securing the seam where the vertical and horizontal parts meet so that it doesn't provide a place for something to squeeze between the sections. Could I place stakes over the bottom of the vertical section and edge of the horizontal section every few feet secure them or even use zip ties at regular intervals to tie them together.

I am trying to avoid trenching and burying if possible. Run will be around 20' or so by 10'. Starting with 8 Easter eggers, locked in at night, but not necessarily always by dusk.
Any input appreciated.

 

[flopshot]

sort of depends on what you have used for the run itself. unless your run is allready covered in hardware cloth the first option is going to be expensive and in my opinion not high enough up the run sidewalls to be effective. i would go with at least two feet up the sides and use a three foot wide apron of 2X3 or 2X4 welded wire fence laid on the ground and attched to the run. if your run is covered in hardware cloth the welded wire is still the more economical choice and short of stopping a weasle, effective in preventing digging.

 

[ozimmerman]

Thanks for the response. There is no run built at all yet, just planning.

You are suggesting that i get a 5' wide roll and bend it, correct? If it do that, what else do you
suggest I cover the remainder of the walls of run with? It will probably be about 6' high total.

 

[patandchickens]

Whichever's more convenient. Obviously it's easier and more secure to just bend a wider piece of fencing, but if you can't get a wide enough piece, using a million J-clips or sewing it together with steel fence wire works fine too.

My suggestion would be 2x4" (heavy gauge) wire mesh, or well-installed chainlink, for the main fencing of the run; then run 1/2" hardwarecloth along the bottom 2' and out for 2+' as an apron. There are of course a million other ways that would also work

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[ozimmerman]

Thanks alot

Sounds good

 

[flopshot]

like Pat said.
i see looking back i was not too clear. i look at the price of hardware cloth and choose to use it only on the sides of the run because it prevents a bird from sticking it's head through or a coon from reaching in. install it at least two feet high. the welded wire is less expensive and therefore my choice for the apron.