Building run, materials question

[patandchickens]

Quote:
There are dogs in the country sometimes. Just sayin'. Go browse the 'predators and pests' section of this forum for a while, sometime

That said, I want my run and coop to be safe from ALL predators whether they're dogs, coyotes, or raccoons!

OK then I would really suggest you take the possibility of dogs seriously and make a reasonably dogproof fence

Also, why does the apron need to be on the exterior of the run instead of the interior?

Um, well, the exterior is where the PREDATORS are.

The point of the apron is to frustrate the predator's very first attempts at digging (they will dig right where the fence meets the ground). When initial excavation projects meet undiggable wire mesh, the predator virtually always gives up and wanders off to go look for lunch elsewhere. The exception is a VERY FEW "professional" type foxes, generally red foxes, that have learned to back up and see how far back they have to go to find the edge of the apron and tunnel under from there. This is not something that 99.9% of chicken owners will encounter though and not generally something to worry about unless you KNOW you ahve that sort of problem in the neighborhood.

If the apron were on the inside, all it does is makes the predators dig a coupla feet horizontally under it til they can pop up and eat yer chickens. Which they WILL do.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[urbanfarmette]

i'm in wisconsin too (south eastern). i haven't built my coop yet but am planning on non-insulated after reading lots of threads on the issue. i think our best bet is to get cold-hardy breeds and worry more about ventilation year round and keeping the coop cool in summer (shade, plenty of windows to open in the heat). i am planning on saving money by using recycled wood (maybe pallets if i can't find 2x4s and such) and spending the money i save on hardware cloth. i've also considered this stuff called tuftex for the roof of the coop and run since it will keep snow off of the run and let light in to hopefully encourage winter egg laying. it is a clear polycarbonite roofing material and is sold at lowe's (other local stores sell similar products as well). it is pretty cheap at $20 per 2ft by 8ft section. so for my peaked 4x8ft total coop and run it will cos me about $80. good luck with all of your planning.