Bury the fence.......tough in this soil.

[Dr.Doorlock]

My back yard is a tool breaking, back breaking mound of sticky, hard GUMBO! The only digging you can do is with a fork, never a shovel. If you soak everything first, you actually get 2 to SIX inches taller as the stuff sticks to your shoes.

And then there are the roots. The coop is near a HUGE dead cedar three and the roots may require TNT.

Any suggestions. PLEASE!

 

[happyhens]

If you can't bury the wire, another option is to put a "skirt" around either the outside or the inside of the run. It helps deter predators. I think that 1' wide is the suggested size for a skirt.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You might want to think about using a flange of fencing wire on top of the soil, attached securely to the bottom of the run. It can be staked down in a few places and eventually the grass will grow through it. The wall of the run is kind of like this "L" instead of this "l" if you are looking at it from the side.

Possibly someone that doesn't have the flu, will come along and explain this in a better way.

 

[azelgin]

Yea, there was no way I was ever going to bury any fenceing around my coop either. We have so many rocks, not even the gophers live around here. Dig a hole for a five gallon tree and you get three gallons of rocks. Takes 4 hours to dig a post hole with a breaker bar and a post hole digger. Had a friend lend me an auger for the tractor. It just spins on the top of the ground and smokes. Add water and you get steam. I decided to run a hot wire a few inches above ground around the run and at different levels above it to keep any leapers that might clear the bottom wire off the sides. The wiener dog can tell you how well the bottom wire works to discourage digging.

 

[wren]

Maybe you could pound metal edging down around the sides with big hammer. It would be expensive though.

I would inspect for holes every morning and throw rocks into any holes. Can't be easy for the critters to dig either.

 

[patandchickens]

This is for prevention of digging that you want? Just run an apron of stout 4x4 or 2x4 wire mesh, I'd go a generous 3' (more if you have foxes or very experienced coyotes) out from the base of the fence. You want it as much a "part of" the surface of the ground as possible -- ideally bury under turf, but if that's not possible, pin down REAL WELL or weight with lots of boulders or big pavers or concrete rubble.

That'll pretty much do it.

I wouldn't rely on a low hotwire to prevent digging -- too many ways for it to ground out, and too many critters smart enough to back up a foot and go from there.

Good luck, have 'fun' (

),

Pat

 

[azelgin]

Quote:
It has worked very well for me and so far, is the only method that has worked for my neighbor to keep his four hounds from tunneling out of his yard.

 

[HeartLunger]

On the coop I am building now I am going to lay fencing on top of the soil next to the run, then I am going to take some landscaping stones and build a raised bed. In the bed I will plant veggies, sunflowers, etc. I figure this will help with predators and 'perty' up the run some, plus it will provide some snacks for the girls.

 

[orchidchick]

The trouble with burying wire is there is no way to inspect for rot or rust once it goes in short of digging it up. My vote is for skirting or some type of stone or concrete along the fence line.

Orchidchick

 

[Dr.Doorlock]

Quote:
What a great idea. Here is a way I can get more involvement from my wife and keep our three Boston Terriers from doing what they were bread to do. The other concern I had was from outside the fence. Even though we are mostly urban, we are only a mile from a nature preserve. I still remember chasing an opossum off our back fence one night.(at first we thought it was a big city RAT) This could just as easily be a racoon or worse which could also pose a threat to our dogs.

So, the answer is an "L" shaped fence made of 1/2" x 1/2" welded wire with 18" being at the bottom of my wifes new native plant run border. The other 18" will be the base for the run fence so the girls don't stick their head out of the poultry netting and have the dogs bite it off. This will also be covered so owls and hawks are not a problem.

To all of you, THANK YOU and
Have I left anything out?