Chicken run skirt

[Ccort]

And now I'm back on my desktop. Here's the skirt on my big coop:

How far UP does your hardware cloth go?

 

[Ccort]

No pavers, use landscape staples to tack it to the ground.

Ideally you want the apron about 18-24" out from the side of the run. As far as how high UP, it depends on if this is part of predator proofing (i.e. I have the hardware cloth up about 2' on my chain link fence to prevent raccoons from reaching in) or if you just need a bit of extension to attach it to the bottom of the fence (in which case a few inches would do, just enough to screw or staple and sandwich into place).

This would be for predator proofing.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This would be for predator proofing.

Then I'd say aim for 2' high. It's not going to be fully predator proof with just the skirt and the 2' running up, but that will help with deterring raccoons, as one of their common modes of attack would be to grab a chicken close to the fence and pull parts of them through the fence.

 

[Ccort]

Then I'd say aim for 2' high. It's not going to be fully predator proof with just the skirt and the 2' running up, but that will help with deterring raccoons, as one of their common modes of attack would be to grab a chicken close to the fence and pull parts of them through the fence.

If I cover all but the roof, would that be fully predator proofed?

 

[3KillerBs]

How far UP does your hardware cloth go?

All the way to the roof.

In fact, because of the style of this open air coop, I even have wire under the wood boards of the shelter area.

 

[Ccort]

All the way to the roof.

In fact, because of the style of this open air coop, I even have wire under the wood boards of the shelter area.

Holy moly you have a fancy setup!

 

[3KillerBs]

Holy moly you have a fancy setup!

We call it Neuchickenstein and named the first rooster Ludwig -- king of the expensive palace.

It's specifically designed to suit my hot, humid climate and to accommodate a large flock.

 

[Ccort]

Lol! Thats great. A job well done!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If I cover all but the roof, would that be fully predator proofed?

If the roof is completely solid, and there's no gaps under it greater than 1/2" that are unprotected, then yes, that'd be considered predator proof.

Unless there's bears of course.

 

[Wendy Bee]

So we hardware-clothed every opening. We built a loft in the run to store bedding, pine shavings, and extra bags of feed/scratch (I use bins in the run for their day to day food supply), and putting hardware cloth over all openings protects against not only predators that can get the chickens, but also against rodents that can get into their supplies.

We also have a two foot hardware cloth apron around the perimeter of the run. No need to dig down or bury it - just raked some topsoil over it and then put wood chips on top. It settles down really well. I'll be putting another layer of chips down this Spring as they do break down and it's nice to keep the perimeter mud-free.