Chicken Yard Predator Proofing - Thoughts?

[Nomadicus]

What if I was to put the hardware cloth farther down rather than out? Would this have the same effect? I suspect not and that I will likely have to find a different solution for this whole fencing issue, but I figured it doesn't hurt to confirm with others who have more experience first.

It should last a lot long laying on top of the ground rather than buried.

 

[fuzzi]

This is good to know. Thank you!

Unfortunately, it is impossible to really get a mower through this particular area even without a fence in the way, due to the large tree that sits close to the fence on that side and because of how damp it usually is. It was one of the reasons that side was chosen for the chicken yard, since it was so difficult to get the mower through all the time.

I'll definitely need to make enough space that I can at least get through and trim by hand as needed. There are a lot of bushes there and it all grows quickly because of how much water is there.

Or put up a temporary fence and let your chickens take care of the trimming?

I bought a cordless hedge trimmer, and use it to cut back weeds where the lawnmower won't fit. See the steppingstone path? Right now it's a little overgrown, but once we get our first frost I'll cut back the Tithonia that fell over and trim the violets on either side.

 

[Rhonda777]

To deter airborne predators, netting is not normally necessary. Only runnning several lengths of cord across the area to block a direct light path in and out will almost always do the trick.