Coop on uneven ground with 5" gap

[My Three Chicks]

Hi. Need your suggestion with my new coop...the ground that it was installed on was unfortunately not level so I have up to a 5" gap I need to deal with. Main goal is to keep rodents out from underneath (the coop has a floor so I'm not worried about predators).

Please see pics. It's the far right end in 1st photo. (Don't mind the dog!).

 

[cavemanrich]

Since coop is sitting level/correct as it is,,, I am a pragmatist,,, so will offer easiest solution.
Bring wheelbarrows of loose earth/soil, and drop at base where it is gap. Use a rake to shove as much soil under coop. Eventually you will have it packed so no more will be able to be pushed into underneath. If it settles after a while,,,,, shove more into smaller gap. Have about a 2 foot sloping earthen bank, from coop edge,,,, outward. This will hold the earth/soil from rolling out.
Not sure where you will source the soil,,, maybe scrape some from other area in your yard..
Beautiful coop and run combo BTW
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[aart]

Main goal is to keep rodents out from underneath

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[My Three Chicks]

Since coop is sitting level/correct as it is,,, I am a pragmatist,,, so will offer easiest solution.
Bring wheelbarrows of loose earth/soil, and drop at base where it is gap. Use a rake to shove as much soil under coop. Eventually you will have it packed so no more will be able to be pushed into underneath. If it settles after a while,,,,, shove more into smaller gap. Have about a 2 foot sloping earthen bank, from coop edge,,,, outward. This will hold the earth/soil from rolling out.
Not sure where you will source the soil,,, maybe scrape some from other area in your yard..
Beautiful coop and run combo BTW
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks for the reply!
I don't have a lot of extra dirt in my yard. But I have a lot wood chip coming for their run floor. Could I use wood chips to fill underneath instead you think?

 

[FunClucks]

Thanks for the reply!
I don't have a lot of extra dirt in my yard. But I have a lot wood chip coming for their run floor. Could I use wood chips to fill underneath instead you think?

I wouldn't. In my area that would invite termites and other things that would want to live under there. I suggest the no-dig apron.

 

[aart]

I wouldn't. In my area that would invite termites and other things that would want to live under there.

Ditto not to mention rot.

I suggest the no-dig apron.

Yes, because rodents and other critters can dig thru dirt and or wood chips.

 

[texsuze]

We recently had to "re-work" a rotting corner of the baseboard on which the old run sits. We used various sizes/widths of paver stones to slide underneath the corner (after replacing some 2x6's) where the soil had fallen away. Once that was done, I added leftover cinderblock pieces, like a bulkhead. Over that I attached my hardware cloth apron to the 'refreshed' base. Had to bend the apron in some places to fit the profile of the cinder blocks.

My point being, if you can get some flat pavers, cinderblocks, etc. to fill in underneath that edge of your coop, then attach a hardware cloth apron, it might be a more reliable fix than just soil or other material that won't stay put.

 

[Penpal]

If you use pavers, as Texsuze wrote, put them all around the coop because mice and other critters have no trouble going through dirt. Then, hardware cloth outside of the pavers an additional six or eight inches. How deep depends on which critters you have.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

If the coop has a floor and doesn't have any holes larger than a wedding band you should be good as far as them being under the coop. Rodents will only remain as long as food is available. Keep food from under the coop and you won't have rodents.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Even without food rodents may still use it as shelter, I've even found a rabbit using the underside of my coop as shelter when it was first installed, so best to exclude them completely with wire mesh/apron if possible.