DH Will Not Bury HW Cloth - PICS

[bionic_chicken]

He says he would need a chain saw to get through all the pine roots in the run. The run is a 10X10 chain link dog kennel from TSC, covered on all sides and top with 1/2 inch hw cloth. We have raccoons. Will they dig under? If so, if the coop is closed up securely, are we alright? I just tried to dig and got about 4" down before hitting enormous roots. The windows are cut-outs covered in hw cloth. Do they need to be shut at night? Oh, heck, I'm just going to go take pictures. Be back in a bit with pics. Any advice in the meantime is appreciated.

Please understand, first, how much I appreciate this beautiful coop and run DH has built. I really do.


OK, the coop is built on deck blocks, so hw cloth will be put around the entire base. I'm thinking we're just spinning our wheels if it's not buried. What's to prevent from just prying it up? Even though, he's not going to do it. I guess it's me and the kids.

The run is attached to the coop via the studs. It's covered in hw cloth. The top hw cloth goes on today. We are going around the tree with hw cloth, of course. But, as you can see, nothing is buried.

This is the chicky door. Can a raccoon open this kind of latch with its hands?

This is the window set-up. Does is have to be shut at night?

 

[SterlingAcres]

If you can only get it down a few inches, maybe you can put rocks on it or concrete it to the ground to stop diggers?

Good luck

 

[CathyB]

Our ground is almost complete slate and shale. My DH had a terrible time digging. He went about 6 to 8 inches and then said that was enough. I wanted 12, but was not going to argue. He then poured dry cement in the trench, hosed it down, then raked the shale over the dried cement. I am hoping that is enough to deter anyone who wants to get under.

 

[dangerouschicken]

Wood, large rocks, cinder blocks, or a combo can make a big difference.

 

[bionic_chicken]

And now with pics.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

On my smaller run and coop I didn't dig down. I've got hardware cloth that sticks out a foot and a half. It's covered with a heavy mulch and then with bricks along the walls of the coop and run.

So far so good

 

[bionic_chicken]

^^^^OK, maybe that's the solution.

 

[jjthink]

Found it impossible to dig into the ground around my run (roots, rocks) so I just ran the wire down the sides of the run and then out along the top of the ground for some inches. Then placed rocks on the ground on top of the wire all the way around so that at least something will have to work up a sweat if they want in. And maybe that'll buy me enough time to notice an effort in progress before it gets too far along. It's been a year for this particular set up and no one has yet tried to breach. I tell myself the difficult ground is not necessarily a bad thing because if it's tough for us it's also tough for anyone wanting in.
All the best!
JJ

 

[bionic_chicken]

^^^^Thank you. I'm feeling better already.

If anyone wants to say how unbelievably gorgeous my coop is, feel free!

 

[Chirpy]

First - that's a great coop and run! Your DH deserves a

for that!

Second - a raccoon can easily open the latches you have. They can even open the type of clasp you use on a dog leash! You will need to reinforce that latch with something else. Many people have found the only thing that keeps raccoons out is a padlock... If you go that route you can put the key about five feet up on the side of the building so that you can easily reach it.

Third - a good solution for burying the hardware cloth would be to bury it the 2 or 3 inches that you can dig and then fold it in an "L" shape with the bottom outwards. Then, throw dirt and/or rocks and/or cement (whatever) over the top of the bent outward part. Between that and the natural deterrent of the tree roots you should be fine.

My bigger concern will be how you attach the hardware cloth around that tree trunk. That's a perfect place for a raccoon to get through so make sure you've got it attached really well.