Do I need to predator-proof these gaps?

[SueAndHerZoo]

By the way, placing larger items like rocks or lumber on top of the apron defeats the purpose of an apron. You want the predator to dig where the apron is not around the outside of it. You'll want something diggable on top like dirt, mulch, or gravel. I think some people have even left it on top of the lawn and let the grass grow through it.

Thanks, had no intention of putting rocks or lumber on top of the hardware cloth. The rocks and lumber are to fill in any gaps between the ground and the actual coop that is behind the run. I'm thinking grass will grow through the apron, and if not, it's fine the way it is.
Sue

 

[StinkyAcres]

Thanks, had no intention of putting rocks or lumber on top of the hardware cloth. The rocks and lumber are to fill in any gaps between the ground and the actual coop that is behind the run. I'm thinking grass will grow through the apron, and if not, it's fine the way it is.
Sue

Oh, gotcha!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Your run is nice for daytime against aerial predators. Don’t rely on those fasteners to hold the sections together. We put up something very similar for our Australian Shepherds when they were puppies. The fasteners never held for long, so we ditched the idea and had chain link installed (same as my chicken runs but without the added hardware cloth). The fasteners always slid down, and the sections would lean from being pushed on. This left big gaps. Just please make sure all of your chickens are very securely locked in at night. We buried our hardware cloth several inches underground to prevent digging underneath, then lined the outside of the runs with railroad ties. I agree that it’s a nice daytime predator-resistant run, but not so resistant for nighttime.

Thanks for the warning about those fasteners. I got this set up from my daughter in law who had it up 2 years with no issues, but that doesn't mean I won't have any. Then again, I'm hoping my chickens won't be jumping on the walls as much as some dogs would.

I have an automatic door for their coop (will install it this week) and between that and the motion detector lights, flashing, buzzing predator alarms, and cameras focused on the area, I hope to not have any casualties. Luckily, I'm a night owl so me and the dogs are up late, and hubby gets up early. The scoundrels only have a few hours each day where someone won't be watching.
Sue

 

[rosemarythyme]

Grass should grow through the apron just fine. You do need to apron the corners though, I specifically had a raccoon picking at the corner of my run. Mine's similar in that it's intended to be "predator resistant" and not predator proof, I have chain link with hardware cloth the bottom few feet and aproned out, so things like rats will climb in but raccoons have been excluded so far.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Grass should grow through the apron just fine. You do need to apron the corners though, I specifically had a raccoon picking at the corner of my run. Mine's similar in that it's intended to be "predator resistant" and not predator proof, I have chain link with hardware cloth the bottom few feet and aproned out, so things like rats will climb in but raccoons have been excluded so far.

Thanks for the reminder about the corners! I was planning to let each side go 18" or so longer than the run so that I could overlap the corners (where the two sides meet) but unfortunately the hardware cloth I purchased came in 10' rolls and each wall of the run is 10' so there was no extra at the end for overlap. I will cut large squares from another roll and landscape spike them into the corners. Darn clever critters - always looking for a human to screw up somehow!
Sue