Dog run and pedators question

[careeka22]

We just got a 10x30 dog run for our 10 hens, 1 roo. Of course after reading up on here everyone says to cover at least the bottom 2ft with HC which I want to do but my husband is not a fan of the idea. Now I've read that raccoons are the ones that could grab in and then of course snakes.. but we have been our house almost 7 years and I've never seen anything more than a worm snake and opossums. Our biggest threats are hawks and stray dogs, which we are covering it so those 2 shouldn't be an issue. If we lock them up in the coop at night when raccoons come out do you think we will be fine not doing the HC? He also brought up these plastic pieces that go in between the fencing, would those work well enough?

 

[Ridgerunner]

What kind of fencing do you have on that dog kennel? That might make a difference. A photo and an idea of the opening size (maybe a ruler in that photo so show size) could be very instructive.

Not everyone says you have to cover the bottom 2 feet with hardware cloth. Some will say you have to cover it all, not just the bottom section. A lot of us don't do anything like that. Some even free range with no run at all. I understand you can get that impression by reading on here, some people are so adamant that their way is the only right way and every other way is a disaster that you have that as a takeaway. The reality is that we do these things all kinds of different ways for our own reasons.

If you have possum you have raccoons and other things you can't imagine. Big snakes too. Practically all these predators can and do hunt during the day as well as at night. But the night is the most dangerous time. Human activity normally keeps them away during daylight hours. While there is always a risk, a pretty effective strategy is a predator resistant run during the day and securely lock them in the coop at night.

Covering the top makes the run a lot more secure, not just from flying predators but climbing predators too. Covering the bottom two feet is not going to stop snakes, rats, mice, or smaller weasels. They will climb up and go through if they wish. The big advantage to putting fine mesh wire down low is that it stops the chickens from poking their heads through where they are vulnerable. Or maybe stop baby chicks from walking through. There can be some advantages to putting a fine mesh wire at the bottom, but the benefits aren't always as great as some people imagine. The mesh on that dog kennel plays into that. No matter what you do there will be some risk.

You did not mention an apron around it to stop digging predators. What are you doing to stop them?

 

[careeka22]

What kind of fencing do you have on that dog kennel? That might make a difference. A photo and an idea of the opening size (maybe a ruler in that photo so show size) could be very instructive.

Not everyone says you have to cover the bottom 2 feet with hardware cloth. Some will say you have to cover it all, not just the bottom section. A lot of us don't do anything like that. Some even free range with no run at all. I understand you can get that impression by reading on here, some people are so adamant that their way is the only right way and every other way is a disaster that you have that as a takeaway. The reality is that we do these things all kinds of different ways for our own reasons.

If you have possum you have raccoons and other things you can't imagine. Big snakes too. Practically all these predators can and do hunt during the day as well as at night. But the night is the most dangerous time. Human activity normally keeps them away during daylight hours. While there is always a risk, a pretty effective strategy is a predator resistant run during the day and securely lock them in the coop at night.

Covering the top makes the run a lot more secure, not just from flying predators but climbing predators too. Covering the bottom two feet is not going to stop snakes, rats, mice, or smaller weasels. They will climb up and go through if they wish. The big advantage to putting fine mesh wire down low is that it stops the chickens from poking their heads through where they are vulnerable. Or maybe stop baby chicks from walking through. There can be some advantages to putting a fine mesh wire at the bottom, but the benefits aren't always as great as some people imagine. The mesh on that dog kennel plays into that. No matter what you do there will be some risk.

You did not mention an apron around it to stop digging predators. What are you doing to stop them?

This is all great info, thank you! I discussed an apron with him as well, I was going to get 3ft of HC and put the last foot over the ground. I think he is worried more cosmetic and me more safety. We were just free ranging but we lost one to a hawk and one to a stray dog. The coop we have is very secure but before this we had just a smaller pre-fab that nothing got into. This picture is one of the only I have right now, you can see the openings in the back ground. I also told him about them sticking their heads out and an animal just grabbing that. We are looking at the chain link tape that goes in the links. At least that would prevent anything grabbing in or coming out.

 

[jthornton]

I was going to get 3ft of HC and put the last foot over the ground.

You will find out that trying to bend HC in a 90° quite a difficult task. Many use 1x2 welded fence for the skirt. An opossum will go right through a chain link fence. I took some leftover hot wire and ran it through my chain link fence the bottom few rungs to keep the chickens from trying to eat the grass on the other side and getting a shock from the hot wire.



JT

 

[careeka22]

You will find out that trying to bend HC in a 90° quite a difficult task. Many use 1x2 welded fence for the skirt. An opossum will go right through a chain link fence. I took some leftover hot wire and ran it through my chain link fence the bottom few rungs to keep the chickens from trying to eat the grass on the other side and getting a shock from the hot wire.

View attachment 1381888 View attachment 1381898

JT

Good idea! And I didn't know that about oppossums! I know they must be fearless because 2 came into my back yard with 4 dogs, one was injured but loved the other not as lucky.

 

[JDN]

This is all great info, thank you! I discussed an apron with him as well, I was going to get 3ft of HC and put the last foot over the ground. I think he is worried more cosmetic and me more safety. We were just free ranging but we lost one to a hawk and one to a stray dog. The coop we have is very secure but before this we had just a smaller pre-fab that nothing got into. This picture is one of the only I have right now, you can see the openings in the back ground. I also told him about them sticking their heads out and an animal just grabbing that. We are looking at the chain link tape that goes in the links. At least that would prevent anything grabbing in or coming out.

Yeah...I always hear about the "Raccoons can grab through the wire and pull them through piece by stringy piece" line, and I think "maybe if they were roosting." Maybe I'm missing something with that, but it doesn't pass the smell test with me. When my dog comes up to my dog pen run they look at him and back up and then two of them taunt him and the rest ignore him. I imagine a raccoon would be similar...And at night, they're on the roost in a coop well away from the reach of a raccoon.

Save a little money using 1x2 welded wire, and staple it into the ground using sod/landscape staples (you step on them.) Let the grass grow over it and you won't see the apron in a few weeks.

 

[careeka22]

Yeah...I always hear about the "Raccoons can grab through the wire and pull them through piece by stringy piece" line, and I think "maybe if they were roosting." Maybe I'm missing something with that, but it doesn't pass the smell test with me. When my dog comes up to my dog pen run they look at him and back up and then two of them taunt him and the rest ignore him. I imagine a raccoon would be similar...And at night, they're on the roost in a coop well away from the reach of a raccoon.

Save a little money using 1x2 welded wire, and staple it into the ground using sod/landscape staples (you step on them.) Let the grass grow over it and you won't see the apron in a few weeks.

Thanks I'll get some welded wire! While I'm sure there are racoons I think my dogs barking scare most off. And yeah they would be roosting secure in the coop.

 

[zibercat]

Thanks to FB market place I was able to get a 10x10x6 dog run, chain link for cheap. I was/am thinking on bury it at least 12 inches. Hardware cloth around the run and coop. Thinking on getting an animal electric fence.