Excavation by Birds - A Word of Warning

[Smr]

i would love to do hot wire.... But My ground is too dry most of the year to get a good ground. 9-12 inches of precipitation per year. And a perk rate that will drain a three thousand gallon water tank without leaving a puddle.

Coyotes and Feral dogs are the biggest issues... We do have desert fox but I haven't seen any I think the coyotes drive them out.

I have considered Bipolar hot wire.... Positive on one strand negative on the other... And they do make bipolar Tape... But I haven't come across anyone who has used it. I will be needing Horse and goat containment as well.

I read the first page of the link @cavemanrich posted and the link offered up many ideas I hadn't considered.

deb

Bipolar fencing works well.

 

[Betsy57]

Wow! Some pretty crazy looking holes. The only holes mine do is under the coop that is 3' above the ground. It is a great protection area for them from predators, shade, protection from weather. But that is where they do their digging for their dusting. So I have to fill the holes which is a challenge but gives me a chance to put bug dust down in the holes for their dusting.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I think I mixed up two different apron needs and confused things. LOL. I'm definitely planning a well secured run with a roof and attached to my coop for the chick chicks. It will be located just on the other side of the 900ft perimeter fence in the edge of the woods to keep them just a little further from my dogs. That area will have it's own perimeter fence just like the main one but with the added electrified wire and just a small free range area that is between the coop/run and the main fence and used only when I'm present in the area. It is still under the trees.

I totally segued into thinking about my 900ft fence perimeter and primarily making sure my dogs stay contained. I had been thinking I would add an apron to prevent my dogs from trying to dig under (and bonus benefit, predators from digging under). But the dogs containment is a non-negotiable for my sanity and their safety. I'm not certain how MUCH they will dig, but they are definitely diggers. My current house in a neighborhood has a privacy fence. They dig at the bottom of it. They dig at the bottom of my HVAC unit. They did random holes in the middle of the yard. LOL. But maybe when they have a fenced acre of things to investigate and do they won't dig at the fence. (No neighbor dogs on the other side is also a HUGE help.) All that being said, I think I still need the wire mesh to extend down into or onto the ground to deal with any gaps between the bottom rail and the ground that the dogs would be able to easily scoot under or dig just a little in order to scoot under to get out of the yard.

I got confused in regards to better way to stop predators with the electrified wire. Is there a method to install the wire that would prevent predators (or my dogs) from digging under the fence? I've been planning on installing it to (TRY) to prevent bears from going through the fence. And hopefully other predators from going over.

I just saw this chain of messages after aart recommended it to learn about chicken digging habits.
I'm new to chickens but experienced when it comes to bear deterrence, as I've been beekeeping a while. I tie bacon to the electric fencing. The bears will either sniff or lick the bacon and get a shock on a sensitive area, rather than fur. Bears are supposed to be smarter than dogs.. My dogs learned to avoid the fence with one shock. I've got game cameras with pictures showing how quickly black bears learned to avoid the area! My bigger issue is moose - they're so big, nearly blind and dumb that they just walk right through the electric fence

 

[jthornton]

My bigger issue is moose - they're so big, nearly blind and dumb that they just walk right through the electric fence

Might have to add some high tensile barbed wire to your fence...

JT

 

[NHMountainMan]

Might have to add some high tensile barbed wire to your fence...

JT

Thanks for the idea. As I've built out my bee yard and coop area, my weak link is a moose walking through and then a black bear finding the opening before I can fix the damage.

 

[aart]

but experienced when it comes to bear deterrence.....My bigger issue is moose

Which are topics for other threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/66753274/?q=bear&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/66753329/?q=moose&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

 

[aart]

Thought I'd add this...
First I made the 'patio/threshold' in front of and under the door. They dug underneath it. So I added the row of bricks. They dug underneath it. So I added the 2x8x16" pavers on edge and anchored them in with rebar. That has worked well so far.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Adding more wood chippings is way over due.

'Pot Holes'
View attachment 1781885

@aart Sorry for the necrobump, but what do you call that arched metal that you’re using at the top of this run? And it looks like it’s spanning at least 8’, correct? Thanks!

 

[aart]

@aart Sorry for the necrobump, but what do you call that arched metal that you’re using at the top of this run? And it looks like it’s spanning at least 8’, correct? Thanks!

Those are 'rafters' I made from conduit and yes, span is 8'.
Details are on My Coop page.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Haha, this is funny. I’ve just been, umm, discussing using conduit instead of 2x4’s. Thanks