Hardware Cloth - How Far Up Run and Run Floor?

[rosemarythyme]

I'm not really looking forward to trenching. I did that on an older coop years ago and it was a real pain. We have clay soil so it's a nightmare in terms of digging.
I figured the rats would probably climb. I was just hopeful that maybe I have some lazy ones who wouldn't try it. I'm probably going to go all the way up.
I really thought about laying hardware cloth down on the floor of the run, but I'm nervous about my birds' feet.

I know you already said you decided against it, but in order to cover the run floor with wire you'd have to dig down and lay it at least 6" or more under the surface and then backfill. So basically, trenching it.

Yes rats will climb. I have HWC up about 2, 3' on my run fence, and that's how they get in, by climbing up until they reach the unprotected part. I do have traps set (in protected spaces with gaps just big enough for rats) so that keeps them in check.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Placing pavers on top of the skirt defeats the purpose of a skirt. All it does is tell the rats where to start digging their tunnels. Dirt, mulch, or fine gravel are better choices.

But wouldn't they just dig the tunnels beginning at the end of the skirt anyway - regardless of what is on top of the skirt?

 

[Sally PB]

I am adding 2 more cats this spring though. Maybe that will help.
I'm also relocating the run/coop closer to the barn where the cats spend most of their time. That also might prove helpful.

This sounds like a good idea.

 

[StinkyAcres]

But wouldn't they just dig the tunnels beginning at the end of the skirt anyway - regardless of what is on top of the skirt?

Yes, it is possible with very determined rats. Rodents typically start their tunnels at the edge of something solid such as a foundation, rock, etc. and go towards food and shelter, but that isn't always the case. But I think if you are going to cover your entire run with hardware cloth (and make food inaccessible at night, etc.) that should deter most of them.

 

[perkolator]

Sounds like you already have much of your fence security covered with chain link and added small mesh with anti-dig skirting. If you don't have predators that can make it past that, at this point I'd probably leave it as-is, and focus on knocking down the populations with rodent traps.

I've made myself some scrap wood boxes based on this design, for housing my rat traps, to keep other animals away from them. I really like the design with the rope-pull, as you can visually see it's been sprung without opening it up:

Good luck with the rodents

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Yes, it is possible with very determined rats. Rodents typically start their tunnels at the edge of something solid such as a foundation, rock, etc. and go towards food and shelter, but that isn't always the case. But I think if you are going to cover your entire run with hardware cloth (and make food inaccessible at night, etc.) that should deter most of them.

Oh, that makes sense about the edge. The pavers are only an inch in height when laid on the ground though. The holes I see that they made for tunnels are actually not visible to me. I need to do some investigating to see just how far out they start.
I already make the food inaccessible at night by securing it in a metal trash can. With the new set-up I'm planning, the can will also be in a locked shed, so even more security in that department.
I'm hoping that the hardware cloth will be sufficient in keeping out the rats. I encased and skirted my on-the-ground quail habitat with it and nothing has been getting in there. No tunnels. No holes. Nothing.

 

[NatJ]

I think covering the run with hardware cloth, and putting a good apron outside of it, is probably all you need to do. But if that doesn't work, if you decide you really want to cover the floor of the run with something, you could use concrete pavers and then put dirt and/or shavings on top.

Pavers are probably less dangerous than wire mesh to a scratching chicken. They do not rust away over time the way mesh does. And if you put them close enough together, they should certainly keep tunneling rats out. (The rats might make tunnels underneath the pavers. If you need to access those tunnels, just pick up the pavers as needed.)

You don't want the chickens walking directly on concrete pavers all the time, because it will be hard on their feet, but enough dirt and bedding on top of the pavers will take care of that. I would not expect problems when the chickens scratch down to the pavers in a few places at a time, since they still have plenty of other places to walk.

 

[FunClucks]

I have a 3 ft apron of hardware cloth. There is dirt, mulch, grass above it. Multiple predators have come all the way up to the hardware cloth enclosed chain link panel run and proceeded to try and dig. Then they hit the hardware cloth apron and try further along. I've had critters digging at almost the edge of my 3 ft apron, but nothing has got past it yet. I would fully enclose everything except the bottom of the coop/run and put as large an apron as you can afford. All hardware cloth. I like to smooth out the small mulch and check in the morning to see the little dig holes the predators leave behind. Seeing every single hole stymied by the hardware cloth makes me happy!

 

[DonyaQuick]

The rats get in through tunnels that they have dug into the run under the skirt and under the pavers. They can also squeeze through the slats in the wire fencing - thus my desire to go with hardware cloth.

Unfortunately if you have them digging tunnels regularly under big pavers already, then I would think they will dig under horizontal HWC eventually too. I've never had to deal with rats in my enclosures, but just the other day found a mouse burrow going into an enclosure that went under a mulch-covered 24" horizontal HWC skirt. I might never have seen it if the mouse hadn't popped out right in front of me while I was in the enclosure. It was dug at a weird angle too; the tunnel was so long underground I couldn't actually find where it came out on the other side, since I didn't have a stick long enough and there's still a lot of snow on the ground. Personally I find HWC skirts to be an effective deterrent against larger animals for sure and some smaller things that dig a bit, but not a perfect proof against rodents that make vast tunnel systems - especially if the population is out of hand leading to constant digging in the area. It may make their entry less common, but it's better if the population is gotten in check first by other means.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Unfortunately if you have them digging tunnels regularly under big pavers already, then I would think they will dig under horizontal HWC eventually too. I've never had to deal with rats in my enclosures, but just the other day found a mouse burrow going into an enclosure that went under a mulch-covered 24" horizontal HWC skirt. I might never have seen it if the mouse hadn't popped out right in front of me while I was in the enclosure. It was dug at a weird angle too; the tunnel was so long underground I couldn't actually find where it came out on the other side, since I didn't have a stick long enough and there's still a lot of snow on the ground. Personally I find HWC skirts to be an effective deterrent against larger animals for sure and some smaller things that dig a bit, but not a perfect proof against rodents that make vast tunnel systems - especially if the population is out of hand leading to constant digging in the area. It may make their entry less common, but it's better if the population is gotten in check first by other means.

This is exactly what I think I'm going to experience. I'm moving the entire run/coop structure a bit a ways away from its current location so that might help. I'm hoping that I can at least make it more difficult and tedious for them to get in. I also hope that since I'm moving it down closer to my hay barn that maybe my barn cats will keep the rat population down. I currently have 3 cats but I'm looking to add two more later this month. If I still end up having rats with vast tunnels, I might go the route of baking soda/traps/dry ice etc.