Hardware cloth on bottom of run?

[mper]

I have 5 'teenagers' I think they would be called. I think they're seven weeks old. Anyways, my set up for them is a tractor with roosts and nesting box that were moving around the yard each morning, and they're still sleeping at night in their brooder in the garage.

We have seen dogs, feral cats, racoons, and possums in our yard. So I'm trying to protect from these predators.

Im thinking the top and sides are pretty safe, it's the bottom, or something digging underneath that could pose a problem.

Should we hardware cloth the underside? Is that good for the chickens to be walking on that?

Should I just have a hardware cloth 'base' of sorts where we park the tractor each night?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Kiki]

Could you run a hot wire around it?

 

[centrarchid]

If the critters cannot get to be under the hardware cloth and in contact with chickens through it you should be OK. Critters cam chew through hardware cloth but I have seen it only when they actually touch target through the wire. Hotwire approach above is effective a keeping most critters from even challenging the structure.