help?!?!?!

[Duck mommy 2019]

can predators dig under dirt? and if we put board on the borders of the ground but still leave dirt ground on the middle of coop can anything get in?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Yes. and Yes.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

Yes. and Yes.

how could we get predators to not dig in then? (without putting more wood on the inside)

 

[Ebony Rose]

The boards themselves aren't going to stop predators from digging their way in, it will merely force them to dig further before they get in. Are you asking because you HAVE a problem, or because you don't WANT TO HAVE a problem?
There's a whole lot of critters that have chicken and/or their eggs on their menu, to name just a few: snakes, birds of prey, raccoons, squirrels, dogs, fox, opossum, skunk, fisher cat, weasel, mink, cats both big and small, coyote, wolf... and that's the tip of the iceberg... there are ALSO two-legged predators of YOUR flock.
What are you trying to keep out?
Attached please find a how-to video on youtube that shows how to attach a predator apron AROUND your coop (not in it). This is one common and popular line of defense for your coop, and may be more secure than wood flooring.

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

can predators dig under dirt? and if we put board on the borders of the ground but still leave dirt ground on the middle of coop can anything get in?

Yes, predators dig underground. It all depends on your specific coop, but what I've done with my run is dig around a foot underground, then bend the mesh so it's directly underground, and bury it. If that makes sense . It's hard to explain.

 

[WthrLady]

And a note on hardware cloth. I used 1/2 inch and the mice are laughing at it, right through and tunneling like mad. I'll be replacing it with 1/4 inch this spring.

 

[Ebony Rose]

How small of a hole can a mouse get through?? Watch this youtube to find out

 

[cmom]

I have electric wire around my coops and pens. The predators know it's there. I also have concrete under the pens gates and netting covering the pens. If there is a way to get in and get to the birds a predator will usually find it. There are some of the more vulnerable places that I dug a trench along the bottom of the fence and buried some wire and hog ringed it to the bottom of the fence. I have several game cameras up on my property. Some of last nights visitors, Coyotes.

Behind some of the coops. There is electric wire around the coops and pens.

 

[WthrLady]

Oh I knew mice can go tiny, but 1/4 inch wasn't available at the time. And if you offset two layers you can make it smaller. I'll never stop the mice. Just shooting to slow them down some.

 

[DiYMama540]

Ahhh... thanks @Tycine1! That was quite interesting!