How far out should I skirt the hardware cloth?

[bogwitch]

I was just outside digging the post holes for my run, and I came quickly to the realization that there was no way I was digging an 18" deep trench all along the fence line to bury the 1/4"x1/4" hardware cloth.

The run will be 8'x12'. My dirt is very hard clay. We have a lot of raccoons in the area, so I need to do something. I was thinking that I could just skirt out the hardware cloth instead. Will that keep out the raccoons? And how far out should I skirt it? Thanks in advance for advice...

 

[chefchick]

We ran ours out about two feet from the bottom of the run and covered it with dirt. Seems pretty secure so far.

 

[BoltonChicken]

I concur. Skirt the hardware cloth out 18 inches or so and cover it over with concrete blocks or a good thickness of dirt. I've had no trouble using this method.

 

[anno1]

I'm buying apron cloth, which is supposed to fold one foot up so that can be put under the grass.

anno1

 

[Alethea]

Our skirt goes out a foot. We then staked it down and covered it with gravel. Bok.

 

[Fldeb]

I put our skirt out two feet and used landscape staples to hold it down. The grass has grown thru the hardware cloth and you can't even tell it is there. Deb

 

[maizy'smom]

Because our coop is built under the holly tree, we too had issues with digging. So we ended up building ours with a solid floor.

mm

 

[3forfree]

I agree with FLDEB I had 2' chicken wire on the side of a dog run that I was using for pheasants, and ran about 12in out from the bottom and just let the grass grow through it.

 

[ll]

Ours is 2ft out - all the way around the shed/coop and the attached run.

 

[stubbornhill]

More like a mini skirt, not a knee length.

Sorry! I couldn't help it!