How much ground to cover with mesh?

[lesley7244]

I have an antique dog run that will be converted to a chicken yard. It is currently fenced with hog wire. I bough hardware cloth to improve security. How do I need to design the floor to keep out critters, yet allow access for the birds to scratch? The yard is 10 x 17. Do I put the hardware cloth on the ground outside or inside the yard? Can I lay it on the ground, then add dirt on top or do I have to dig down?

 

[debid]

I attached fencing to the base of a dog run -- essentially sewed it on with a roll of galvanized wire. I extended it out 2' (because I cut 4' wide fencing in half, not because 2' is required) and it's on the outside only. I buried it a little where I could, put big rocks over it where I couldn't. End result, that apron isn't going anywhere. So far, the chickens have done more digging than anything else but that's just as big a problem -- a hole under the fence goes both directions.

 

[lesley7244]

I attached fencing to the base of a dog run -- essentially sewed it on with a roll of galvanized wire. I extended it out 2' (because I cut 4' wide fencing in half, not because 2' is required) and it's on the outside only. I buried it a little where I could, put big rocks over it where I couldn't. End result, that apron isn't going anywhere. So far, the chickens have done more digging than anything else but that's just as big a problem -- a hole under the fence goes both directions.

Okay, that's good to know. The dog run has a huge tree in the middle of it and is flanked on the east and north edges by a row of pecan trees. So digging down to bury the hardware cloth is not going to happen without killing some trees.

I guess I wonder how far a digging animal will tunnel to get into the pen.

 

[akovia]

Blessed with easy to dig soil, I dug a 12" trench around my run and buried 1/2" hardware cloth. Makes it easier to garden or mow right up to the run. If you have excess space, laying the hardware cloth on the ground is fine, I think. That seems to work for a lot of folks. Two feet out is generally considered a deterrent to most digging predators. If you were able to cover it with a couple inches of soil you could have grass to keep things tidy. Good luck!

 

[lesley7244]

Okay, I have discovered mole or vole tunnels in my yard not too far from where my planned chicken pen is. Ugh! Will this be a problem now? They clearly can tunnel FOREVER! I can put hardware cloth on the bottom of the yard, but then the chickens can't really scratch.

 

[debid]

Moles and voles eat insect larvae and vegetation, respectively. I wouldn't worry about them. I've never had one surface inside the coop and I'm pretty sure that if one did, they'd be sorry for that decision. What I'm trying to keep out are the foxes, unleashed neighbor dogs, raccoons, skunks... that sort of thing.