How to bury hardware cloth for under coop and runs.

[Blooie]

Yep, we mow over ours regularly. It's an apron, out about 18"-2' and it's worked amazingly well. We even have proof! Our dog tried to dig under and broke and bloodied a toenail...she never did it again. In fact, she blamed those pesky chickens and never bothered them again, either!

 

[Calichicken2015]

Where I lived before, our main problems were the rats that lived in a neighbor's ivy. Had to have every possible opening covered with hardware cloth.

Where I live now, the main problem is coyotes, so we have a welded wire apron covered with plants, rocks and dirt.

Never had a problem so far. I believe in making your coop and run as secure as you can at the beginning..

Yep, we mow over ours regularly. It's an apron, out about 18"-2' and it's worked amazingly well. We even have proof! Our dog tried to dig under and broke and bloodied a toenail...she never did it again. In fact, she blamed those pesky chickens and never bothered them again, either!

So glad to have found this!!! We are planning our coop now and digging in our dirt any depth is pretty much impossible

So does the apron lay on top of the ground? or do you have to cover it with some dirt? If yes...how deep?

 

[Blooie]

We just laid it right on top, and then anchored it down with landscape fabric staples. Within just a couple of weeks, the grass grew right up through it and you can't even see it. That has one other advantage too. With the grass being the same height at the edge of the coop and run, there's no tall weeds or grasses for little critters to hide and sneak in!

 

[Pork Pie]

So glad to have found this!!! We are planning our coop now and digging in our dirt any depth is pretty much impossible

So does the apron lay on top of the ground? or do you have to cover it with some dirt? If yes...how deep?

Maybe laying paving slabs on top of it is an alternative (though not as aesthetically pleasing as Blooie's suggestion)

 

[Calichicken2015]

We just laid it right on top, and then anchored it down with landscape fabric staples. Within just a couple of weeks, the grass grew right up through it and you can't even see it. That has one other advantage too. With the grass being the same height at the edge of the coop and run, there's no tall weeds or grasses for little critters to hide and sneak in!

Maybe laying paving slabs on top of it is an alternative (though not as aesthetically pleasing as Blooie's suggestion)

Thanks! We have no grass here on the mountain except in the spring for a short time...so it is plain dirt most of the year. So anything I do will be on dirt

I WISH we could get a little grass!!! Also trying to find some alternatives to leaving the coop floor dirt, because we are wet and snowy a good portion of the year and it stays pretty muddy. I am planning on hatching Bantam Cochins....which have feathered feet so mud is not ideal!

 

[Pork Pie]

Thanks! We have no grass here on the mountain except in the spring for a short time...so it is plain dirt most of the year. So anything I do will be on dirt

I WISH we could get a little grass!!! Also trying to find some alternatives to leaving the coop floor dirt, because we are wet and snowy a good portion of the year and it stays pretty muddy. I am planning on hatching Bantam Cochins....which have feathered feet so mud is not ideal!

Maybe check out the links on this search - there may be something that will work for you - https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=floors+for+runs

 

[Calichicken2015]

Maybe check out the links on this search - there may be something that will work for you - https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=floors+for+runs

Thank you!!!! Will do! We are just starting our planning now...so doing LOTS of research before we begin!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you want something that would look nicer than hardware cloth on plain dirt, I've seen people put a little gravel over it to make something that looks like a narrow walking path. Not too much, but enough to hide the wire. Or maybe you could try planting something other than grass, like clover, which the chickens would enjoy picking at and might be a little hardier too.

 

[aart]

Quote: Paving slabs covering apron mesh can defeat the purpose of the apron......
.....animal will start digging at outer edge of paver and could well end up under the apron.

 

[Pork Pie]

Paving slabs covering apron mesh can defeat the purpose of the apron......
.....animal will start digging at outer edge of paver and could well end up under the apron.

Fair point, aart