How to secure

[Littlebitshadow]

Hi friends. I have the over ez walk in coop and 8x8 run. I also have the run chicken automatic door going into the run. I cannot get the run flush up against the coop, so there’s a gap between the coop, run, and door area. What’s the best way to seal or secure it? Also there’s a few pics of the spaces between the door of the run. I will have garden boxes secured to the outside of the run with hardware cloth underneath it and attached the the coop, I have big ground anchor screws, a tarp for the top (for now), and security cameras. I do plan on reinforcing the hardware cloth on the run itself with a washer and bolts.

Also, should I lay hardware cloth on the whole inside of the run? Let them chew down the grass and eventually put sand or pellets in??

Are the 2 vents at the top of the coop good enough? I will also cover the windows with hardware cloth too. For reference I live in upstate NY

 

[nuthatched]

Sandwich A Furring strip over the wire ends. I would just put an apron on the bottom and not on the floor.
Are you comfortable cutting the peak out of your coop for a vent?

 

[rosemarythyme]

An apron like this https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481100 would be better than putting HWC on the floor of the run, as chickens like to dig.

I agree that larger vents up high would be better, the 2 round ones add very little in sq footage of ventilation.

 

[amarsano]

I use hardware cloth underneath my runs (in nh) because of predators (raccoons, fishers, bear, etc.) and rats. I dig down a bit an add sandy dirt on top, then bedding. This way they can still dust bathe, but are secured at night. I also only use my “covered runs” at night or for a short time while the chicks are growing/integrating into the main flock. I use the producers pride poultry runs and add the hardware cloth. I would say that adding the tarp to the flat top can cause problems in the winter due to snow load, so make sure you clear the snow or add a gable top.