moving- need help making new area predator proof!

[koakritters]

I am moving in about 2 weeks to a new house with a huge backyard, yay! There's an area about 10x10 that is perfect for my girls, nice deep dirt and it's shady and protected on 3 sides by fences and a shed. The only problem is that there are a lot of stray cats in the neighborhood which we don't have where I am now. (And who knows if there's raccoons or anything). Eventually I want to build the whole area into a giant coop but for now I was just going to bring the two pens I have and keep them as they have been. I'm worried about something being able to dig under the sides to get to them, or them digging out since the dirt is so soft.
What can I do to prevent the digging? And then what's your best cat/raccoon proof ideas for when I get around to building the whole area into a run for them? Thanks!

 

[ChickenSaloon]

I would first check to make sure there aren't any good hiding places for predators to hide, that are near your chicken coop. Maybe bushes, and things like that.

As for making sure predators don't dig underneath your coop, you could dig a trench all the way around the coop yourself, and then lay chicken wire in it, and then cover it back up. The predators that made an attempt to dig would have their plans thwarted by your defenses! Instead of chicken wire you could also use cinder block, or something like that.

Another option would be an electric string wire that could go around the outside of your coop. That wouldn't help against the digging, but it is another layer of defense if you found you really needed it.

 

[aart]

Mesh Apron 18-24" out from bottom of coop/run wall.
Can be buried a few inches or staked down for grass to grow up thru:

Could work on the inside too....or just lay some bricks or pavers on the inside.

Good Luck!