Predator and sand question

[LeslieSB]

Would it be too difficult to clean sand under an enclosed coop? Finishing my run and want to give the chicks extra space.

Predator apron or bury hardware cloth inside run? Squirrels, moles, gophers, raccoons in the area. Thanks!

 

[ColoradoPip]

Would it be too difficult to clean sand under an enclosed coop? Finishing my run and want to give the chicks extra space.

No. Use a rake to pull anything out to where you can reach it. What will be a pain is if you need to get under there for anything, like an egg or something the rake can't easily grab.

Predator apron or bury hardware cloth inside run? Squirrels, moles, gophers, raccoons in the area. Thanks!

I think most people use an apron. I had a small coop with enclosed run for years and did hardware cloth across the bottom then filled it with sand. So you could go either route. However, your run looks big enough I would go with the apron (or cleaner...dig a trench and bury the hardware cloth vertically)

 

[ChickenMathLady]

@ColoradoPip were they okay with the cloth in the bottom of the run? Did they did through the sand down to it? Debating between that or doing a vertical trench for mine.

 

[Alaskan]

@ColoradoPip were they okay with the cloth in the bottom of the run? Did they did through the sand down to it? Debating between that or doing a vertical trench for mine.

I have a dirt run, so harder to dig than sand... and over the years my girls have dug over 1 foot down in spots....

 

[Pat B]

We used hardware cloth when we built our coop and run. The hardware cloth was extended out two feet all around the structure. Sand then went down both in the run and coop.

 

[getaclue]

I put my pen skirt on the outside of my coop, about 2.5 - 3 feet out, and it's stapled to the coop.