Predator protection

[aart]

I'd really appreciate some suggestions.

My coop is pretty much completed. It's wrapped in1/2 hardware cloth and we have a covered run. The problem is that we live in very rocky soils and aren't able to dig down to put an apron of hardware cloth around it. I was thinking about pouring some concrete around it and pushing some paver rocks into it. Do you think that will be sufficient?

You can lay the apron right on top of the ground, pin it down with some landscape staples or a few pavers until the grass grows up thru it.

 

[Texgal57]

Thank you aart. We will try the landscape staples. How far out would you suggest?

 

[aart]

Thank you aart. We will try the landscape staples. How far out would you suggest?

18"...and you don't have to use 1/2" hardware cloth, larger mesh would probably be fine unless you have a rat problem.

 

[MeepBeep]

Coons can be bold, particularly if there are more than one.  I wouldn't count on your dog keeping them away totally.

Yep, the most recent coon to visit my yard would scope out the yard from a distance and observe where the dog was... If the dog was in the fenced yard he/she would just say outside the yard fence that day but had no qualms about walking on the other side of the fence, if the dog was in the kennel he/she would jump the yard fence and strut it's stuff in the back yard within a few feet of the dog in the kennel.. In both cases it didn't matter that the dog was only a few feet away, the coon knew the fence separated it from the dog...

 

[Texgal57]

Can coons work a slide bolt lock?