Question about sinking posts + buried wire.

[Bear Foot Farm]

I've done aprons: I hate them. They're always in the way and being tripped over, run over with the mower, etc

Cover it with a few inches of dirt and let grass grow up through it​

 

[Ridgerunner]

I used the apron instead of digging down in this rocky soil, but for setting the posts, I have an iron bar about five feet long specially made to tamp down rock around the post. It would work with gravel too. Put the post in the hole, put rock or gravel around the post in the bottom of the hole a few inches thick. Tamp that down tight. You might need to add a little more rock and gravel and repeat the tamping. The post can still wiggle some. Not to worry, You are trying to lock the bottom of the post in place. Once you have it tamped, fill the hole practically to the top with dirt. You can use rock or gravel if you want, but dirt will do. Tamp the dirt a bit to get it to settle. Then put rock or gravel around the top of the post at ground level and tamp it tight. If you fix the top and bottom of the post right, it will not move.

The concrete is probably more expensive but it is easier to do and will probably be more stable than what I described above, at least until you learn how to tamp it down. Like everything else, experience helps. The post will most likely rot off at ground level either method, not further down. If you mound the concrete up a bit above ground level, it will help keep water out of the hole and away from the post. As far as keeping the post upright while you concrete it, you can brace the post with a couple of 2x4's while the concrete is setting up.

T-posts or wood will work OK for intermediate posts, but gate posts and corner posts need to be wood. They need to be braced too. For the corner posts you need a diagonal brace running from the top of the corner post down to the ground. This will work for the gate post the gate is not hung on too. For the post the gate is hung on, I'd suggest a horizontal at the top of the gate post running to the next post. That next post then needs a diagonal from the top down to the bottom of the gate post. This should keep the weight of the gate from pulling over the post over time.

It's yours and you can do it any way you want. What I'd suggest is to bury the apron wire two or three inches deep horizontally around it. Use your cedar posts but set them in concrete. Make it higher than the 6 feet you are talking about since it sounds like you are going to cover it. I don't care if you are only 5'-6", you'll still find a way to bump your head if you only make it 6'. Trust me, I know!!! Whether you put a solid cover on it or just wire, make the top sloped in case you decide to put a solid cover on it later.

And post pictures, during and after. Good luck!!!

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

When installing fence posts in/right beside a trench remember that the bottom of the trench now becomes calculated above the ground due to the little or no support of earth no matter how good you pack/tamp it(rain does amazing things). In other words you technically will have 7'6" of post that you need to support which means you will need longer posts. You will need a minimum of 1/3rd of the post in the ground starting at the bottom of the trench. (If your ground is having problems holding properly installed T-posts you may have to go more.)Also keep in mind that if you are using gravel to back-fill and set the posts you will need the post holes at minimum of 21/2 times the diameter of the post(min). This is for a freestanding fence. You mention that this is for a covered run. Are the posts going to be tied together at the top in any way? If so you may be able to get by with a little less support from the ground depending on how you do it.

 

[Uzuri]

OK, now we're cooking with gas -- thanks for all the details

I hadn't decided on whether I'd tie the posts together at the top, but I have to admit that it seems like the smart things to do for many reasons (stability, ease of attaching fencing, etc). For the size I'm thinking it's probably not going to add much to the overall cost either; maybe 8 10' 2 x 4s; they could be painted untreated pine and thus a little cheaper than the stuff touching the ground, too.

 

[LynneP]

I think you'll be happier keeping the posts out of the ground, perhaps on concrete and U-shaped steel inserts.

Here's how we did what I think you mean-

see the run link below, lots of pics...

 

[Uzuri]

Do you have that up on piers? I can't quite tell from the photos.

 

[captainmoose]

I used a post hole digger and dug the holes 2ft. deep ( I used 8ft. posts ). I set all the posts and packed dirt around them making sure the posts were straight. Then I attached a 2x4 at the inside top edge, with screws connecting the posts together, this will keep the posts straight and keep them from falling over. I attached the wire to the outside of the posts, then moved the 2x4s from the inside to the outside top edge and secured the wire to the 2x4. Then I dug the trench around the outside perimeter and attached the wire to bury to the posts overlapping the wire I installed first. I put a 1x6 along the lower edge where the two wires overlapped and secured the wire to the 1x6 from the inside, then lay the wire in the trench and backfill. I used 1/2in hardware cloth.

 

[wildorchid053]

we set all our posts with help from son.. son held it and husband poured quick crete mix around it dry.. squirted it down and it will draw moisture from the earth and turn into concrete.. they don't budge at all.. then we ran boards from post to post to put the hardware cloth onto..

we also ran wire over the top to protect from predators.. when i am home they freerange but only when i am outside too..

 

[gsim]

Quote:
TA DA!
I have set 6" creosote posts, and would recommend them if you can track down some salvaged power or telephone poles. I dug the hole and put a shovel full of cement in. Then I set the posts in and put some more cement in and then rolled the pole about a bit to help settle the cement. Then I topped off the cement about 2" above grade and sloping downwards all around to drain water away from the pole. Poles will be wet whether in cement or gravel. I just used a level and set them, reading all around since it was a slightly tapered pole as they often are. Then in 15 min I came back and looked at them again while the next one was sitting a while, and corrected if needed. You can also nail 2x2 or 2x4 or 1x4 boards on three sides to retain a plumb setting. T posts can be put every 10 ft. I did fencing of 6 ft ht, 2x4 welded wire. I would put 2 ft tall run of hardware cloth inside of that to prevent coons snatching body parts off of the chooks. They are really good at that and will eat a chook a piece at a time. My holes were 18" deep using a post hole digger. A shovel will make too big of a hole to fill economically. I used #10 (coarse) sand and portland cement and mixed on site, using my ancient sears 1970 electric mixer. I did 5:1.

Regards the wire, I would rototill the perimeter and rake out 2" or so of the grass, weeds, roots, dirt. After the fencing is stretched into place and attached, then lay down the skirt and attach it to the bottom of the fence with hog rings or galvanized tie wire on 12" centers. Then put rocks, bricks, pieces of firewood, etc on edges of skirting and backfill, removing your weights last. Then throw some grass seed down on top of that and forget it. No dig-ins ever. On mine, I did a 5" x 5" trench so that the concrete was mostly outside of the fencing and set the fencing so that it was maybe an inch down in the little trench. My soil is really firm and not sandy, so I have had no dig-ins. If they try, they will go to where the fencing hits the cement and there is 4" of more cement outside of that, so they will not even try to dig in. Of course, I did a fence charger with 4 courses of hot wire, AND I do a coop lockdown every evening. No losses yet. No attempted dig ins either.

 

[Uzuri]

More good stuff everybody. Thanks, I'm starting to get and idea of how this can be done.