Run Floor For Deterring Tunneling Rodents

[myfavholliday]

We are newbie chicken owners that live in an urban area and are finishing up repairing, reinforcing, and painting a coop with attached run we bought off someone who had built it themselves. It’s quite sturdy and has a shingled roof over the whole thing (picture below in the previous owners yard before we picked it up). We have done a ton of research and have been working to make the structure impenetrable, Our chickens will live most of their lives in it and will only controlled free range in an open top pop-up dog pen when we can supervise. Before we get the coop/run out into the yard we are trying to decide what kind of predator proofing to do to the bottom of the entire structure (coop + run). We know there are raccoons, skunks, and rodents in our area, and have seen evidence of moles in our yard in years past which leads me to believe that we will have issues with predators tunneling, and not just digging. Options are:

1. Put hardware cloth across the entire floor of the run and bedding/wood chips to cover for scratching in
   • not my fav option because I worry about eventual rust, chickens snagging nails while scratching, and the pain it would be to replace
2. Hardware cloth apron, possibly with the structure set on top of a perimeter of cement pavers
   • seems to be most common but I’m worried about rodents still being able to tunneling in under the apron
3. Cement pavers over the entire ground with the coop and run on top
   • I worry about whether the wood chips/sand/whatever on top of the pavers will be sufficient for scratching around

In your experience, which of the above options will provide the best tunnelling deterrant while also balancing the happiness/well-being of your chickens?

Also, even with whatever above method we choose do you think it’s still necessary to put a closure on the chicken’s door to the coop from inside the run? The previous owner never had one.

THANKS!!

 

[mowin]

I would do a HC apron secured on the outside of the run extending at least 18".

The coop area(not the run) looks like it will be ok for 2-3 chickens. How many do you plan on having?

Hard to tell, but is there any ventilation in the coop? Very important, especially if in colder climate's.

 

[aart]

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @myfavholliday
Thanks for adding your location.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Cement base would be the most rodent proof, but I do an apron and it's been working fine for me, though I haven't had a mole try to tunnel in yet. If you can dig down to install the apron either straight down or at an outward angle, that might help with the diggers.

 

[gtaus]

My chicken run is just 2X4 welded wire, so most diggers could easily just squeeze through the wire. Mostly, the 2X4 wire confines my chickens to the run and provides them some protection if a neighborhood dog should pass by during the day. At night, I lock my chickens up in their Fort Knox coop. So far, that plan has worked for me as most of the predators I worry about come out after dark when my chickens are already locked up tight in their coop.

Whatever plan you come up with for increasing the security of your run, I would still suggest putting a pop door on the coop to lock your chickens up at night.

 

[myfavholliday]

I would do a HC apron secured on the outside of the run extending at least 18".

The coop area(not the run) looks like it will be ok for 2-3 chickens. How many do you plan on having?

Hard to tell, but is there any ventilation in the coop? Very important, especially if in colder climate's.

We have 4 chickens and are going to expand the coop space by removing the door and framing in the upper portion of that section. We are also planning to add an additional 4 feet of length onto the run. There is ventilation through the window on the existing door and I think we will make a similar window and door on the expanded coop section. I'm also drilling some holes on the back side eaves for air to circulate out. Do you think that will be enough?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Best place to put ventilation on a unit like that is in the wall that's facing into the run, as the roof provides a lot of protection from climate.

 

[myfavholliday]

Best place to put ventilation on a unit like that is in the wall that's facing into the run, as the roof provides a lot of protection from climate.

Thanks for the recommendation! Since we are adding to the coop footprint in that direction it will be an optimal time to make that change. I assume putting it high up - above chicken heads might be best. Do you recommend and actual vent, a window, or holes covered with hardware cloth?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would do either a large window type opening or even make that wall like half solid and the rest open mesh (really depends on how your winds/rains blow, so keep that in mind). This is in addition to the proposed vents you mentioned earlier.