Run Materials Question

[aart]

Normally I agree with you but I have 1/4 in HC buried and have no problem with its longevity. One part of my run we recently decided to expand and pulled up the type you described and found rat holes everywhere in the ground. 3 ran across my wife's feet and well i think she peed a little.

How long has your 1/4" HC been buried....and have you dug it up to check it?

If you have small rodent problems,
HC is definitely an obviously appropriate choice(maybe I should add this to my blurb).
I still stand by 14ga lasting longer and easier to lay flat.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm with Jolly here; rats have no problems with that 1" welded wire, and weasels may find it easy too.
Concrete footings are best, but the most expensive. If you have an existing concrete pad for the coop, wonderful!
Otherwise, hardware cloth is best, IMO.
Mary

 

[aart]

My run is 14ga 2x4 mesh, walls/roof/apron....
....coop is tight with 1/2" HC on all openings.
No rat or weasel problems here(knock wood).
Hawk, fox, coyote biggest threat here...and haven't seen any yet this year
But I am also home, within sight of coop and run, 90% of the time,
might feel different if I had rodent sign or was gone most the day.

 

[Folly's place]

Last year rats finally mad it into my coop, over twenty years after it was set up!
I'm not sure if they waltzed in during the day and hid, or if they tunneled into a break in the concrete floor.
Pet rats are lovely, wild ones, not so much.
Mary