I'm in the process a building a new much bigger coop. I also need a new much bigger run. I'm trying to find a way to mesh my low-level carpentry skills with functionality and money. What I thought of doing was a run utilizing a hoop coop methodology and wrapping the bottom 48 inches in hardware cloth. My biggest neighborhood predator - loose dogs, hawks, owls, and although I have never seen them in my yard or neighborhood there are raccoons, skunks, and possums in the area. The only cat in the neighborhood is mine and he sleeps in the coop now. If I build a hoop coop type run - am I just giving my local predators a ladder to squeeze through the bigger channels at the top of a cattle panel? Or if my birds are locked up at night should this work?
