The above-ground apron

[Ccort]

I am PUMPED. The coop and run are done except a couple of smaller bits.
Regarding the apron...mine is above the ground and goes out two feet.

There are currently garden stakes holding the apron down. Are metal garden stakes sufficient?

The apron stops at each corner so the ground corners do not have the hardwrae cloth apron.
Is it needed in the corners? If so, can I just put a couple of bricks there instead of buying more hardware cloth?

Lastly, I amthinking of covering the apron with a light layer of mulch. Is there any harm in that?

Thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

The apron stops at each corner so the ground corners do not have the hardwrae cloth apron.
Is it needed in the corners? If so, can I just put a couple of bricks there instead of buying more hardware cloth?

I personally put wire around the corners too.

*Maybe* a digger would hit the corner post and stop. But I wasn't going to bet that a weasel or other predator wouldn't just slide around the post and go under the edge of the wire straight into the coop.

Lastly, I amthinking of covering the apron with a light layer of mulch. Is there any harm in that?

It's a great way to cover the wire and keep the area around the coop looking good.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is it needed in the corners? If so, can I just put a couple of bricks there instead of buying more hardware cloth?

I would cover the corners. When I installed my apron I cut in an extra overhang so when installed one piece would stick out over the each corner, but if you're already fully done with install I would just cut a piece a few squares bigger than the corner, but with an extra lip sticking up so you can secure it to the run wall (either screw & washer fender or sandwich with trim wood to secure it to a wood frame wall -or- hog ring or sew with durable wire to secure to a wire mesh wall) and landscape pin down on the dirt.

My only noticeable attempted breech was in a corner, a raccoon tried to peel away the hardware cloth at the corner post and left a few tufts of fur behind.

 

[Ccort]

I would cover the corners. When I installed my apron I cut in an extra overhang so when installed one piece would stick out over the each corner, but if you're already fully done with install I would just cut a piece a few squares bigger than the corner, but with an extra lip sticking up so you can secure it to the run wall (either screw & washer fender or sandwich with trim wood to secure it to a wood frame wall -or- hog ring or sew with durable wire to secure to a wire mesh wall) and landscape pin down on the dirt.

My only noticeable attempted breech was in a corner, a raccoon tried to peel away the hardware cloth at the corner post and left a few tufts of fur behind.

Thank you. I'm going to work on this today. This feels like the project that never ends.

 

[Ccort]

Ok. New problem. The garden stakes that are holding down my hardwrae cloth are already coming up. So I am needing something to securely keep the hardwrae cloth apron down on the ground. I am thinking the easiest thing to do at this point is to lay 12 in by 12 in patio stones every foot or two, all the way around on the apron. Thoughts?

 

[3KillerBs]

Ok. New problem. The garden stakes that are holding down my hardwrae cloth are already coming up. So I am needing something to securely keep the hardwrae cloth apron down on the ground. I am thinking the easiest thing to do at this point is to lay 12 in by 12 in patio stones every foot or two, all the way around on the apron. Thoughts?

I had to drive my landscape staples in firmly with a hammer and occasionally tap a few down when they worked up as the ground settled and we walked on them.

Getting the mulch on and having grass grow up through helped.

If you cover the apron you reduce it's effectiveness because digging predators will dig at the edge of the barrier they can see.

The reason the wire works is that they dig at the edge of the visible barrier -- the coop wall -- and don't understand why they can't get through the wire.

If you put pavers on it they'll start at the edge of the pavers and if the pavers are at the edge of the wire they'll go right under the wire.

 

[Ccort]

I had to drive my landscape staples in firmly with a hammer and occasionally tap a few down when they worked up as the ground settled and we walked on them.

Getting the mulch on and having grass grow up through helped.

If you cover the apron you reduce it's effectiveness because digging predators will dig at the edge of the barrier they can see.

The reason the wire works is that they dig at the edge of the visible barrier -- the coop wall -- and don't understand why they can't get through the wire.

If you put pavers on it they'll start at the edge of the pavers and if the pavers are at the edge of the wire they'll go right under the wire.

I put down weed barrier cloth u der the hardwrae cloth apron...so that weeds/grass wouldn't grow through. Should I take that out ?

The patio stones are 12 inch by 12 inch and my apron is 2 feet out. If I put the patio stone right against the wall...there would be about a foot of hardwrae cloth behind the patio stones. So would that make it predator proof since they stones wouldn't be right at the edge of the apron?

Lastly....if the garden stakes are as easy to remove and slip out....couldn't a raccoon just shove their body under the apron, pushing up the stakes?

 

[Ccort]

What about putting thick rebar stakes near the edge of the hardware cloth?

 

[3KillerBs]

I put down weed barrier cloth u der the hardwrae cloth apron...so that weeds/grass wouldn't grow through. Should I take that out ?

The patio stones are 12 inch by 12 inch and my apron is 2 feet out. If I put the patio stone right against the wall...there would be about a foot of hardwrae cloth behind the patio stones. So would that make it predator proof since they stones wouldn't be right at the edge of the apron?

From what I've read here it's about 50-50 between the people who put mulch on the wire and people who let grass grow up through it.

If you cover a foot of the wire and leave a foot then you've reduced the effective area of your wire skirt to only a foot wide.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Are your stakes coming out because your ground is too soft? We cut up some wire hangers and made a few extra long stakes to hold our apron down. We also let the grass grow through the apron so it is held down firmly now.