trench vs. apron

[Dogfish]

Easy isn't always better. Dig the trench. Grab a pick and a trenching shovel, and you'll be done in an hour and it will be done correctly.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

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ETA--my problem hasn't been the digging under but the going over a 6ft fence. Coyotes, raccoon, possums would all rather climb over than try to dig under

 

[homeschoolmama]

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Wow! An hour-in my dreams. It took m ea couple of days to dig a trench for our run in our yard and that was using a rototiller to help break up the dirt -when I expand I'll do an apron.

 

[Humhill]

We're going to do an apron. One reason is because our coop and run has several trees around and digging under would be a nightmare. We can take the box blade on the tractor and scrape off a few inches, put our wire down and push it back over. If it ends up not working, we'll figure out something else.

 

[patandchickens]

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Yeah, but HARDER isn't always better EITHER

Seriously, except for the rat issue (and honestly, if you have a rat problem, it is incredibly difficult to keep them out), a properly-done apron REALLY DOES perform just as well as trenched-in fencing.

Thus, it is hard for me to see a lot of point in trenching.

(e.t.a. - btw, if you can dig a 2' deep trench along a good-sized in an hour with just a pick and shovel, come up here, boy do I have some ditch-digging work for you! LOL)


Pat, who has dug a lot of ditches and trenches over the years and would not expect to produce more than 15' or so of 2' deep trench in an hour, and that would be under very favorable conditions as opposed to realistic ones <g>

 

[RocketDad]

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Maybe in your soil, but certainly not in mine! I have heavy clay/silt that takes hours of backbreaking work to do anything with.

Here's a bit of animal psychology. Most animals that dig will dig relentlessly if they think they're getting anywhere. I watched a ferret dig through carpet, then padding, and then hit 100 year old oak flooring. Kept going on that oak every day, knowing that eventually he'd make it under the door. Scratched the finish up and started to groove in the grain, but after a year he'd made less than 1/8" of progress.

Thus, a trenched-in fence will just result in deeper holes. Digging the trench will loosen the soil, and unless you compact it again or backfill with rocks, it makes for easier digging along your fenceline.

Yet, as others have mentioned, few animals have the sense to simply back up and find the edge of the apron. Most animals will try to get CLOSER to the goal and commit their effort, not farther.

 

[thespinningcottage]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how much the chickens HELP the predators by digging along the run from the inside! My chickens have dug down 8 or 9" in a single afternoon before, because our soil is so soft. We're constantly having to backfill their holes. All a predator would have to do is dig down and half their work would be done on the other side! So, we're looking for the time to build an apron.

 

[Dogfish]

The trench doesn't have to be wide. Mine was maybe 6" wide and 12" deep. Using a pick and mattock, it didn't take long. I filled mine in with crushed black rock, which compacts like concrete.

 

[patandchickens]

12" deep is rather dangerous. It will work "most of the time" but if you get a dog or coyote or fox that actually WANTS to get in, it'll easily dig under that.

2' deep is a lot safer, the only things that'll go through that are the few "professional" type digging predators; some areas have 'em (meaning, individual animals that have learned to repeatedly prey on chicken coops) but most don't.

Just sayin',

Pat

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

The trench doesn't have to be wide. Mine was maybe 6" wide and 12" deep

I've watched my Maremmas dig down 12 inches in under 20 seconds.

With a flat layer of wire just below the surface, they can't dig at all.

That's a 100 lb dog in the hole. Her front feet are in at least 16 inches​