What can I put at the bottom of my run?

I like it all, as for the run I may use grass and as it is dug down move the run until it replenishes. BTW Jackie and Lisa are sweet.

 

If you sheet the bottom, they won't be as free to dust bathe. I used broken glass filled trenches around the perimeter of the run, along with a heavy piece of angleiron buried just below the surface. After the trenches are filled in they get cement block walkway over the top. Anything that manages to dig through that will be in no condition to hurt chickens. For greenery I throw wild bird seed on the ground in the run,water, and throw a tarp over it. After a couple days pull the tarp off and your birds get fresh sprouts.

 

Use at least six inches of sand (very course sand) for your run's floor. You'll be glad you did.

EDIT: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=9574

 

I use an electric fence. Back up to that is 1 inch chicken wire 2 feet tall, lap it up the side aqbout 6 inches, leaving about 18 in. on the ground. You don`t even have to bury it, jut pin it down. Connect it to the run fence with shoat rings. The predators want to dig right at the base of the fence and won`t back off far enough to dig under. The advantage to this is it doesn`t take an act of congress to move it. Truth is, I haven`t had anything get past the electric fence to even try digging in. This same method on the inside of a fence will keep digging dogs inside the fence. That one I have tested.

 

When I built my guineas' pen, we put 4' chain link flat on the ground, 2 ft. inside the fence, 2' outside, and tacked it to the poles on the ends to hold it in place, then lapped the vertical fence to it with wire ties every so often to make it even harder to get through. I also had read that foxes, coons, dogs, etc won't back up enough to get under it. The ends got tent spikes to hold them down, and the grass will grow right through it, making it invisible. HTH, Janet

 

I dunno, meaning no offense to the owner of the pictured coop (which otherwise I like), I don't know as it is real pointful to bury galvanized sheets 6" into the ground. First, they will start to rust (yes, galvanized stuff DOES rust, as soon as the coating is scratched, which is approx. immediately when buried in the ground) and you won't be able to tell what kind of shape they're in. Second, 6" isn't going to deter much of anything; even a raccoon would dig under that, and dogs/coyotes/foxes will sometimes go down 18" or more. And finally, it will mess up drainage of water out of your run (making it an extra mudpit) unless your soil is SUPER sandy, in which case 6" burial is DEFINITELY not remotely enough to keep predators out.

I am not really a buried wire kind of person, although you can do it. The problem is that it WILL rust, and you'll have no way of telling when it becomes weak, and it is one heck of a lot of work.

I am more a fan of an apron of heavy gauge wire running on top of (or just beneath) the ground, out for 2-4' from the base of the fence. This will stop nearly everything (not rats, but NOTHING stops rats ) Even something like great big square pavers, or heavy concrete rubble, will give you a similar effect. It is much easier to construct, and you can monitor its condition and replace fairly easily if necessary.

JMO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

Patandchickens,
Your suggestion is exactly what I do for my garden.
The groundhogs learned how to tunnel under, but then, they were made to tunnel!
I use 24" chicken wire and wire about one foot onto the bottom of my fence and let the other foot lay along the ground. I anchor it down with landscape fabric pins. You could just bend wire or metal hangers to make the pins.
Grass grows up and hides the mesh and we can even mow over it.