What to put under our coop?

[sdsharko]

Ok we are newbies and just built our first coop in the middle of San Diego. We can only have 3 hens max in the coop that we built and wanted advice on what we should use on the floor for protection from predators and the hens well being? Does it have to be solid (brick) or is it ok on the dirt? Any advice would be very helpful.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Dirt is okay but you'll want to trench some hardware cloth to keep digging predators out. Hmm, San Diego? So, I would guess raccoons and coyotes are bother possible problems. Coyotes dig but you can do a skirt and some trenching. I'm also in Cali

 

[sdsharko]

raccoons, possums, coyotes, fox would be the primary predators. This is our families first time with chickens and want to do it the right way from the get go.

 

[dasmiths0323]

We have most of those pred. and then some out here in Washington.... What my husband built me was a solid foundation for the coop and lifted it off the ground! I just opened a thread talking saying we were new at this asking questions if you want to see the pictures of our coop!
GL

 

[dbounds10]

My coop is lifted off the ground and we have an apron of harware cloth buried all the way around the run. Also we have hardware cloth zip tied 3 ft up the chainlink walls. So far so good, nothing has gotten in. We also covered the entire top with hardware cloth to keep the hawks out, then because of the heat we covered the hardware cloth with shade cloth.