Wire around the coop bottom?? What is best??

[mmtillman]

Am wanting to put ( bury )wire around the bottom of our coop. Because, from past experience, we have had critters living under our back deck off the house, after we built it and under the tool shed we made years ago...

I read alot of post on here warning that chicken wire will keep chickens in, but will NOT keep predators out...So my question is :

Can I trust standard chicken wire to keep burrowing animals out from under our coop? It is about 7-8 inches off the ground, as our coop is built on skids. I dont think the chickens would even be able to slip underneath that space...but I still dont want to find a family of possoums or Heaven Forbid!! another coon or fox!!!!! living under the coop. So hardware cloth? Chicken wire? , or what about cedar fence boards? There is just enough room for fence boards if I use stakes to secure them? Or should I just bury wire in case something digs under?? Just wondered what the best plan is?
BTW Our run is fenced in hog wire , cattle panels, and that other 1x1 inch wire Thanks !

 

[tim_TX]

Certainly chicken wire is out, and unless its really heavy duty and galvanized so is hardware cloth since you will have ground contact. Personally, I think I would consider burying no climb wire with as small a mesh as possible {1byX or so}. You could also brick in the bottom using mortar and stones, bricks , or whatever on top of the wire and extend the wire out a few feet to discourage digging. 7 inches is an eternity for all of the critters you mentioned.

 

[nzpouter]

old roofing iron's best.

 

[mmtillman]

What are old roofing irons?

Never heard of that before

Thanks for writing!!

 

[nzpouter]

don't know what you call them in the states... but here we have corrugated iron about 2ft wide comes in all sorts of length for roofing.. we use the 2nd hand ones to bury in the ground to stop digging predators.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/14622598_38b37c1cd0.jpg

 

[HappyHatch'en]

I call that rusty old chicken roofing.....tin.........great stuf for garage ceilings, interior wall....if it isn't rusty enough pour a mixture of meratic
acid and water...rinse off with water....
HappyHatch'en