# Hardware cloth under run?



## Greasyrick (9 mo ago)

Hi everyone, been Checking this forum for a couple days and decided to join after seeing how much combined experience is around here.
We are new to chicken, we are about to build a chicken coop and run, (don’t have chicken yet), and the Thing I’m confused about is, should I put hardware cloth about a foot under the whole run? Or will it be enough with laying 2 feet outside around the whole run?
We live in Plant City, Fl. Not a lot of predators, other than raccoons and possum.
Any advice will be appreciated.

Rick.


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## imnukensc (Dec 5, 2020)

Luckily, I'm on hard, red clay and have no digging predators to worry about, but if I did, I'd put it 2 feet, outside, around. My chickens often dust bathe right next to the edge of the run and HWC would be hard on their feet.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

You can always trench it in around the perimeter.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Did anyone notice the one part. Putting together the coop and run *before* the peeps arrive. Good planning. 

Is your run going to have hardware cloth at least running around the bottom of the run? Raccoons can break poultry netting. I have first hand experience with that one. 

With your sandy soil you could even put the perimeter guard underground so you can mow or weedeat without the wire getting in the way.


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## imnukensc (Dec 5, 2020)

I suppose I should've expanded a little on how I would lay it outside the run. I would put it down flat and anchor it with landscape staples. The grass will grow up through it (assuming you have grass) and you'll never know it's there. Can run your lawnmower right over or use a weed eater with no damage to lawnmower or weed eater. Lots less work than digging a trench, burying it, and refilling trench.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Ken, this dirt is so easy digging. I buried the wire for the Guinea pen about a foot down. It took no time to dig and little effort. Of course that's assuming @Greasyrick has the same type of soil I do.

I'm actually not sure why I did that since I have hotwire around the perimeter.


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## Lillith (10 mo ago)

Burying hardware cloth in an "apron" about a foot down around the run will deter digging predators. Make sure to attached the hardware cloth the bottom of your fence to ensure predators can't just push between the bottom of the fence and apron.

As Robin said, make sure to use hardware cloth...chicken wire is easily torn by predators. If you have weasels or mink, make sure the squares are no more than 1/2 inch wide, as they can squeeze through anything larger. Predators like raccoons can also reach through larger squares and tend to grab chickens who wander too close and do things like tear their heads or legs off.


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## Greasyrick (9 mo ago)

Thanks for all the replies, I’m planning to use only 1/2 inch hardware cloth, (no chicken wire at all). 
I’ll just lay an apron around the whole run and coop, securely stapled to the bottom frame extending 2 feet out, and will not lay anything under the inside of the run.

Any suggestions for the bedding? I see sooooooooo many ideas out there, that it’s hard to decide what is the best stuff that will keep them happy and healthy.


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## imnukensc (Dec 5, 2020)

Bedding in the coop, I use pine shavings. Nothing in the run except in the fall when I put leaves, pine straw, twigs.....whatever I rake up out of the yard. Lots of trees here.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Shavings are hands down the best bedding. It's more absorbent and keeps the birds' feet clean. 

Yes, leaves! Birds love leaves to dig through. It's a field day when they get a new pile of leaves.


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## Lillith (10 mo ago)

I, too, use pine shavings because they're readily available and cheap. 

I've also heard of people using medium to course grain sand in the coop as bedding because it's easier to clean (like kitty litter, basically), inorganic (gross things are far less likely to grow in it), but it's heavy and more expensive initially, but you can "wash" it and reuse it. But, you can't compost it, you can't do the deep litter method in winter to keep the coop warmer, and if the sand gets wet at all and freezes it can become as hard as concrete. So, probably better for warmer climates.


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