That's great, thanks for your comments.

Thanks for this comment. I liked the video but had the same question regarding whether I should use 1/2" hardware cloth (am definitely going to use that).

Would love to see a video of your "anti-rodent" extra skirt, please!

@@bettinahempel8904 me to

Thanks for your great idea for rodent-proofing! I've been having the same problem. Am I understanding you correctly? The end result is the 12" of dirt closest to the coop is covered with 2 layers of fencing, with 12" of 1/2" hardware cloth being beneath the 2"x3" fencing material, which extends out another foot past the hardware mesh, and is anchored down with the sod staples? Has this continued to keep out rodents and other critters? I hope I am understanding you correctly. Rodents have bitten the beaks off of 4 of my birds. Thank you for your time and your great idea!

Thank you for your comments. We try to make things easier for chicken people.

We are glad you find it helpful, that's why we do these videos.

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for your comments.

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

Our coops are build to last a lifetime and designed to make it easier for people who keep chickens, plus keep their birds healthy. Our customers think it's worth the price. For prices and options visit or website. carolinacoops.com/shop/ Thanks for watching.

Thanks Rob! That's exactly why we keep making our videos, so people can learn from us! Thanks for watching.

Thank you!

Thank you! and Thanks for watching!

Good question! I was wondering too🐤

Dick Tracy thank you!

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

Awesome! It's such an easy way to keep out digging predators!

Thank you so much!

Hardware cloth is so expensive. Do you use a 19 gauge or something higher? I'm looking for inexpensive hardware fencing.

thank you.

Patricia McDade great question. The answer is yes however I feel that the PVC coated fencing would last longer.

Thanks for the comments. We are more mindful of the volume in the past 2 years. We also are shooting this videos on location, many times after a long day of coop installations, and while it would be great to have a mic and a designated camera person, we don't usually have that luxury. But we do try to show people what we are doing. Thanks again. (hope some of our latest videos are better for you. )

Hey Bill, the audio sounds great to me. I think your aforementioned "old laptop" is more than likely the culprit. Perhaps headphones could help as well.

Carolina Coops Videos I could hear you fine:) from my iPhone. Lol. Never use laptops unless I have to for work. So thankful for all your amazing tips!!!!!

Colin Robinson lol same thought here!,

@@cbrr7615 Great info! Thanks

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

Rats are tough because as long as their head can squeeze through something, they can fit. The best thing to do about rats is to not give them any reason to want to be in your chicken coop. Don't throw in too many food scraps that the birds can't eat in a day. Try to find ways to keep their feed from spilling out as much as possible. You would need a very small opening to deter rats, half in hardware cloth could work. There are other things like aluminum sheet metal mesh that you can buy at hardware stores that have smaller openings that can last longer than your standard hardware cloth too. It doesn't matter if you bury it or do like we did in the video, rats can squeeze in tiny spaces. Good luck!

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos thanks!

Popcorn Winky I would never recommend running screen of any kind inside the run. I would recommend using at least a 16 ga PVC coated fencing for your apron. The PVC allows it to last a very long time.

thank you! Ok, I correct it when i build out my extension.

thank you.

This chicken coop is our most popular, the American Coop. You can find more info on this channel or by visiting our website. carolinacoops.com/shop/american-coop/

Hi, we don't recommend doing it inside the coop because the chickens need to dig and will want to dig. If they hit the wire, it will can potentially harm their feet, and would prohibit their digging. we hope that helps.

Only around the perimeter. We do not line the floor of the coop as it will not allow the chickens to scratch at the ground without getting hung up and potentially injured. Thanks for watching!

Sounds like you know what you're doing. We've had to do the same on the road when we could only get 4' welded wire fencing. 2 feet is all you need to keep out digging predators. Good luck.

If you lay it directly on the ground and maybe use sod stakes to hold it down instill vegetation starts to grow thru, you should have no issue mowing over top of it! We have many clients in the southern United States that use this method and we have yet to hear of any break ins! Thanks for watching and keep us posted!

FlowerGrower Smith to answer your question should it be pinned down I would say no it doesn’t have to be however we pin it down simple so it does not act as a possible trip hazard while gravity starts to do its job making the predator apron disappear. Thanks for watching.

The fencing is two feet wide. Thanks for watching

That would probably be fine.

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos thanks for the quick response

Correct. There is no need to bury the wire fencing. This also makes it last longer. It will disappear under the grass but a predator won't be able to dig around the coop. Thanks for watching.

Carolina Coops Videos do you have predators like mink of Fischer’s in your area? Couldn’t they fit through those openings and dig a hole under the coop? I live in Ontario Canada so just want to be sure the ladies are safe :)

@@jeffreywollenzien7874 Fishers are becoming more common, we haven't heard of problems with them getting under the predator apron. However, if you know they are in your area, you will probably want to bury some wire with smaller openings, like metal mesh that is durable and strong to deter them.

We have used hardware cloth around the base if snakes are a problem. However, never use hardware cloth or any wire under the entire run of the coop because chickens need to dig and can injure themselves if there is wire in the run.

You could try hog rings maybe. or build a wooden frame around the base of the kennel with wood and fasten it on to the frame with staples! Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!

Zip ties? That’s what I’m going to try to attach this apron to my dog kennel chicken run...

they have nesting boxes like the one that is visible at the beginning of the video.

this is my question as well.

I’ve seen someone say that, yes, you can mow over it and once grass grows through, you won’t even know it’s there

We use 19 gauge black PVC coated ½" hardware cloth on our coops.

1/2" (or smaller) hardwire cloth

Yes, that's exactly what we used, that fencing from Lowes!

I know this is a late comment but try to clean the coop as much as you can and collect the eggs everyday it might look less attrative to rats if you do that.

You could put hot wire wherever you think the rats are coming it at. Also make sure you have small chicken wire

If you are worried about predators, I would. IF your coop is up against the fence, you can maybe fasten the apron on the other side of the fence to protect the coop! Hope this helps! Thank you for watching!

We go all over the country, into Canada and soon internationally installing our coops! Thanks for watching!

Rachel Kruse well when it comes to protecting chickens overnight on the walls of the run it’s not just about what gauge you use or size. One of the biggest mistakes I see DIYers do is not properly fasten whatever it is you are using for screen. So with that said here is what I recommend and some tips and food for thought. First a go to common size screen for chicken runs is 1/2” x 1/2” hardware cloth. But it doesn’t stop there. I also recommend using black PVC coated hardware cloth. One because it looks good and is see through but also the PVC coating helps prevent the wire core from rusting. Second thing is making sure you are using the right fasteners. A regular staple gun is not going to cut it. I recommend using a 18 gauge staple shot in pneumatically. You can always go with a large staple but another very important thing to consider is what kind of staple or nail are you using to attach the screen. Regular zinc nails and staples just won’t cut it because they will rust very quickly and become weak. Especially if you are going into pressure treated lumber. We use all stainless steel staples because they will outlast any other type of fastener in the market. I hope this helps and I tried to keep it short. Good luck and thank you for watching our video.

Carolina Coops Videos thAt is super helpful . I have a converted dog run covered with 2 by 4 coated green wire fencing covered by 1/2 inch 16 gauge hardware cloth/wire....I use zip ties every 5 inches at every border and overlap any edges along with a foot and a half skirt. . The part I needed help with was raccoon finger proof sizing for the overlay panels of hardware cloth...then cover part with tarp.

PonyBoy Kurtis I was just trying to figure out if I could put a skirt on a tractor too.

They have a video (im not sure when it’s from) and it is a chicken tractor they made for someone with a special predator apron on it

No, we have never than that happen. None of our customers have had a predator get in their coops.

That grass will only last 2 to 3 days tops with my girls.

What kind of environment do you put in for your chickens?

DaBossk with hot dipped galvanized fencing staples. Most hardware stores sell them. Will take longer but will definitely do the job of hammered in correctly. Thanks for watching.

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos ty just got 5 baby chicks today it's supposed to dip down to 31 degrees fatenheight tonight.... I'm kinda worried they're gonna freeze to death. They got plenty of pine chips 😬😬

DaBossk when you say “baby” how hold actually?

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos shoot I dunno. Labeled chicks at my local tractor supply store 🤔

DaBossk well if they don’t have their adult feathers they will definitely need a heat source.