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Predator Apron and Skirt

A hardware cloth skirt and 24 in apron round the coop, to stop digging predators, sized for the 10-hen coop.

Draft plan, generated from the model. Not yet build-tested.
95 x 59 inCoop
24 inApron width
12 inSkirt depth
3 to 5 hrBuild time
$148.23Materials

Drawings All dimensions in inches

3D viewfinished
3D view
Front elevation
Front elevation 143 in 13 in
Right elevation
Right elevation 107 in 13 in
Plan viewfrom above
Plan view 143 in 107 in

Cut list: sheet goods

PartStockSizeNote
Apron front 1cloth71 1/2 x 24
Apron front 2cloth71 1/2 x 24
Apron back 1cloth71 1/2 x 24
Apron back 2cloth71 1/2 x 24
Apron leftcloth24 x 59
Apron rightcloth24 x 59
Skirt frontcloth95 x 0
Skirt backcloth95 x 0
Skirt leftcloth0 x 59
Skirt rightcloth0 x 59
Skirt, long sidescloth12 x 198cut from the roll
Skirt, short sidescloth12 x 126cut from the roll

Shopping list $148.23 checked / $0.00 estimated

ItemStoreQtyEachLineNote
Hardware cloth 1/2 in, 2 ft x 25 ft, 19-gaHome Depot4$30.40$121.60uses about 1036 in of the roll
Poultry staples 3/4 in, 1 lbSouthern States2$4.49$8.98
UV zip ties 11 in, 100 ct (also used for tie wire)Home Depot1$17.65$17.65
Total before tax$148.23
Filled dot: price read from a store listing on Oct 20, 2026. Hollow dot: estimate. Prices come from the master price list, so they change when it changes.

Build steps

  1. Rake the ground flat round the coop, and dig a trench 12 in deep and 6 in wide along each side of the floor frame.
  2. Staple a 12 in wide strip of hardware cloth to the outside of the floor frame, so it hangs down into the trench. Lay the lower edge out, away from the coop, over the bottom.
  3. Cut a 24 in wide apron strip for each side and wire it to the end of the skirt. Overlap the strips at the corners by 4 in and tie them with wire.
  4. Lay the apron flat on the ground, pegged with landscape staples every 2 ft, and cover it with 2 in of soil or gravel. The grass grows through it and holds it in place.

Before you start