Add a Hardware Cloth Apron Around Ground Pens

Attach a 12-24 inch wide strip of 1/2" hardware cloth flat on the ground around the full perimeter of ground-level pens or tractors, extending outward. Secure it to the pen base, then cover with soil, gravel, or sod to hold it in place.

Why It Works

Digging predators -- dogs, foxes, raccoons, and rats -- instinctively dig right at the wall line. The buried apron blocks their path before they get under the enclosure. Unlike burying wire vertically (which requires deep trenching), a horizontal apron is simpler to install and equally effective because predators do not back up and dig further out.

Tips

• Use 24-inch aprons in areas with fox or coyote pressure; 12 inches suffices for rats and smaller diggers
• Pin the apron down with landscape staples before covering with soil to prevent shifting
• For quail tractors that move regularly, attach the apron with hinges so it folds up during relocation