There's a difference between building a chicken coop and building a fortress. What we're looking at here, buried hardware cloth, a foot and a half deep, with movable tunnels on the way, is the latter. And honestly? We love it. This isn't just a run. It's a statement. It says, "I respect my feathered friends enough to keep them safe, and I fear the local predators enough to lose sleep over it." That's the sweet spot every chicken keeper knows but rarely admits.
Let's talk about that buried hardware cloth. A lot of folks skip this step. They think a fence is a fence, and then they wake up to a hole that wasn't there the night before. Raccoons dig. Foxes dig. Even your neighbor's dog will give it a try if the mood strikes. By burying the cloth a foot and a half deep, this builder has effectively told every would-be tunnel artist, "Nice try, but you're not getting through." It's the kind of overengineering that feels ridiculous until it saves your entire flock. We'd tell anyone who asked: do this. It's more work now, but it's the difference between a coop and a crime scene.
The movable tunnels are the cherry on top. Chickens love fresh ground. They love bugs, they love scratching, they love tearing up a patch of clover that wasn't there yesterday. A stationary run, no matter how large, eventually turns into a dirt pit. The tunnels let them roam the yard without you having to stand guard with a broom. That's freedom for them and peace of mind for you. It's also a great way to let them fertilize your lawn in shifts, which is a polite way of saying they'll destroy the dandelions before they even sprout.
So what's our honest take? This is a coop built by someone who has either been burned before or has done their homework. Either way, they're not messing around. If you're reading this and thinking about your own setup, take notes. Spend the extra afternoon on the hardware cloth. Build the tunnels. Your chickens will be healthier, your yard will be happier, and you'll sleep better knowing the only thing getting under your coop is the dirt.