We are building a new, larger coop with a Fort Knox mentality, but I am curious - can a coon pry open the hardware cloth covering my ventilation windows? the coop will have windows that open & latch closed but is there a safe way to prevent critters from trying to get thru the hardware cloth?
can a coon pry hardware cloth open on my vents?
- Thread starter alica31
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Attach the hardware cloth on the inside of the coop with fencing staples or screws with washers, and run wood strips over that, screwed into the framing. Large openings need more framing and maybe 2"x4" woven wire fencing too. Mary
Below is a pic of the front of my coop. The hardware cloth is attached to the outside of the wall. It is held in place with heavy duty poultry stables, then 1X3" pine boards are nailed over the that. You end up with a nice, finished look, that is totally coon proof. Before I surrounded the coop with electrified poultry net, on more than a few occasions, I would find the coon's muddy little hand prints around the coop's windows, looking for a way in. They never found one.
Secured properly, 1/2 hardware cloth works well to keep coons out.
Agree with previous posters. Don't worry about coons getting *through* the hardware cloth. Worry about them getting around it. And that means securing the edges thoroughly like in the pictures above.
Personally, I put the hardware cloth on the inside and used poultry staples and/or screws on the inside of the window frames. Lots of 'em. Trust me, it's rock solid. Nothing's getting through there, not even me when I locked myself in. If I were putting the HC on the outside, I would surely do it like in the picture above.
Like you, I was concerned about coons ripping through the HC, so along with the HC I laid in a layer of 1x2" welded wire, very tough stuff. Breaking into the coop would now be most easily accomplished by bashing through the walls or roof, not the windows.
BTW, I do NOT regret adding the layer of 1x2 welded wire. It may not really be necessary, but few people have regrets about adding too much security, only too little. Like Mama Gump said, "one less thing to worry about."
Personally, I put the hardware cloth on the inside and used poultry staples and/or screws on the inside of the window frames. Lots of 'em. Trust me, it's rock solid. Nothing's getting through there, not even me when I locked myself in. If I were putting the HC on the outside, I would surely do it like in the picture above.
Like you, I was concerned about coons ripping through the HC, so along with the HC I laid in a layer of 1x2" welded wire, very tough stuff. Breaking into the coop would now be most easily accomplished by bashing through the walls or roof, not the windows.
BTW, I do NOT regret adding the layer of 1x2 welded wire. It may not really be necessary, but few people have regrets about adding too much security, only too little. Like Mama Gump said, "one less thing to worry about."
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