Fox in the hen house - how do foxes slip in, anyway?

[Nwchickma]

A raccoon can get through a 2" gap? Seriously? WOW - I had no idea!

I am SO glad I went with hardware cloth on the coop (secured with poultry staples AND screws & washers). I started with 1/4 inch over every single opening, but then was so paranoid that it wouldn't be strong enough that I put a layer of 1/2 inch hardware cloth OVER the 1/4 inch, lol! I'm glad I did, though. The more I read about predators, the more shocked I am at how clever and tough they are!!

OP - so sorry for your poor chickens! When you figure out how the fox got in please update. I'd be just as baffled as you and I definitely want to learn from this as well!! And sorry, but I did giggle at the undies. I've run out there in the middle of the night in my undies too, shrieking like a banshee, and swinging a frying pan like a total nut, lol!

I'm freaking out after watching that raccoon open the garage door! My girls have only been outside for 4 nights and no trouble yet but first thing tomorrow I'll be reinforcing my staples with washers and screws. I have hardware cloth all over and along the bottom edge that is 4 inches longer than the bottom and goes perpendicular to the coop to avoid digging in. Can you show a picture of what your openings look like? Is it over lapping at the openings or just on the doors?

Anyone want to show pictures of extra reinforcements? I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight!

 

[6of6chicks]

I'm freaking out after watching that raccoon open the garage door! My girls have only been outside for 4 nights and no trouble yet but first thing tomorrow I'll be reinforcing my staples with washers and screws. I have hardware cloth all over and along the bottom edge that is 4 inches longer than the bottom and goes perpendicular to the coop to avoid digging in. Can you show a picture of what your openings look like? Is it over lapping at the openings or just on the doors?

Anyone want to show pictures of extra reinforcements? I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight!

I'll go out and take some pictures in the morning, no problem.

I had my first snake in the run today. There was a TINY opening (less than 1 inch) where the run meets the carport concrete (which the coop sits on). I had trouble with the gap when building because there was no way to secure the hardware cloth to the concrete. I had wrapped the hardware cloth as best I could, stapled/screwed it to the posts and held down it with bricks. I was so worried about a raccoon peeling the hardware cloth up that it never occurred to me to worry about snakes! I spent the rest of the afternoon slathering concrete ALL around the base where the coop & run meet. Snake highway is now closed, lol!

I'll post pics in the morning - I'm happy to share. I'm also happy to say so far nothing has tried to get in the coop with the extra layers of hardware cloth, or if it tried it failed (knock on wood!).

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Snakes will eat eggs and perhaps baby chicks but the snake will be eaten by the chickens (unless it's a huge python or something).

 

[6of6chicks]

Snakes will eat eggs and perhaps baby chicks but the snake will be eaten by the chickens (unless it's a huge python or something).

This was the snake:



About 2 1/2 feet long. My girls are 7 1/2 week old buff orpingtons, so they were too big for it to go after (thank goodness!!). The chickens didn't seem to care about the snake - they walked right on it's head. No-one even pecked at it. The snake didn't seem to care about them either. When I first noticed it they were all - snake AND chickens - sprawled out together in a patch of sun, lol!

Sorry OP - didn't mean to hijack your thread!

I'm just floored by how many things want to chow down on a tasty chicken dinner. Hopefully I don't have to deal with a fox myself someday. I have no idea if they're here in TX but it wouldn't surprise me. We seem to have just about everything else!

 

[6of6chicks]

I'm freaking out after watching that raccoon open the garage door! My girls have only been outside for 4 nights and no trouble yet but first thing tomorrow I'll be reinforcing my staples with washers and screws. I have hardware cloth all over and along the bottom edge that is 4 inches longer than the bottom and goes perpendicular to the coop to avoid digging in. Can you show a picture of what your openings look like? Is it over lapping at the openings or just on the doors?

Anyone want to show pictures of extra reinforcements? I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight!

This is the double layering of hardware cloth:



The inner layer is 1/4 inch hardware cloth held in place by the wood framing. The outer layer is 1/2 in hardware cloth held with 2 inch screws (to go all the way to the 2" x 4"s of the coop frame) & washers. In the picture above you can see the door to the left (that's the back door of the coop). After something gnawed on the bottom of the plywood, the doors got a layer of hardware cloth as well. Both the windows and doors have hardware cloth hanging down several inches past the bottom.

Here's a close up where it shows the sides wrapped around the frame:



Every opening on my coop looks like this. I spray painted the washers just to help them blend in a little (it was starting to look like a prison!). I have a lot of ventilation for summer heat, so I have loads of hardware cloth over the coop.

The walls & roof of the run are wrapped in hardware cloth. I went through three boxes of washers AND two boxes of u-nails to attach it all every few inches (that's just the run - add another 2 boxes of washers for the coop). You can click on my coop to see pics of the whole thing. I dug out the base and extended an apron 8-12 inches out, filled it back in and then put down concrete blocks. So far nothing has attempted to dig it's way in (*fingers crossed*):



Where I couldn't attach the hardware cloth (the ONE spot where I had trouble when building and where the snake got in through a TINY opening) - that now has a layer of concrete mushed in all the cracks and crevices:



Maybe not very pretty, but I am LONG since past caring about pretty. The number of predators roaming my yard at night is ridiculous. I just moved my girls out to the coop, and in less than a month I've had a raccoon, possum, skunk, and large snake visit my coop. And those are just the ones I know about! Luckily only the snake got in (and just the run, not the coop), and that problem is now solved (again, *fingers crossed*).

Hope that helps!

 

[Nwchickma]

Thanks 6of6chicks! I'm going to make some changes today! I'm really sorry the OP lost her chicken but this brought awareness to me and maybe some others!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...
Sorry OP - didn't mean to hijack your thread!

I'm just floored by how many things want to chow down on a tasty chicken dinner. Hopefully I don't have to deal with a fox myself someday. I have no idea if they're here in TX but it wouldn't surprise me. We seem to have just about everything else!

Depends on what part of Texas.

Texas has 4 species, red, gray, swift and kit foxes

 

[greggking]

Sorry for the OP loss. So what size can foxes get through? I have seen foxes here, they live on the hill right behind me. My coup is sturdy with 2x4 welded wire, and chicken wire over that to about 4-5 feet from the ground. Also have hardware cloth buried around the outside perimeter. the biggest space is the 2x4 wire, up high. I can just barely get my man sized hand through it.The chickens are 3month old now and have been out there the last two months. in the pic was prior to adding chicken wire over the welded wire halfway up.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds like you're good for foxes but IMO, weasels can get in there easily.

 

[greggking]

No weasels here in this part of AZ. Quite a few down at the state capitol!