New chicken mama w/14- 5 week olds in NW GA.

[N F C]

Good luck with your flock, thanks for joining.

 

[Shiner19]

thank you and unfortunately too late.

Hi and welcome to BYC. Do you mean a broody hen hatched 20 chicks, or your daughter was surprised in another way? However it happened, 20 chicks is quite the surprise!

Even if you feel it's too late to use 1/2" hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, is it possible for you to attach the mesh cloth over the chicken wire? 5-week-old chicks are still very small, and most predators can easily grab hold of chicken wire with their paws and teeth and rip it apart. Raccoons and opposums can also reach through chicken wire and pull chickens out; they do this to adult chickens too. Chicken wire was made keep chickens in, not to keep predators out. If you feel the chicks will be safe, then hopefully you are right. But there are too many tragic stories involving failed chicken wire on the Predators forum, and we are just trying to prevent another. Have fun with your chicks!

A broody hen hatched 20 chicks - she was not cooping up at night and instead hiding somewhere in their barn. She walked out one day with 20 brand new baby chicks. It is really amazing she and babies/eggs survived being in the barn like that. Ok - so now I am worried about the chicken wire and the tractor. Will see what can do.

 

[Shiner19]

thank you and unfortunately too late.

sorry - just realized you said coop not tractor. It is not too late for the coop. We planned on using something more substantial than chicken wire and appreciate the suggestion on the 1/2" hardware cloth. We have lived here for 5 years and daughter and hubby have had chickens the entire time. They coop up at night in a very secure coop and outside the coop there is a very large 8' tall fence that I think is like a heavier field wire so yes, bigger openings than chicken wire. They are not fenced in though unless for some reason we need to; so they free range 10 acres during the day. We have never yet lost a chicken from the fenced area or coop - cross fingers it continues this way because we do have raccoons, possums, snakes, fox and coyote, owls, red tail hawks (these are our biggest problem during the day).

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

A broody hen hatched 20 chicks - she was not cooping up at night and instead hiding somewhere in their barn. She walked out one day with 20 brand new baby chicks.

That's incredible, 20 chicks is the most I've ever heard of a broody hatching!
Also, I'm glad you are rethinking only having chicken wire to protect the chicks.

 

[swampfox440]

Welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you, thanks for joining us.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[triciayoung]

The chicken tractor is pretty safe we believe - wrapped in chicken wire. Our ground is very hard - lots of rock so little chance of anything digging under. Our beagles often will warn us too if they sense anything outside. Understand about the light - just an added deterrent. I worry most about the racoons and cats and think though they would have to work hard at getting in and likely our dogs would sound off alarm. We are converting an existing 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 shed to coop and will have 8' tall run around it. Probably can get it done in a couple days once we start.

Chicken wire won't do it- you need to have 1/2 inch hardware cloth as well as a hardware cloth apron - which is when you attach at the bottom but then run 2 feet on the ground around the perimeter to prevent digging predators.

 

[triciayoung]

sorry - just realized you said coop not tractor. It is not too late for the coop. We planned on using something more substantial than chicken wire and appreciate the suggestion on the 1/2" hardware cloth. We have lived here for 5 years and daughter and hubby have had chickens the entire time. They coop up at night in a very secure coop and outside the coop there is a very large 8' tall fence that I think is like a heavier field wire so yes, bigger openings than chicken wire. They are not fenced in though unless for some reason we need to; so they free range 10 acres during the day. We have never yet lost a chicken from the fenced area or coop - cross fingers it continues this way because we do have raccoons, possums, snakes, fox and coyote, owls, red tail hawks (these are our biggest problem during the day).

You need 1/2 inch hardware cloth and a hardware cloth apron around the coop and the tractor/run