Predator proof run

[journey's end]

I live on the edge of a forest and need something that will withstand wildlife. The small run we have right now is decent, but only because we bring the chickens in at night. Next year, when we get our purebreds, we'll need something more durable.

What kind of fencing should I use to keep out coyotes, skunks, raccoons and weasels. How high should it be? Our birds' wings are clipped so flight is not an issue, just predators.

 

[Missoula Chicken Lady]

One thing you can do is to extend some hardware cloth (small, relatively rigid metal mesh) or poultry mesh out from the foot of your run. This discourages predators from digging under your run. Alternatively, you can bury your fence about a foot deep. If you haven't already done this, of course! You may need to cover the whole run if you have hawks or owls....

 

[Dixiedoodle]

We live in the country. We have all kinds of wildlife as well as stray dogs and cats. I decided to use chain link fencing with an apron of 1/2" hardware cloth -three feet from the ground up, on the inside to prevent pull thru.. My coop is completely enclosed! We buried the chain link fencing two feet deep and ran it out two foot to prevent dig in. We used 6x6 posts, the run is 10' tall. The coop sits on a cement pad and the windows have both chain link fencing and hardward cloth. We used 3" screws and heavy 1 1/2" staples to attach the wire and the boards that cover every joint.. We have heavy wood siding, the roof is 7/8" plywood with metal roofing screwed on..



BUT I would never leave my chickens in the run overnight. They are locked into the coop at dusk.

 

[monathequeen]

Congrats On Your New Journey....it Will Be A Journey For Sure.
I Also Live In A Wooded Area And I Share My 13 Acres With Racoons, Red Tailed Hawks,opposoms, Skunks, Owls ,weasles, Deer, Armidillos, Fox, Coyote And Who Knows What Else Wanders At Night....
My Biggest Problem Is At Night. Racoons And Opossoms.
I Have A Seperate Run From The Main Coop That Is 100 X 40 Feet.
I Have 4 Ft Chicken Wire All A Round With Deer Netting Attatched To Pvc Pipe Wich We Arched And Steaked Down On To 2x2 Spikes Into The Ground. We Covered The Top With The Netting And Sewed It On To The Fence All Around With Fishing Line. It Was A Pain But It Keeps The Hawks Out During The Day. I Wouldn't Let Them In The Run Without Some Kind Of Overhead Netting. You Will Have To Design Your Own But Please Do This.
I Also Have Re-bar At The Bottom Of The Fence To Keep Racoons And Opossoms Out From Digging Under The Fence. I Also Have Metal Steaks About Every 12 Inches To Keep The Re-bar Secure.
That Sounds Like A Predator Proof Run Right ?
Wrong.........they Still Find A Way To Get In At Night Although The Birds And Ducks Are Locked In The Coop At Night.
I Have Seen Racoons As Late As 9:30 Am And As Early As 7:30 At Night. Keep A Good Eye On Your Birds At All Times. I Inspect The Run And Look For Holes Dug Up By Animals And Fix Them Asap.
Electric Wiring Outside The Fenc Is The Best Way To Go For Racoons...or A Shotgun..........good Luck My Friend.

 

[journey's end]

I guess I'll keep locking them up at night. I've never seen or heard of hawks or owls here. I bet we have some, but they've never been an issue. For us the big problem is skunks. Those little suckers can do a lot of damage when they try hard enough. And try to get one out of the coop! Ick. We're large game free here, except the coyotes. The benefits of living on an island.

I'll be looking at pricing for chain link and netting. Thanks for the tips everyone.

 

[patandchickens]

Yeah, it is just awfully, awfully hard (arguably impossible, in the long term) to create a TRULY predatorproof run, unless you want to spend many many thousands of dollars and create something like you'd see in a zoo.

It makes a lot more sense in most cases to create a 98% predatorproof run, and then lock the chickens in the coop at night. (Coops are far easier to thoroughly predatorproof).

If bears are an issue, you need electric fencing, perhaps best located in a WIDE perimeter around the whole yard not just on the coop. Otherwise, sturdy-gauge chainlink or 2x4 welded wire will usually work fine, with the addition of something smaller-meshed along the bottom 3' or so and a good wide apron to discourage digging in. Rats, baby raccoons, small oppossums, and very ambitious [to the point of climbing] weasels can still get through this... but none of those are generally a problem during the daytime. And frankly, keeping out rats and weasels is well nigh impossible anyhow, as they just have to find or make ONE little small gap somewhere, and there ya go.

A roof (best) or strongly-engineered 2x4 or 1x2 wire mesh top on the run (still pretty good) will greatly improve run security, but adds considerable extra expense and aggravation.

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Echos_dad]

Electric fencing top and 6" from the bottom works for me. It keeps anything from going over or under, or even trying.

 

[GuineaFowlKepper]

A hotwire is most helpful!

installing can be a bit tricky though.