Protecting Day Pen for Nightime Use

[PolloGal]

I have a 5’ by 5’ (3’ tall) pen that we raised up onto a 2’ platform and placed inside our (4’ high) fenced (small) yard that our dog shares. We built it from PVC and have hardware cloth secured all around the pen and a tarp on top to keep it dry. The floor is linoleum on wood. It works great as a day pen for little ones growing or in a brooder to just stretch and run around a bit…offering a nice break for them. I want to be able to use this pen at night for about 2 weeks (for two 5 week old turkey poults) while doing some work to our brooders and finishing the permanent pen for them, but I don’t feel it’s safe enough for nightime use. Is there a plug-in electric net I can throw over it just at night (not sure there is such a thing that wouldn’t run electric through the pen too), or an easy way to throw some type of a predator proof net over the entire pen for the night and be able to lift it during the day, or something I can do around the pen to protect them at night or if we leave the farm during the day? Hoping someone may have an idea for me…otherwise I will be putting them out there during the day and back into the brooder at night…(which is a pain, but not taking any chances). Thanks for the ideas!

 

[PolloGal]

Anybody have any suggestions??

 

[Chicalina]

I guess it depends on what predators you have in your area.

Predator safe from bears would need different means than from snakes for example.

I would probably just lock them into the dog crate inside that run at night, maybe with a padlock.

If you are very cautious you could wrap the dog crate in tight wire mesh, or get an electric fence round the whole pen to deter bigger mammal attacks.

The dog crate is stronger than the PVC frame. Is that frame securely attached to the wood floor or just sitting on it?

 

[PolloGal]

I guess it depends on what predators you have in your area.

Predator safe from bears would need different means than from snakes for example.

I would probably just lock them into the dog crate inside that run at night, maybe with a padlock.

If you are very cautious you could wrap the dog crate in tight wire mesh, or get an electric fence round the whole pen to deter bigger mammal attacks.

The dog crate is stronger than the PVC frame. Is that frame securely attached to the wood floor or just sitting on it?

We have raccoons, coyotes, bear, hawks….etc.

 

[PolloGal]

You know..I do have a dog crate in there and I do have pad locks on the pen. I use all of that for the daytime pen already. I guess I was hoping, knowing there isn’t much protection from bear (we use electric fencing on our other pens too), there was something I could ‘plug in’, for example, that would provide extra protection at night.

 

[PolloGal]

We have raccoons, coyotes, bear, hawks….etc.

Thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I do have a dog crate in there and I do have pad locks on the pen. I use all of that for the daytime pen already.

I would just do that. Yes you're taking some risk, but unless you see evidence of breeches in the run fencing it's probably okay for short term use. Like I brood my chicks in my run (not predator proof) with the intention of getting them integrated ASAP so they can move into the safer confines of the coop sooner.

 

[PolloGal]

Thank you. I guess that’s all I can do. I was thinking someone made a net or a wrap that would provide more protection. I am just not familiar with products like that other than electric fencing. Thinking out of the box…I was hoping there was a product I could use And if anyone thinks of something, please let me know. I may need to do this a few times over. Thanks again.

 

[aart]

It looks pretty secure as is to me.

 

[PolloGal]

It looks pretty secure as is to me.

Ok…great. Thanks so much.