Raccoon proof coop (post pics plz)

[okallthis4eggs]

Fort Knox sits at the edge of the woods where predators visit daily only to get laughed at by my girls.

 

[HEChicken]

SO yours is pretty much a wooden shed, customized for the chickens. We dont own our house so we cant pour a slab - - but maybe pavers would be a good substitute

Yep - I wanted a walk-in coop because at my old house I could only have small coops and always had a hard time fitting everything in, and cleaning out. This time I wanted enough space to work with

It ain't pretty but it does the job.

I bet pavers would be a great substitute, and you can take them with you when you move.

 

[mickeymousears]

We have never had anything get in our coop. We only have 4 chickens so we built a fortress.

this looks like a good size, and i love the flower boxes... i could actually extend the house part to the ground for my duck (i dont need the run). Just laying that mesh on the ground is enough to keep things out of the bottom? Do you let them roam, or they never leave that cage?

How do you collect the eggs and clean the house out?

 

[teach1rusl]

Almost any coop can be raccoon proof as long as the pop door can be secured and there is hardware cloth over any window openings. Do not rely on chicken wire - sure... t'll keep out a rampaging chicken, but it's not called raccoon wire (or coyote wire) for a reason.

Here's a cheapy pallet coop I built last year - framed mostly in pallet wood (pallet wood used for trim too) and skinned in siding - hardware cloth over windows, sliding pop door on a tract/pulley system - very solid:

My other coops are larger and more substantial, but I wanted to show this one because I ended up investing less than $50 in it through use of scrap, leftover, and free materials. One thing I'll never skimp on is hardware cloth for windows and such...

 

[cknkids]

I think you could raccoon proof what you have. have the raccoons pulled out any screws, beef them up or replace with bolts and washers. use latches they can't open. If the bottom is open to the ground put hardware cloth or plywood. until your some where you can build permanently. After reinforcing I might bait it with some leftovers to check it for a few nights.

 

[jackson41]

I have an egg door on the side of the house and the front of the roost box opens on hinges for clean out. Yes they do free range around the yard during the day. In the winter I cover the run with plastic except one section for ventilation.

 

[JackE]

Raccoon proof as I could get it. Hardware cloth over all openings. Upper windows have custom fit hardware cloth screens, when they are opened in the warmer months.
Jack

 

[Buxton Ducks]

Hardware cloth over all the windows, strong metal vents with many screws, gate latches with some kind of lock and a big sign that warns the raccoons

!

 

[pshay4]

I live in So. Texas, so I have to worry more about the heat than cold. This is a coop I build for smaller groups of birds, such as breeding trios or growing out young. You can't tell from the photo, but the pink board in the middle at the rear is about a foot away from the back wall and is a roost. I use 1/2" x 1" welded wire for the whole coop. It is 4'x6'.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I'm so sorry for your loss. What does your current coop look like? How did the raccoon get to them? Could you raccoon proof it to get them back outside... My understanding is to be raccoon proof use 1/2" hardware cloth so that the raccoon can't reach in and grab anyone and latches they can't open, I've read that many use pad locks, I'm using spring links (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...&langId=-1&keyword=spring+clips&storeId=10051). Our coop is new and I'm not aware of an attacks, so I'm not an expert but tried to protect the girls the best we could.

raccoons will easily open those, they will figure it out in one night unless you use the ones that screw on like proper harness ones.

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?img...Q1gUI7zKIeeiAf9roDQCA&ved=0CC8Q9QEwBA&dur=412