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Jody, I'm curious too, because I've started to make something like the cookie tin water heater. Does it keep cool enough to put near pine shavings?

I spoke to Fi-Shock and they said only the professional models are rated with high enough joules to repel a bear, but that they're overkill for my small setup. The ss-7000 model is no longer made, but it delivers 1 joule under load (as opposed to stored joules, which is how most energizers are...

Thanks, Foxtrapper, for your info. I shouldn't have to worry about grass and weeds, as my plan is to only electrify around the top of the coop, which is 5-6 feet off the ground. And the perimeter of the coop is only 12 feet. I'm hoping that the only reason the bear even looked into the coop was...

What I'd like to try is putting electric fencing around the top of the coop, where the bear entered. It's about 3 feet on each side. It's about 5-6 feet off the ground, and the kids wouldn't be able to get to it.

After losing my four hens to a bear attack on my coop, I'm looking into installing an electric fence. I can run electricity to the coop so I won't need a battery operated model. The local feed/grain/hardware store has a few different energizers, most of them the brand Fi-Shock, and I'm not sure...

Yes, I would love to hear about that. Thanks.

Peepkeeper expressed exactly what I was thinking. If there's going to be two feet of snow on the ground, I can dump a bunch of feed in the coop and make sure the water is not going to freeze and consider the chickens cared for until I dig out a path. And unfortunately, as I wrote in another...

If I had to decide right now what to do, my inclination is to check into prices of electric fencing for the top of the coop. If it's not too expensive, I'd bait it as annbal suggested (without chickens inside) and see if the bear learns to avoid it. I just wonder if he would be persistent enough...

Thanks for so many replies. Expanding on patandchicken's ideas, maybe I could put electrified wires just on the top of the coop, around the lid that the bear lifted up. It's about 6 feet off the ground. I'm thinking that would keep the bear away from the top, but I wonder if he'd be persistent...

I really appreciate everyone's comments. I spoke to a neighbor who thinks that black bears don't eat live food. He thinks it's more likely a coyote did the dirty work, or maybe the bobcat that's beens sighted. That would be good news if it's true, because I think it'll be easier to make the...

Thanks for the quick replies. Black bears are a fact of life here in the Poconos. For the most part, they avoid humans. I'm not sure it will be worth the expense for an electric fence for four pet chickens, though. I just did a brief Google search, and I couldn't easily find pricing on fencing...

A bear got our four hens last night. I've been putting all my efforts into making the run secure, but the bear opened the top of the coop and got our pets. I got the coop for free, and wasn't worried about it because it was so solid. I never thought he'd be able to open the top because it's a...

Quote: What exactly makes a run a "tractor?" Originally I made a run the same height and width as the coop, extending it out by six additional feet, making an area 3'x9', including the area under the coop. It's about six feet high. When I realized this wasn't enough room for them to roam...

Quote: I have four hens. The coop has a plywood roof, and the run roof is covered in chicken wire and welded fence.

One reason I got chickens was that they need less frequent attention than a dog, which my family wanted. I got a used chicken coop, basically a 3 foot cube, and elevated it 3 feet off the ground. I built the run out from the top and sides of the coop. Underneath the coop, the supporting legs...

Does the camera work on batteries on only on A/C? I'm new to chickens and I don't know if I'll be able to get electricity to my coop before the winter sets in.

Quote: That would be easier than digging a trench around the outside, but I think I read or heard somewhere that putting wire on the bottom would hurt the chickens' feet when they scratched around. Have you had any problems like that? Do you scatter feed or scratch in the sawdust? I guess...

Thanks for all the suggestions. The hardware store had 2x4 14 gauge welded wire fencing. It was only $30 for 3' x 50'. I'm going to use screws & washers to attach it to the frame on top of the chicken wire. That should be strong enough to keep out foxes and raccoons, and since the chicken wire...

Thanks, greginshasta. Where did you find those details? The Lowe's description doesn't mention 2" x 2", at when I'm telling it to look in the Wilkes-Barre, PA store. I don't see that when I do a Google search, either. As it turns out, I'll be closer to a Home Depot today, and I'll have to see...

I've already built my coop and the run is enclosed with standard chicken wire. Unfortunately, I didn't read this forum carefully enough beforehand to know that chicken wire isn't strong enough to prevent predators from getting inside. So for now I'm locking my four hens inside their coop...