The door to my run is 1/2” hardware cloth (so is everything else including the floors and windows) and in 12 years, nothing has gotten through. Chicken wire will only keep chickens IN, while hardware cloth keeps varmints OUT.
Yes, the coop is locked at night and predator proof. The problem is that I don’t know where she’s hiding. One full fenced in acre has a lot of hiding places.
I have a pullet at Point of Lay, who survived a varmint attack where her 6 flock mates were killed while eating in the run during daylight hours. I found 4 bodies inside the hen house, where I assume they ran for safety. There are 4 older hens who weren’t affected. The older hens haven’t...
I’ve had luck mixing them in the past. I divided the run in half with a wire panel/fencing, keeping food and water for each group in their own area. The little ones were confined to their area, while the big girls were able to come and go from the henhouse to lay, then could go outside to forage...
Although my cats don’t bother my girls, dogs are another story. They’re said to be chickens’ worst predators. Worse, while a raccoon/fox may kill one or two for food, especially for their young, dogs kill them for fun. They shake then until dead, then go after the next, until none are left. My...