ღ Chicken Expert Needed ღ

[Dixiedoodle]

We have a very secure coop. It is a little 'Fort Knox', because my husband knew I would be very upset if something killed my girls. Well, I still lost many to some kind of illness! What I am saying is: There is no guarantee in life.. As someone else said--we do the best we can.. The dog kennel is a great idea--but forget about chicken wire and netting unless it is electric.. It just doesn't stand up to any determined predator. Get something welded. I used chain link fence wired to the top of my kennel. And as far as free ranging, you may have to watch your chickens..Many just let their chickens free range for a few hrs in the afternoon. Take your computer, phone, ipod, radio, good book...a snack (be sure it's something the chickens will like LOL)..and go and watch 'chicken TV"...

Do you have dogs? IF so, take them for a walk around the outside edge of your free range area. Let them use the bathroom any and everywhere they want to. Or if you can let them, just let them run loose for a few min. Dogs are great deterrents for many predators..

If you don't have dogs, try using a radio or move things around in the yard.. Predators are creatures of habit.. If they get used to something they are more likely to stay around..they will know when no one is around.. Just hanging a dirty/sweaty/ worn tee shirt from your dad -around can put them on high alert.. Most animals use their sense of smell first and have been taught from birth to avoid human smells..

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm sorry you've had such heart breaking experiences so far. I think you could have chickens again and be successful. You are definitely on the right track, thinking about good housing and not free ranging in your situation.

Most predators are pretty easy to avoid, with a well constructed coop and covered run. I think strong wood, strong wire with small openings, putting it all together with screws instead of nails, raccoon proof latches and adding a wire apron on the ground around the run to prevent digging will give you the protection you are looking for.

Troublesome bears do seem to require an electric fence, because they are just so strong. I don't know what your actual bear risk is. Although there are occasionally bears or cougars in our area, we've never seen anything bigger than a coyote, fox or bobcat on our property. A good dog or pair of dogs guarding a property can also do a lot to keep predators from being such a problem, even with flimsier housing.

You might want to construct something that will keep out everything else and at least slow a bear down. If you ever did have a bear problem in the future, then you could always rethink the electric fencing. People with more of a bear problem will probably chime in with their thoughts on this.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

You need to considder all preditors in your area, a chain link fence may keep out the big guys but a weesle or maybe even small mink will slip right on in.

Put the heavy protection on the outside that will stop cayotes, cats, dogs, foxes and discourage bears, then you may need to go down to 1/2 inch wire mesh or hardware cloth on the inside. to stop the smaller preditors.

 

[Beth G.]

Hi,

I can't answer all of your questions but, what I can tell you is that it's very hard to 100% protect your poultry from pred's.

My husband Took a Steel enclosed 8x12 trailer a This and converted it into a coop. This way it can be moved as needed if we ever decide to move. He insulated the entire coop and put windows with steel wire over them. The whole coop was lined with heavy plastic and and used non toxic caulk to seal up all cracks. He added enclosed laying boxes to the outside for easy access to eggs. I wish I had pictures but, don't at this time. I will say this with confindence my coop is foolproof!! We did this due to losing alot of birds in the past to weasels and racoons. Our coop is placed inside a run. He used two railroad ties un-pressure treated and buried them in the ground attaching both heavy gauge chainlink and chicken wire over the entire sides and top. My birds are safe in the coop and pen. However, I choose to let them freerange during the day and unfortunately I do lose a few per year to hawks.

With all that being said you can never keep your poultry 100% of the time safe if you let them freerange. I won't keep them locked up in the pen either b/c it's just in my eyes too cruel to be "cooped/locked up all the time" I take my chances and know my birds are living a great life and are well protected when most likely to be attacked which is at night.

Best of luck to you!!

 

[TnTom]

Really start with the cost. There is a limit and a way to meet your needs and being flexible can help. Safety with no flexibility will cost more but maybe you will consider some compromise.
Bears in my experience can go where no man has gone and not somewhere I'll going so the cost will be less for me. If you want to protect for bear how expensive is expensive. I lost a bird two nights ago to a predator of unknown size or type because I failed to close the coop door and the run door. Dead bird. If I had closed up as I always do my dog kennel will keep out Coyote, skunk, coon, possum, dogs, cats, bobs. I have it lined with 1" 24" tall chicken net and a really hungry raccoon could chew thru the chicken net wire they wont chew thru the chainlink and a weasel or mink would have no problem. Bear? Watch a bear break into a cabin, what a mess (or a car).

I left the door open one stupid time and lost one sweet bird. What ever took her came in snatched her off the perch in the coop and vanished with her, the only signs were her feathers all over.

I think I'll have about $400.. into my coop and run. Nice if the run were larger for those day they don't range. Right now the top and sides tightly wrapped with 11 oz./yd canvas tarp with a rafters inside (still adding to that) and will put on a shingle rood this spring. The kennel is fastened to 2"x8" buried treated with rebar done 3' to tie in and the floor inside is creek rock covered with creek gravel and that's like an 6" stone floor. Nothing will dig in. Ive got to add some 3/4" dowl between door frame and the gate frame. Up to this point it just make things more apt to resist a predator.

Now that I'm a bird looser (meaning I lost a bird) its a little easier to say the first one is the hardest and all after will be equally as hard. So its like this... Do what ever you think you need to do to protect the critters and don't leave the very gate open!

I wired the chain link to the pipe with rebar wire every 4" all the way around and the same with the chicken net.

Im still working on the the ceiling/roof rafters but it sheds water very well (heavy canvas no wal mart tarps) but I need to ridge and eve support it. I have cedar poles to build it in. There will be a hard roof this spring maybe.

These are pics of my birds and we lost the dark cochin a couple night ago. Im still stacking rock outside. When you see something that will increase the safety do it.

And don't leave the gate open for any length of time when the birds are asleep. Ranging birds all bets are off unless you sit there with a shotgun. Dogs help/

 

[Eggsactly15]

I think it's best if I leave that one out, nzpouter. . .XD

Thanks for your advice, guys! I do have dogs, by the way, and they prowl around all day. They used to watch the chickens from morning til dusk. I've never seen a bear in the seven years I've lived her, although they live in the area I just don't think at my house. I've never seen mountain lions, but my neighbors do quite frequently. They're old and I wonder if they know half the stuff they're saying, but I'm not chancing it. And my second set of chickens were attacked in broad daylight while they were ranging. The coop is perfect, but I can't let them free-range ever again. At least without my supervision. =P

 

[columbiacritter]

If your neighbors all have chickens why don't you ask them how they do it?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

A lot of people have trouble free ranging their chickens. That's why so many people have runs/pens. Some people keep their chickens in a run all the time. There are lots of different ways to keep chickens.

 

[Baralak]

My situation is a little different, but Still applies. I live in a rural area as well, and my "Back 40 is a Pipeline (actually 5 pipelines) so If I'm looking I can see for good distance if something is coming or leaving.

What I did is TSC had a sell on 4 foot welded wire fencing 100' for like $59 bucks and bought 2 rolls. I went to our local lumber yard and bought a crap load of Culled lumber. Out of that I found almost 50 8' posts. I made a fence around the coop, then I used the posts to make the frame for the coop. Then made a Run within a Run with the posts so if you think about it.. I have 16'X8' framed run with welded wire, and covered with chicken wire Inside a 60' squared fence for "free range". The coop and inner run is big enough for them when I'm not outside, and when I am, I let them out into the larger yard to free range. But they NEVER go outside the larger run. We will be adding a ele fence to the inner coop, and turning it on at night only. One run of wire at 6 " and one run 6" from the top.

I also Lock down the Coop EVERY Night. If I am out of town, I get someone to lock it down if I cannot do it myself.

My setup is viewable from the back of the house, so we watch Chicken TV all the time. They are a hoot!

GL on your

 

[maryboland]

I'm no expert but I've always heard that lynx can squeeze through very small spaces and the only way to protect from them is to use hardware cloth with the smallest spaces to enclose your run, and also you should have a chicken wire apron laid on the ground all around and pinned down with landscape pins. The apron will keep predators from digging under the run fence.