2 seperate flocks on 1 property? Biosecurity issues? Other advice?

[Echelontheory101]

Ah, that's rough.
Some of those could possibly be deterred by electric fence, but not all of them. And that's a lot of maintenance.

My direct area doesn't have that variety of pests frequenting. So birds used to be relatively safe.
Unfortunately, mink farms have started invading. So it went from "might lose a couple birds a year" to ... what it is when mink farmers are around.

I'd love to have a predator proof chicken building.
Sometimes I just look at building plans.

Yeah its the only reason I went with an actual "building" in the hopes it having partial walls would help knowing what I have around and what happened to my neighbors. I've been thinking about a live wire but I'm such a clutz I worry I'll end up zapping myself more than any predator

Also yeah weasels and minks scare me more than any other predator I have around here! They can squeeze in such small holes and I've heard horror stories of them decimating entire flocks in a night. I totally get where you're coming from! Do they escape from the farms around you often? Are they pelt farmers?

Once the ground thaws in the spring I have to do fencing around the area the coop is and that will double as a donkey paddock so hoping a faithful pair of donkeys will curb stomp any predators that come into their (and also the coops) territory haha but for this winter, the chickens just have me and my bad aim

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Yeah its the only reason I went with an actual "building" in the hopes it having partial walls would help knowing what I have around and what happened to my neighbors. I've been thinking about a live wire but I'm such a clutz I worry I'll end up zapping myself more than any predator

Also yeah weasels and minks scare me more than any other predator I have around here! They can squeeze in such small holes and I've heard horror stories of them decimating entire flocks in a night. I totally get where you're coming from! Do they escape from the farms around you often? Are they pelt farmers?

Once the ground thaws in the spring I have to do fencing around the area the coop is and that will double as a donkey paddock so hoping a faithful pair of donkeys will curb stomp any predators that come into their (and also the coops) territory haha but for this winter, the chickens just have me and my bad aim

Cannot confirm, but I think most or maybe all mink people are raising them for fur. You can't really do anything else with them.

 

[Echelontheory101]

Cannot confirm, but I think most or maybe all mink people are raising them for fur. You can't really do anything else with them.

Gotcha! I dont know a ton about them so wasn't sure if they had other uses. Im surprised the farms are notorious for having escapees then since each one escaped is probably a pretty penny lost. I'm lucky all the farms in my neighborhood are meat and dairy farms haha

 

[rosemarythyme]

Once the ground thaws in the spring I have to do fencing around the area the coop is and that will double as a donkey paddock so hoping a faithful pair of donkeys will curb stomp any predators that come into their (and also the coops) territory haha but for this winter, the chickens just have me and my bad aim

Will this be shared space with the chickens or just next to the chickens, but completely separate and secured? Asking because some donkeys will also curb stomp your other livestock including chickens, unless you've already had them with the chickens before and they're fine with it?

 

[Echelontheory101]

Will this be shared space with the chickens or just next to the chickens, but completely separate and secured? Asking because some donkeys will also curb stomp your other livestock including chickens, unless you've already had them with the chickens before and they're fine with it?

Oh yes they wont be in an actual shared space, just next to the chickens coop area, the chickens themselves will never be out in the paddock. I know donkeys dont like other animals.