2nd night with chickens and the predators gather!!

[PamelaTX]

I expected it but not so fast! Since we live in the country, I knew we had predators. But on night two we awoke to the dogs going NUTS and found they had chased a raccoon up into a hiding place beneath the roof of a porch just a few feet from our brand new chicken coop. We haven't seen a raccoon around here in a long, long time so I am convinced it was drawn by the sounds and smells of the chicks. Thank goodness for the dogs! But since I know they are sometimes drawn away keeping coyotes at bay and the cows out of the yard, I am so glad we went to the extra time and expense to build the "Feather Fortress". As I've said, nothing short of a grizzly could get in there and we don't have bears around here so I think they are safe.

I post this as encouragement to anyone building their coops now. You can't go strong enough to keep your ladies safe! I also post to thank those here on BYC who convinced me to use 1/2 inch hardware clothe, screws rather than nails, and locks rather than hook and eyes. It certainly saved my chickens today!

 

[Belott]

I wish everybody would go to the extra effort to build a secure coop!! I just finished putting 1/2 inch hardware cloth around my coop. I just need to finish the roof and drag it with my tractor to its final resting place and put down my 3 foot hardware cloth apron.
Then I can build my brooder and get some chicks.

David

 

[PamelaTX]

Sound great David!

I agree. It took extra time and $ for my hubby and I to build this monster coop. Hardware clothe is expensive and "sandwiching" it between boards with screws felt like we were building it twice (which essentially we were!). But I think in the end it will be worth the effort in lost sleep and especially in lost chickens.

I know my rancher neighbors will laugh their heads off at me for having padlocks on the coop when they see it. They already think it's odd that I name the barn cats. But I figure build it right once and we will have a safe place for the chickens for years to come!

As I was mentioning on another thread, you can trap, shoot, poison, relocate, and otherwise "dispatch" of predators but there will always be more where they came from. It's like trying to keep the ocean back with a broom. Better to build a secure coop and be done with it!

 

[bucky52]

I call mine the fort Knox coop two layers of wire on their run two strands of hot wire around the run,we skirted the run with wire,than I have concrete pavers surrounding it.pad locks on the doors.motion detector lights go on if their is movement.
And at night I still worry.We try to keep our girls safe and sound