A Frame Pallet Wood Project

[Mystikal]

Guess it's been a while since I updated here. We ended up adding an automatic chicken door.

Also some pallet fencing with poultry netting on top. Worked great until last night. Had to have been a raccoon. Climbed the fence and got under the netting. From there it was able to open the door. We had lost one chicken that morning, a leghorn notorious for finding her way out. My daughter said there were feathers on the other side of the fence in the neighbors yard. Guess it was the same predator coming back.

This time my husband took the dogs out about 3am and came back in for a flashlight saying that the girls were making an awful sound. By the time he got back out the dog had scared off whatever was terrorizing our girls. One was missing and one was dead. Thankfully this morning when I got up I found the missing Easter egger watching the fence outside of the run but still inside our yard fencing.

I know it will be back tonight. We took the battery out of the door in case it had used the button and put a board on the bottom of the door to keep tiny fingers from prying it up. We also bought a solar motion light, not sure if that will work. Any other advice would be appreciated.

 

[Mystikal]

Just to update, all six remaining girls made it through the night!

 

[Mystikal]

Wanted to post another update. We have done some fortifying of our run. Almost ready to put the automatic coop door batteries back in. Still have six chickens.

Our neighbors have not been so lucky. Whatever has been after our flock went after their quails. Literally tore boards off of their coop to get them.

The couple times I have seen the motion light go on I let the dogs out. I feel like that helps.

 

[Sally PB]

Can you get some sturdier metal fencing, say, hardware cloth? Yes, it's more expensive. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but does not keep predators out.

I'm sorry for your loss!

 

[Mystikal]

Can you get some sturdier metal fencing, say, hardware cloth? Yes, it's more expensive. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but does not keep predators out.

I'm sorry for your loss!

Coop is covered in hardware cloth, most stuff I have seen says top of run can use chicken wire if the bottom has the hardware cloth.

 

[Mystikal]

Can you get some sturdier metal fencing, say, hardware cloth? Yes, it's more expensive. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but does not keep predators out.

I'm sorry for your loss!

It just occurred to me that hubby didn't use the hardware cloth on the bottom of the door. Will remedy that tomorrow. I definitely appreciate you catching that.