advice to predator proof my pen!

[skeeter03]

We thought our chicken run was predator proof but boy were we wrong whatever got into it the other night demolished it - there was no holes in the wire - and its buried 2 feet into the ground and 2 feet out away from the pen with rocks on top and then the dirt on top of that no long grass around it at all so not critters can hide close by . and the run is covered - thought DANG we made a good pen nothing is gonna get our chickens - didnt think that whatever it was would just rip them right out makin big holes - what the heck has the strengh to latch onto a bird and rip it out through the chicken wire? These were big cornish rock giants that the thing/things walked off with. there was one left in the cage with its head missing - and about 4 big holes in the chicken wire.
so how do i stop this from happening again - already we have the dog tied onto the chicken coop itself -(no it wasnt the dog he was actually inside that night) and now I lock them up at night - which i hate doing.
any suggestions?

 

[jqs birds]

You can predator proof your pen with two strands of electric fenc one 6" off the ground the other 6" bove that. One shock and most things won't be coming back.
AS far as thids time. It sounds like a dog to me.

 

[jus1jack]

Sorry for your loss...
Sounds like a coon attack. Was the damage at the corners of the run? Usually the chickens will run to the corners and cant see well at night then the coon reaches in and grabs them, pulls out what they can. You can use hardware cloth in the corners 3' up and 4' each side. It would be better to do it all the way around the bottom but the wire is expensive $$$
Good luck

 

[skeeter03]

The two biggest holes were in the corners where the wire meets the coop. dang critters! would coyotes do that kind of damage hubby says he heard them howling earlier that evening (but they usually are doing that at night) there is not a big mess of feathers or anything left behind only a bit going in two different directions and I couldnt find a carcass anywhere.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

RACOON! They easily tear apart chicken wire and will pull grown chickens, even hefty roosters, through the holes. So sorry for your losses.

Hope you get it/them! I run a strand of hot wire about 6 inches high around my pen...is a good, effecient deterrent along with everything else. Just make sure it is always ON at night. Just takes one time for a racoon ....

 

[jus1jack]

Quote:
Still sounds like a coon to me. How many birds did it get, and how big were the holes it left? Should be able to see some hair on the wire or on the ground.

 

[skeeter03]

no hair that we could see and the holes were about 3 inches off the ground and about 5-6 inches aroundish cept one which was rather large about 12 inches by 12 inches ..... I think its probaly a coon to (hubby is convinced its coyotes) they took off with 4 rock giants and 1 little rooster. left one dead in the pen head missing and mangled up 4 others. IT was a massacr in there. I had gone out earlier cause there was some squakin but didnt see a thing around and i looked up in the trees and everything but didnt see anything - I didnt know something would actually be able to tear the wire apart (short of a bear maybe ). live and learn I guess

 

[CMV]

It sounds like a raccoon to me, too. Raccoons are very smart and very strong for their size.

It's been said a million times on this forum and will be said many more: Chicken wire keeps chickens in. It does not keep predators out. The only wire worth investing in is hardware cloth/welded wire. Another thing to be aware of is how you attach the wire to your coop. Staples can be pulled out easily, so most here use screws and washers to attach wire to framing. Lastly, latches. If a five year old child can open it, so can a raccoon. Padlock your latches.

Sorry for your losses. Hope the suggestions help.

 

[AHappychick]

yep a coon, its those darn thumbs. Hardware cloth 1/2 inch down the bottom 3 feet minimum, and or hot wire

see my I hate coons thread, I lost 12 ducks in one night like that.

sorry for your loss. it will be back, set a trap and get ready to shoot.

 

[skeeter03]

Could it be a cougar (a young one) - I was informed the other day that there happens to be one about - makes me even more nervous now a coon i can walk to and club over the head if i have to but a cougar is a whole other ball game