All Gone...

[NewchickNanna]

so, I was driving you all crazy posting about gender questions and what to with all the Roos I ended up with. I’m new at this and had a total of 12 chicks, some older than the others.
They were all doing well, but 6 of them started crowing at about 5 to 8 weeks. I actually found a home for all 6 Roos.
I went out to check on the rest the next morning and the were all dead..slaughtered!. No cat did this..they had been eaten. Feathers and empty carcasses everywhere
That night I saw 2 huge raccoons sitting on my deck laughing at me.
After spending a day moaning and grieving I decided I am not done. I am trying again. Bought 6 more day old chicks that are in my sewing room while I fix where they got in. After a really bad rain storm, part of the coop roof gave in. The hole had been made larger.
I actually saved the little roos’ lives by giving them away. I feel so bad,
Rebuilding taking place..

 

[Trux]

Sorry for your loss, but you did learn a lesson. Make that coop like Fort Knox when you fix it. Make sure the door to the run can't be manipulated by those little bandits, and is lockable, and you should be fine

 

[AngryMidget271]

Agreed, Trux. Nighttime=predators. Here’s what I have...roofing tiles and exterior paint applied too prevent weathering and rot (which is inevitable). Exterior slide locks and inside coop has a slide door. Backyard has a privacy fence, but I know those critters get in. A barking dog doesn’t hurt hahahahaha

 

[NewchickNanna]

Thank you. I had if all secure except one spot in the roof. I was building it around a 10 x 12 dog kennel. The whole thing, including the top was covered with hardware cloth. I put at tarp over the top to protect it from the rain. But the storm and rain was too heavy. The tarp was bulging with water and broke through the join between the hardware cloth sections. They would have been safer without the tarp, now that I think about it. They coul have gone inside the little coop to keep dry.

Okay, hindsight.
I’m moving on and will make it stronger. And those little bandits are dead, if I see them again.

 

[Unobtanium]

I'm a fan of hotwire at this point. I feel that coons are probers. Hotwire prevents probing beyond the wire. This reduces the likelihood of breaches.

 

[abraga]

Now that the coons know where to find an easy meal they will always be back! Might want to trap them..2 coons means there are more than two! I have it all..coyote, fox, coons, posuum, hawks, etc. We literally have to put our flock into lock down at night. Sorry for your loss. We once had a ginormous possum that took two chickens at a time. He got about 20 birds b4 we caught him n a trap. That was back in the day when we just let chickens freerange and live in the trees...

 

[fatcatx]

Sorry for the sad challenges. At least it happened early and not just as they were starting to lay. Chicken keeping can be tough at times.

Raccoons are wicked smart and persistent so I would do everything you can to make your coop impenetrable at night.

 

[Trux]

Thank you. I had if all secure except one spot in the roof. I was building it around a 10 x 12 dog kennel. The whole thing, including the top was covered with hardware cloth. I put at tarp over the top to protect it from the rain. But the storm and rain was too heavy. The tarp was bulging with water and broke through the join between the hardware cloth sections. They would have been safer without the tarp, now that I think about it. They coul have gone inside the little coop to keep dry.

Okay, hindsight.
I’m moving on and will make it stronger. And those little bandits are dead, if I see them again.

where you seam that hardware cloth...use hog rings to stitch the seam and overlap it 1 or 2 squares. They make different sizes of hog rings so not sure what your using as far as hardware cloth but normally peeps use 1/2 inch. Even better if you can use a 2x4 to cover the seam and screw or fence staple it to the 2x4

 

[Trux]

View attachment 1394710 Agreed, Trux. Nighttime=predators. Here’s what I have...roofing tiles and exterior paint applied too prevent weathering and rot (which is inevitable). Exterior slide locks and inside coop has a slide door. Backyard has a privacy fence, but I know those critters get in. A barking dog doesn’t hurt hahahahaha

AHHHH a TSC special, lol. I have one of those and I use it for a grow out and breeder coop. I have used it pretty much non-stop since I got it, but when the lull comes it is getting reinforcement in areas ...like where the hardware cloth is attached, and about a 3 or 4 inch board around the bottom to keep the litter in the pen, the little ones get pretty wild and scratch the shavings right out of the pen. I am also going to change out those slide locks for ones I can put a small clip through, just to be on the safe side. I also took a small piece of rod and made a lock for the inside slider, just lay it in the track so it cant be pulled open by little paws

 

[Trux]

Sorry for the sad challenges. At least it happened early and not just as they were starting to lay. Chicken keeping can be tough at times.

Raccoons are wicked smart and persistent so I would do everything you can to make your coop impenetrable at night.

You are spot on, when I lived in Reno we had a little patio area where we had a very small pond. The girlfriend put snails in it to keep it clean, and then goldfish as well...along with some water plants. Well she went to work and I went out to water plants and I notice some of the water plants out of the pond and they had been munched on, and some of the fish were missing. Well 2 nights later the dog was growling so threw on the porch light and the coon scooted under the deck. we both went out and sat there staring it down as it peaked out from under the deck. Eventually it got brave enough to come out, and in a most defiant act plopped it arse in the pond and ate fish right in front of us. No more fish in the pond...or snails...or plants