At my breaking point

[chickengeorgeto]

Give a description, ideally with pictures, showing where birds roost and likely points of access to roosting area. Hopefully, you are dealing with a fox based on what you have described thus far. Even with raccoons, you can sequentially up the protections denying your predators access without breaking your back or the bank.

An electric fence charger, electric fence wire and insulators will with proper application halt most land based predators.

 

[centrarchid]

I am thinking about being 8 months pregnant trying to do some quick work to save flock.

 

[Folly's place]

I also think that electric fencing would be easiest. Step-in posts, a good charger, and some time spent.
So sorry for your losses!
Mary

 

[RWise]

First, congrats, and take care of the little one first! (and yourself of course). I have lost birds manly to dogs and cats, the electric fence is lite, goes in fast, can be solar powered, but will not stop all predators. I would do that and Fort Knox the coop.

 

[cottontail farm]

That was supposed to be part of the post below, sorry.

 

[cottontail farm]

Wow, i'm so touched by all the support here. Thanks so much everyone! I love BYC!

Here's an update. After I had a good cry (lol) and calmed down we re-evaluated things and came up with a couple of things that I think will help.

People mentioned covering the pen.
It's way too big to do that. I'm bad with estimating this stuff but by the fencing we've bought over the years I think it is about 75x50? Maybe bigger? It's an odd shape. The back corner of it is right up against a very overgrown part of the property which is a HUGE part of the problem: the stupid raccoons are probably using the blackberries and sumac to just go over the fence.
Electric fencing is absolutely in the future but will have to be next spring or this fall when we have more time and can clear a perimeter. My dad has one for his apiary that he likes and can help us set one up.
Birds I have left: a group of young bantams in the prefab coop, 5 hens and my pet rooster, 2 ducks and 4 geese. I did have about an hour when I considered rehoming everyone but then came to my senses.
The bantams are totally secure and the chickens get locked up at night the problem is really just where to put the waterfowl. I had a runner duck drake once that would charge raccoons and was naive to think that the geese would protect a flock. Obviously not.
So, here's the plan. You can see in the picture that my coop is elevated. There's about 25 inches there and then probably another 10 under in because of the way it's built - about 3 feet total space. Footprint is 4x8. It occurred to me that I could just box this whole area in with hardware cloth and a staple gun, add just a door and house the waterfowl in there overnight. Does this sound ok? The white things in the picture are just feed sacks stapled there for shade.

I also ordered one of those huge havaheart traps that you can fit a pony in. We had been using smaller ones but from my gamecamera the raccoons are just too big. It will be Thursday. Do we agree the way i described the attacks it sounds like raccoons? Or could it be our foxes?
What does everyone think?

 

[centrarchid]

A hot wire setup can be placed in run as a stop gap measure. Predator will still be able to get in run but can be zapped when trying to get to coop / pen opening. Can you post a picture of your run making so we can also see path predator takes to coop / pen opening?

 

[Folly's place]

Your plan sounds good, as an emergency measure.
Trapping raccoons works pretty well, as long as you shoot each one you trap. Foxes are much more difficult to catch in a live trap, but it's worth trying.
Having a smaller covered safe run will help, for these situations. The larger run isn't safe enough, although electric fencing will be a huge help.
I remember eight month pregnant. Pretty awful! Do keep yourself doing as well as possible first, and then see if you can cadge help out there.
Mary

 

[cottontail farm]

A hot wire setup can be placed in run as a stop gap measure. Predator will still be able to get in run but can be zapped when trying to get to coop / pen opening. Can you post a picture of your run making so we can also see path predator takes to coop / pen opening?

It never occurred to me to put it INSIDE the run. That is brilliant. How much of a space between the fence and electric fence do you think?

 

[cottontail farm]

Your plan sounds good, as an emergency measure.
Trapping raccoons works pretty well, as long as you shoot each one you trap. Foxes are much more difficult to catch in a live trap, but it's worth trying.
Having a smaller covered safe run will help, for these situations. The larger run isn't safe enough, although electric fencing will be a huge help.
I remember eight month pregnant. Pretty awful! Do keep yourself doing as well as possible first, and then see if you can cadge help out there.
Mary

Thanks Mary! I really don't mind being pregnant I just feel huge and useless. Both of my pregnancies have really put a dent in my gardening and fishing time.