Beginner chicken owner

[chickins43]

hello and welcome
perhaps you can start a thread with the title coyote rollers do they work? In the predators and pests forum. not everyone reads the introductions, but your title there could catch the right person’s attention.

Great idea! Thanks!

 

[Burnt Brass Homestead]

Hi @chickins43

Sorry for your loss.

Welcome!

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. Thank's for sharing the Beautiful picture's! And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska.

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello and welcome to BYC.

 

[Tookie]

We are pretty sure it was a coyote because we saw foot prints that looked like a canine print in the area of attack. We live in Las Vegas so we don’t have any raccoons here but maybe bobcat or mountain lion. We are kind of out by the mountains and there is some desert around us although it is all getting developed now. I have seen coyote in our area before and I have heard they can jump 6ft walls and have seen video of it but didn’t think our 8 ft wall they could get over. Our chickens were in our backyard free ranging, and when it happened we were not home at the time. We think they could’ve gotten over one of the areas our wall that is only 6ft high. Whatever it was only left pieces of a few of them and then just killed the other two but didn’t eat it. My husband is going to build and install coyote rollers on the “shorter” areas of our walls and gates and we are going to build a run to keep them in when we are not home and able to keep an eye on them when they free range. I will definitely have to look into the hardware cloth for our enclosure for sure!

Ah, okay. Guess it's not a raccoon then! Hopefully you won't have predator issues again.
Definitely use hardware cloth, it's the best! It can be pricy though.

 

[Debbie292d]

Ah, okay. Guess it's not a raccoon then! Hopefully you won't have predator issues again.
Definitely use hardware cloth, it's the best! It can be pricy though.

We had shopped around for it when we recently bought some for a temp coop pen. We found the best deal we could for 1/2" hardware cloth x 3' x 100' on Amazon $109 and have about half of it left. We'll use some of it to strengthen concrete instead of rebar when we put in a patio next year.

 

[Tookie]

We had shopped around for it when we recently bought some for a temp coop pen. We found the best deal we could for 1/2" hardware cloth x 3' x 100' on Amazon $109 and have about half of it left. We'll use some of it to strengthen concrete instead of rebar when we put in a patio next year.

A couple weeks ago I actually got 1/2" x 48" x 100' hardware cloth on Amazon warehouse for $100, best deal I could find. It was in "Acceptable" condition, but it's fine and not really damaged.

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. I agree with everyone who suggests 1/2 inch hardware cloth. When you are away, or not immediately available both physically or audibly, they need to be in a 1/2 inch hardware cloth enclosure that has 1/2 inch hardware cloth on walls, and ceiling, and a hardware cloth apron (when you fasten the hardware cloth to the bottom and then run it out 18-24 inches on the ground - the perimeter - to protect from digging predators). As an example, my chickens have a 18x8 coop that is 18-inches off the ground plus hardware cloth between the coop and the ground and an apron. My run for when I am gone has a hard top, hardware cloth sides and a hardware cloth apron. It is 20x30. I have gates that close it off to where the chickens are most of the time because I work at home and rarely go anywhere. After the gate, they have a 40x65 foot area that is basically my backyard. It has 1/2 inch hardware cloth walls, and hawk netting. This is the area they are in when we are immediately available.