Building a bear proof coop?

[silkiechicken]

Electric fence is what you need to deal with something that big.. biggest thing here is coons and humans.

And it's right, it's the amps that will normally do you in.

 

[donnap1967]

So you think he'll get over the 6' high wood fencing then?

 

[Brian]

Those chickens are too old for the brooder box. I hope you get a coop built ASAP. The chicks need to stretch their wings.

 

[mmajw]

Wooden fence and some barbed wire may work too. Put the wire on the fence and along the top and maybe even close to the ground by the base of the fence to deter anything from trying to climb.

 

[Josie]

In the mountains around us the black bears can tear open a car pretty easily. I would think a wood fence wouldn't be a huge deterrent for a bear .

Edited to add: and I have personally seen worse damage from a black bear to a car.

 

[DaveMN]

A bear could get over a fence but 6 feet is quite tall and it would take something very attractive (stinky garbage) to make it want to. more likely would be its walking around the fence and finding a weak spot to push in. i have a couple of slide bolts on the back door for the coop, one on the inside and one on the outside of the door. for my run i took one of those chain link 6x12 dog kennels and bolted it to the coop and used the left over 6 ' panel to make it into a 12x12 run. this keeps the fowl inside and the large animals out.

if you are really worried an electic fence with 3 wires might help but the ground needs to be moist and a long ground stake driven into the ground to get the most kick from it.

 

[Tutter]

Yes, I've seen pretty amazing bear damage, too. Both to items, and large animals.

And no, a full grown bear wouldn't bother to try to climb a high wooden fence normally, they will push it in, pull it over, or otherwise make a way in.

 

[donnap1967]

Quote:
I know

I take them out into the backyard everyday and sit out there with them so they get a chance to play and stretch and run around. I have them in a really large brooder box in the house the rest of the time, but I know they really need a coop.

If I can't convince my husband to let me keep them and build a coop very, very soon, I will have to find them a new home. It will be really sad for my daughter and I but I want to do what's best for the babies.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

We have bears, and I believe that, aside from a sturdy coop and run, the best deterrents are dogs; the more the merrier.

I totally agree with this! We have black bear around out 20 acres out in cetral WI and once we brought in our dogs they moved on out never to be seen again

they don't like the urine smell of the dogs at all. THey stay far away especially if they have baby cubs involved.

I remember my dad seeing a bear on our property years ago when I was young and he got two male dogs and would walk them around the property and that bear never came back.

Good luck!​

 

[donnap1967]

I was thinking the neighbor next door has a bunny in a flimsy rabbit hutch and the bear hasn't bothered him. They have a fenced yard too. I do have dogs so I guess that helps.

Over all, after much heartbreak and thought I decided that it might be best to find new homes for the chickens and give up trying to convince my husband to let me keep them for a lot of reasons

Thanks for all of the good advice. You are all a great group of people.

If anyone is in Northern NJ and might like them please see my post here .