Can a coon get though field fence?

[gophert]

Second coon question of the day.

I have a Catwaba chicken ark, like these:

http://catawbacoops.com/the-catawba-converticoop-chicken-coop-image-gallery.html

It has a ramp which gets pulled up at night, sealing the chickens in very well. We of course do this every night and open it up every morning.

We will be gone for one night this weekend. I have someone coming during the day to feed and water the chickens, but do not want to ask her to get up at the crack of dawn to lower the ramp so the girls can get out of their small enclosed roost area. It may be hot and it could be dangerous to leave them there till a reasonable hour.

Our plan was to leave the ramp down while we're gone and to move the ark onto a large concrete patio and also wedge it in with cinder blocks. The thing is HEAVY--a raccoon will not be able to push it off the patio. That way no one can dig in/under and get them.

But can a coon chew its way in through the field fence? It is very well secured--I seriously doubt it could be pried.

 

[TigerLilly]

What a coon cant chew through, open with their hands or crawl/climb over, it will tear up. Field fence will not keep a coon out.

 

[KandiandJerry]

Quote:
X2 and can't stress this enough....

 

[bobbi-j]

Not exactly sure what "field fence" is, but if it's chicken wire, a coon will get through it. Any chance of replacing or reinforcing it with hardware cloth?

 

[9gerianMile]

Yes, a coon can climb, dig under, or squeeze through woven/welded field fence. If you have a coon problem, the best solution is to shoot/trap it. You're not going to make a completely coon-proof pen without significant time, money, and energy.

 

[gophert]

It will not be able to climb over it, pull it off, or dig under it to get to them. The design of the coop doesn't allow that. Field fence is 2" x 3", MUCH thicker than chicken wire. Actually is thicker than hardware cloth, I think, but the holes are much larger. The chickens will be up top in the ark at night and not accessible UNLESS a coon can actually chew through this fence.

This is field fence:

http://www.fencetraders.com/chain-l...rm-and-field-fence-1047-6-11-3/prod_3632.html

 

[remuda1]

A coon would not be able to actually chew through the fence. The danger is that if one or more of your girls dies NOT go to roost but stays close enough to the fence that a coon can reach through and grab it, it will tear it to pieces pulling it through the fence to eat it. That being said, what the other posters said is true...... If there is any weak point, slight gap, whatever, the coon will take advantage.

 

[gophert]

They all go to roost very reliably, so that doesn't concern me. BUT if a coon was out prowling at dawn/dusk, they might not be upstairs yet (probably not--they go up rather early) or could be already down, I guess.

I realize I should probably replace the field fence with hardware cloth. The coop design does call for field fence for some reason. (I did not build the coop.)

 

[Chemguy]

I think that what you call field fence, others might call welded wire fencing. As has been said, a raccoon could get through it. But, that would take quite a bit of time if the fencing is in good condition. One trick would be to attach hardware cloth to the outside of the fencing. This would not only provide two layers of protection, but would also make it impossible for a raccoon to reach through the spaces in the fencing. Hardware cloth can be attached to fencing using "J" clips. These are available in feed stores in the area where rabbit cages are located.

 

[Lollipop]

A reasonably mature coon will squeeze through field fence, or climb over, or find a way, no matter what. Sounds like the only way you will be convinced is for you to take your chances and hope for the best. Ya gotta realize that coons sometimes travel in families and thereby the group has various sized members. Coons kill for fun as well as food and will kill every chicken, if given the chance. With nobody home to hear the ruckus, you could come home to a real mess. Of course there is also the chance that no coon will happen by on that particular night. Good luck.........Pop