Can raccoons get through 2 x 4 inch welded wire?

[pumpmom]

I've almost completed a raised garden bed chicken run and coop. It's a PVC frame with removable cattle panel sides and solid roof. The lightweight coop I purchased from CCOnly is waterproofed, covered, and enclosed within the run. The unit can be disassembled and moved to the next raised bed.

The only part I'm concerned about is the end closest to the coop - it is 8 x 8 inch cattle panel with 2 x 4 inch welded wire attached to it. I didn't covered it with galvanized chicken wire like I did the other panels. Can raccoons get through that 2 x 4 inch stuff?

 

[4 the Birds]

It looks pretty fortified since you have it double fenced with the cattle panels. The heavy duty kennel welded wire stuff is wonderful but the thin 16 guage welded wire fencing is not great. The welds can break pretty easy. You could add woven wire fence if you wish but you should be OK.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Racoons can get through galvanized chicken wire and the regular 14-16 gauge 2 x 4 wire, a big coon that knows what it is doing fairly easily. Chickens being dumb, I would worry about the coons reaching through the 2 x 4 wire and grabbing any chickens that did not go in the coop at night but stayed under or beside it by the wire.
It would also depend on what else you have protecting the yard, if you have a dog or two running around and predators will not be given a lot of time to work on a way in, you should be OK.

 

[MoonShadows]

You should be fine with the 2x4 welded wire.

 

[wlhtx]

I had a coon reach through 2x4 wire and grab one of my geese. Thankfully the goose was strong enough to get away, but his neck got seriously messed up.

He's healed up now, but has bad scars. I doubt a chicken would fare so well.

 

[wlhtx]

BTW, my chickens are currently penned at night in a large chain link dog run while we're building a new barn. You have to make do with what you have, but I did want to answer your question - which is yes, a coon can and will reach through that size wire.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I had a raccoon reach through wire and catch a chicken and kill and break it up piece by piece and haul it through the wire and eat it.

 

[pumpmom]

Chickens first night -- the 2 hens went inside the coop, the rooster made his way to the top of the coop but well away from the back edge with the 2 x 4 inch wire. Tomorrow I will chicken wire off their access to the coop roof area. Thanks for all your comments!

 

[aart]

My concern here would be that a raccoon can rip the chicken wire and fit thru the cattle panel.
Lock all the chooks in the coop at night.