Can weasels get through welded wire?

[Nicole01]

Can weasels get through welded wire if I left the door open at night? I have the coop inside my garage and the run along side the house. It's too late to change to hardware cloth, we already bought and installed the welded wire last year. Here's the size of the wire. What do you think?

Also, should I have hubby install a ceiling fan or a big metal fan in the coop this year? What works better?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

A weasel can easily get through that welded wire. It's always best to simply close up your coop door at night. I've seen many very expensive runs built to be predator proof but personally believe the cost is unwarranted if you close up the coop each night.

 

[Nicole01]

Okay, thanks. We'll have to install a good fan. I like the big silver ones, but I'm not sure if it's too strong for my 12x4x9 coop. We would mount it on the wall or install a ceiling fan. I have no idea what works best.

 

[DamselinFlannel]

Yes, a weasel can get in easily. I agree with Egg_Head Jr., just make sure you have your ladies locked up for the night, and you won't have any problems. That's the easiest way to ensure their safety.

I think it's hard making a run 100 percent predator proof. I have three of the large chain link dog pens. I use two for my Marans, and one for my rabbits. My rabbit pen had a little Orpington hen, because she was getting picked on by the others. I had figured those pens were pretty safe because of how sturdy they were, the chain link is all wired down, etc.

A dog came along during the day while I was at work and actually ripped the chain link fencing off the frame (you could see the blood were he bit through the fence) and busted through the small opening and killed my hen . I couldn't believe it. I was very glad my grandpa happened to be around and saw whose dog it was.

 

[DamselinFlannel]

By the way, how much ventilation does your coop get? It is actually inside your shed? You might want a fan.... Our big coop has several large windows, covered with hardware cloth, but I'm still worried about this summer. We will probably put a box fan or something in it somewhere if it starts getting too hot.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Weasels are very nimble and agressive hunters. They have a reputation for killing more than they can eat in one sitting. The weasel can squeaze through a hole with a diameter that is just a bit bigger than the size of its skull. In most cases this would be a hole around the size of a quarter. A 2x4 welded wire fence will offer no resistance to the attentions of a weasel.

 

[Nicole01]

By the way, how much ventilation does your coop get? It is actually inside your shed? You might want a fan.... Our big coop has several large windows, covered with hardware cloth, but I'm still worried about this summer. We will probably put a box fan or something in it somewhere if it starts getting too hot.

We built a room inside our garage. It has 12 square feet ventilation at the very top, plus a full size door. It's very dry on the most humid days. We have zero windows since we could not and did not want to cut through our house. Our coop is 100% predator proof when we shut our steel door nightly and lock it. I keep the coop and run very clean. I'm out there cleaning the poop 2-5 times everyday. My neighbor is always commenting how clean I keep my coop. She, herself has a flock of chickens. Our coop is always 10 degrees cooler then outside. We have a wireless thermometer to keep an eye on the temp.

Last summer I brought my flock inside the house on the hottest days. I have a very nice set up for them in the basement. I free range in the woods during the day and bring them in at night from the heat relief. The box fan I was using wasn't up to my standards. We put a lot of money into making our run cool by adding a corrugated roof and side paneling. We planted trees for shading, which 3 didn't make it. This year we will try it again planting trees. We are installing fans on the wall/ceiling, so our girls can't knock it over. We keep a light on inside the coop during the daylight hours.

Here's my run, but it's covered in plastic for the winter. We heated the run and coop, so they had plenty of space in the winter for my 8 hens.

 

[3forfree]

I had a weasel chew through a plywood door and enter my pigeon coop and kill everything. I don't think anything can be completely predator proof, you just have to live and learn.

 

[Nicole01]

I had a weasel chew through a plywood door and enter my pigeon coop and kill everything. I don't think anything can be completely predator proof, you just have to live and learn.

I have a fireproof steel door with a concrete floor. Nothing can get through there.

 

[Zany Chick]

That's discouraging