Concerned About the Time Change

[Lady J]

I have a guillotine style door where they go in/out of their house. The other pic is a broader view of their house. The guillotine door is on the opposite side from this camera angle. Anyway...is there an automatic opener for my existing door at a reasonable price?

 

[Lady J]

I did a little more securing of areas where there were suspicious scratches about eye level on an exterior support post that a coon could easily climb and possibly enter the pen through the ceiling rafters. Each time I woke up throughout the night to look at the chickie cam, I did not see a coon at the feeder nor did any loud noises coming from the pen wake me up. I can usually hear and/or see when a coon is in the pen. Maybe I am making progress and am getting close to permanently evicting them. I hope so!

 

[llombardo]

I did a little more securing of areas where there were suspicious scratches about eye level on an exterior support post that a coon could easily climb and possibly enter the pen through the ceiling rafters. Each time I woke up throughout the night to look at the chickie cam, I did not see a coon at the feeder nor did any loud noises coming from the pen wake me up. I can usually hear and/or see when a coon is in the pen. Maybe I am making progress and am getting close to permanently evicting them. I hope so!

I was noticing stuff like zip ties broken. At first I thought I was crazy, but after looking closely I could see where they were working to get in. They were close, but I also had bolts there too. So I added more bolts and ran and got vents for the inside of the duck house to add to the hardware cloth. They seemed to be concentrating on the duck side. There I was drilling at 10 at night in the dark with a flashlight. Two days later I went to throw poop out in my poop bag out there and everything falls out, they ate the bottom of the bag. I ordered an electric fence a hour after that one. When. Was putting up the electric fence and got to the gate and there was dried blood and scratch marks. I sat there staring at, thinking oh my God. Luckily when I put the gate up I thought about the gaps and I wrapoed hardware cloth with the sharpest sides coming out. That was enough to cut whatever it was up.

I am considering running some electric fence around the inside of the enclosure around the coop and duck house, but I have to be able to disconnect it during the day.

So yes, be aware of the small things. Trust your gut if something is off and fix it immediately. The battle is never ending.

 

[llombardo]

I have a guillotine style door where they go in/out of their house. The other pic is a broader view of their house. The guillotine door is on the opposite side from this camera angle. Anyway...is there an automatic opener for my existing door at a reasonable price?

Is the coop enclosdd in a run? Have you thought about an electric fence? I never considered one, because of the dogs, but I'm glad I got it. Almost every dog has been zapped and only a couple went back a second time, there was no third time.

 

[Lady J]

It is enclosed. I have thought about it. I want to avoid it if at all possible. Might have to reconsider at some point.

8.21.18: No obvious sign of coon presence in pen. Still looking positive.

 

[WthrLady]

Game cameras are awesome, but with the price dropping of smart security cameras that trigger with motion and have night vision, we have switched over. Now we are alerted at night, right to the smart phones, when there is activity and can take care of it immediately.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Years ago I had a home made guillotine style automatic door.... I had a diamond steel door and a drapery puller motor.I built it on a board, with tracks and a steel cable with lead sinker counterweights and I put the board up vertically in the hole where the door was. I had no run, just a box coop. If I understand you, you want to secure the coop because the run is being invaded. I set the door to come down after a time I knew the chickens would be in. You have to reset the timer as the days get shorter. They make some now, commercially, that have light sensors. It worked well once it was all set up but I finally built a run and don't use it any more. It is still in there. Nothing ever got trapped outside and nothing ever got past it to get into the coop. (the steel door was heavy)

 

[Lady J]

Well, I am cautiously optimistic I have evicted coons from the pen. However, I have traded coons for rats. Ugh! Will it never end??? I put out rat traps and the bait has attracted fire ants by the thousands! I can barely go into the pen without getting stung on my feet and ankles. What is my solution for that? If it's not one thing it's another.

I have to say, watching the rat on the live chickie cam was fascinating. The rat would free fall from the ceiling rafters onto/into the feeder. After a couple of seconds it would leap straight up back into the rafters. I had no idea rats could jump so incredibly high! It was insane!

 

[Aceoky]

Coons are getting into their "secure" run right now. The fix is not going to be easy due to the open rafter configuration of the ceiling. Thanks for the words of advice.

Surround the area with a good & properly installed electric fence to change the coons minds about your chicks ?

 

[All Ball]

For the ants, you could try putting the bait in a moat - ants can't get across water, but it wouldn't stop the rats.

I have chickens that backyard free range during the day and sleep in a mini coop.

For security, the coop is raised on wheels so preds can't dig in, and it is all plywood/hardware cloth, one door with a key lock, and a thick lucite guillotine door now with auto door. I have never had a break-in. I agree with everyone else that hardware cloth is a gift from the heavens.

I love the auto door (ChickenGuard, which used to be much cheaper...), it has settings for timer or light, but I agree a dawdling girl can get locked out (just happened), and I understand the risk that an early pred could get in.

I always worried that a pred could paw open the door, but I have not seen anyone report that on here.

It's great you have the cam to learn the routines of your local preds. Mine don't seem to operate early, and that helps to inform my choices.