Coons -- big discussion in the family

[aprophet]

Quote:
between selling the fur and the meat I averaged 15-25$ per coon last year

 

[Oldfort_mailman]

I dont think its possible to completely coon proof a brooder pen or coop or a run with just hardware cloth. The coon can get its paw through half in by half in hardware cloth. The chickens see the paw and get curious because of the moving fingers. Then the coon grabs the chicken and while it may not get the whole chicken out through the hole a chicken with only one leg or no toes on one leg is going to have to be destroyed. If you dont believe me, pm me and i will give you my phone number and you can talk to my wife about how our little turkeys which were a month old had the skin from their legs eaten and toes removed and some had their scalps removed through the hardware cloth. They also got a polish that was almost grown. In my opinion, hardware cloth is completely worthless without putting electrified wire outside it. With hardware cloth before electricity the coons were up to thirty dead turkeys and birds this year. After electricity, we havent lost the first bird or toe. However, we have had the privilege of hearing some coons and feral cats scream when meeting mr. 6,000 volt wire.

 

[sab]

So as a newbie to chicken raising - I am gathering that I should not spend effort in trapping as a preventative measure - only as a defensive measure once attacked. I should spend time & $$ shoring up the coop and electrifying the perameter. How many inches off the ground?? Will a 3 in elec fence do the job? What keeps them from stepping over it?

 

[theFox]

Quote:
An electric fence should always have multiple strands, that way if something steps over the lower strand it hits a higher strand.

Always make your coop and run as secure as possible.

Having a trap set isn't a bad idea if you know you have predators visiting the lot, they don't have to attack first.

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
I think it actually depends on the style of your run. If your birds are sitting on the cloth directly, you may need electric or a double wall of hardware cloth seperated by 6" or more to prevent pulling through. If you have a large run and the hardware cloth is used as a skirt buried to revent digging, its a great deterrant. Also, a sturdy wooden sleeping area within an enclosed run of hardware cloth can prevent most "pull through" injuries and deaths. But if you can't do that, the electric is good.