Hi all! We are about to get to work on our coop and I wanted to double check the security of our plan. I know you all are pretty good at this stuff so if you wouldn't mind letting us know what you think?
We can't turn it into Fort knox because we are doing this on a tight budget, but we want to do the best we can with what we have.
For starters, the coop is going to be against one side of our house, outside of my bedroom, and inside our small yard. The yard is fenced with a 4 foot high 2x2 inch wire fence. The place is rented so we cannot change the outside fence, we are just focusing on the coop area instead.
Our plan is to do a hoop coop (cattle panels), with a solid wood back that will be blocking one section of fence... it gets narrow there and we measured it, so the coop back should cover that angle, which is one of the most likely approach angles for a predator.
The coop will have wire flooring, probably the same 2x2 as the fence because its on hand and free. The front non-tarp section of the coop will have hardware cloth of course.
The coop and run will be under a nice, huge gauva tree... good for Florida summer temps. To the right of the coop (looking at it) will be the house wall, to the left will be the fence. We will bury a wire apron around the two fence sections there. At the front of the coop the yard expands and we will have a small outside run there. We are going to put up netting, the tree is well shaped to be the main support for the netting... and if anything were to climb the tree it would need to be inside the chciken yard first OR be able to get up on the roof of our house. We were thinking of an optional cover instead of net, to be more of that same 2x2 wire... but it will be a challenge to get that arranged and supported properly.
We feel more secure about the coop having it right on the house like that.... but heres the reason for our concern.... Coyotes.
There are no chickens on this property yet but the coyotes are here. Like I said, we are renting a house here, but the rest of the place is a 600 acre horse farm. It used to be a wildlife sanctuary back in the 40's, so the place is run-down and the winding design leaves tons of woodsey areas with old fences (they are all chain link) with holes in them or under them and trees growing through them. LOL
The landlady has trappers out for the coyotes but as she says, it's maitenance more than eradication. There are more woods areas outside of the farm so they just go under the fence and escape when they feel hunted. In January the trappers caught and killed one... about two weeks ago they caught six in one weekend. For several days after the howling was up in intensity at night and I found tracks near the horse barns... I wondered if they were all searching for their friends.
Anyway, our landladys house is near to ours, she has a Great dane and an Aussie, and we have 2 Jack Russells... so we are hoping the dog smell will help with the coyote thing.
We also have a large, very beautiful, hawk or falcon hunting bird that loves the area. Im not sure what it is, it had a golden breast and black and white spotted wings, with black and white striped tail. It is very big and makes whooshing sounds when it flies into the pasture Im in (it seems to like me LOL). There were some missing cats at the next farm and I was out in another pasture one day, and I noticed one of the tall pines had a bush underit with lots of white marks all over it.. I went to have a look and it was bird poo, all over the place, and at the footof the pine, the remains if a dead white cat.
THEN there is also a very cute mother racoon that had 3 little ones with it this winter, walking all over the farm.
So we are not short on predators, but we desperately want to have chickens, and we are hoping that right next to the house, with the dog smell, and as much wire as we have, will be enough to keep all safe.
Thoughts?? (Please don't advise buying a castle with moat, too much money in that!
)
We can't turn it into Fort knox because we are doing this on a tight budget, but we want to do the best we can with what we have.
For starters, the coop is going to be against one side of our house, outside of my bedroom, and inside our small yard. The yard is fenced with a 4 foot high 2x2 inch wire fence. The place is rented so we cannot change the outside fence, we are just focusing on the coop area instead.
Our plan is to do a hoop coop (cattle panels), with a solid wood back that will be blocking one section of fence... it gets narrow there and we measured it, so the coop back should cover that angle, which is one of the most likely approach angles for a predator.
The coop will have wire flooring, probably the same 2x2 as the fence because its on hand and free. The front non-tarp section of the coop will have hardware cloth of course.
The coop and run will be under a nice, huge gauva tree... good for Florida summer temps. To the right of the coop (looking at it) will be the house wall, to the left will be the fence. We will bury a wire apron around the two fence sections there. At the front of the coop the yard expands and we will have a small outside run there. We are going to put up netting, the tree is well shaped to be the main support for the netting... and if anything were to climb the tree it would need to be inside the chciken yard first OR be able to get up on the roof of our house. We were thinking of an optional cover instead of net, to be more of that same 2x2 wire... but it will be a challenge to get that arranged and supported properly.
We feel more secure about the coop having it right on the house like that.... but heres the reason for our concern.... Coyotes.
There are no chickens on this property yet but the coyotes are here. Like I said, we are renting a house here, but the rest of the place is a 600 acre horse farm. It used to be a wildlife sanctuary back in the 40's, so the place is run-down and the winding design leaves tons of woodsey areas with old fences (they are all chain link) with holes in them or under them and trees growing through them. LOL
The landlady has trappers out for the coyotes but as she says, it's maitenance more than eradication. There are more woods areas outside of the farm so they just go under the fence and escape when they feel hunted. In January the trappers caught and killed one... about two weeks ago they caught six in one weekend. For several days after the howling was up in intensity at night and I found tracks near the horse barns... I wondered if they were all searching for their friends.
Anyway, our landladys house is near to ours, she has a Great dane and an Aussie, and we have 2 Jack Russells... so we are hoping the dog smell will help with the coyote thing.
We also have a large, very beautiful, hawk or falcon hunting bird that loves the area. Im not sure what it is, it had a golden breast and black and white spotted wings, with black and white striped tail. It is very big and makes whooshing sounds when it flies into the pasture Im in (it seems to like me LOL). There were some missing cats at the next farm and I was out in another pasture one day, and I noticed one of the tall pines had a bush underit with lots of white marks all over it.. I went to have a look and it was bird poo, all over the place, and at the footof the pine, the remains if a dead white cat.
THEN there is also a very cute mother racoon that had 3 little ones with it this winter, walking all over the farm.
So we are not short on predators, but we desperately want to have chickens, and we are hoping that right next to the house, with the dog smell, and as much wire as we have, will be enough to keep all safe.
Thoughts?? (Please don't advise buying a castle with moat, too much money in that!
)
I forgot to say that they would be locked in the coop at night and only be allowed to browse in our yard with supervision, and that when our younger kitty is inside... she is a feorcious hunter for sure, so because of her alone we knew we couldn't let them roam much... shes already scared off all the squirrels, killed 3 moles, grasshoppers, and a bird, and the local rats feld for their lives when she started her hunting, back to the barns they went ... so at least our feed sources should be secure (and I have a locking can). 
