Coyote-proof coop?

[maryhysong]

Unfortunately my area has coyotes that are out during the day. Even though I lock my flock up each night, I had one yesterday take out a rooster and a hen in broad daylight just around 1:00pm. Don't know what to do because I would like to continue letting the flock out to roam during the day.

6' weld wire fence, with several strands of electric on the outside and if you can manage tall enough posts add some more above the weld wire. Put the bottom electric wire as close to the ground as you can so help prevent things from digging under. So far so good here, tho coyote did get a bird that had flown over the fence, so far has not gotten into the pens

 

[k4eqh]

I build all my pens and coops to be coyote proof......so far I have not had any trouble out of them except occaisonal poop
in the driveway, while they were passing through....all my pens are 6 foot 12 1/2 gauge "dog wire" available at your local
co-op...and then I line the inside of the pen with 20 gauge 1 inch chicken wire ......between the two of them, it keeps the
local birds out and the coyotes and dogs.....in the day time...........you need to back it up with a 12 gauge with double 00 buck
one in front of, one in the middle and one in the rear will work real good....it makes them have a tummy ache and they will
go away rethinking where they were........................good luck....................................k4eqh..............zip

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The portable coop that I build will keep out coyote's..... Finally, the welded wire keeps them out because they cannot tear or break it....

Unfortunately all a big strong K9 needs to do is to break the welds on a couple of vertical and horizontal cross wires and their into your hens like Flyn

consider no-climb horse fence instead of welded wire.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/horse-fence-72-in-x-100-ft

 

[J in SoCal]

I know this is gonna sound weird BUT, I have 2 put bulls and a German short haired pointer that protect my chicken and quail. I've never had anything get my birds. Although I have a large population of red tailed hawks living close by. I encourage my local crow population to hand around. The crows keep the hawks away.

 

[4 the Birds]

I know this is gonna sound weird BUT, I have 2 put bulls and a German short haired pointer that protect my chicken and quail. I've never had anything get my birds. Although I have a large population of red tailed hawks living close by. I encourage my local crow population to hand around. The crows keep the hawks away.

Not weird at all... Your dogs will mark areas in your yard to declare their territory and coyotes will stay clear. Aerial predators also stay clear with the goats in with the chickens. We have over 20 acres with a fenced perimeter that coyotes can get over occasionally but they always yelp and cry when they get anywhere near the house or chicken area. They pick up the scent of the dogs and leave. It also helps that the dog pens are located next to the goat/chicken pen that house. 4 of our dogs live outside year round and the dogs have fully insulated houses and thermostatically controlled hound heaters.

We have free ranged for years and never lost a chicken due to a predator. The free range area should have a solid fence perimeter and fully enclose the run with sturdy fence/wire mesh to keep coyotes at bay.

 

[k4eqh]

Sounds like a good idea to me......I may try that other kind of wirre from Tractor Supply.....even though its $250.00 per 100 ft......I pay $112.00 for the 100 ft dog wire and then coat it on
the inside with chicken wire at $145.00 per 150 ft roll.....so I guess it would be about the same price per 100 and a lot easier to put up.....The reason I use the chicken wire is to keep the
wild birds out, because they ALL carry mites and such.....that would be my only loss there.....................good suggestion though.................thankx................k4eqh......zip

 

[Jcbdc]

I like to use chain link dog run fence. Most of my panels were free or very cheep. Look around for old dog kennels and knock on the door. I also watch the ads in the paper, most of the time I can get them very cheap.

 

[Magpie1]

I added what I call a "Bert skirt" to protect the chicken tractor from the neighbors dog, Bert. It consists of length of chicken wire nailed to the bottom outside of the coop/run and secured to the bottom edge with 1x1's. These pieces lay on the ground and are anchored to the ground. (You can use wood or brick, etc. or actual tent stakes--just be careful they can be seen.) There is another piece on the outside of the nest box. The chicken wire is cut so there are sharp edges (the openings are cut in 1/2 along the length). When the dog paws and scratches at the coop he gets a pretty raw deal. (This one went home with a scratched up nose and paws, didn't bother it again.) I also use temporary hotnet fencing (from Premier) with a solar charger for free-ranging which is a deterrent not an absolute and somewhat expensive to set up. The coyotes are hunting right now to get ready for winter so all bets are off on them. I lock my chickens into the chicken tractor and/or coop every night. While I was writing this the dog spotted a coyote hunting the chicken; it was noon. You might want to get a gun if you can shoot. Usually the guys at the sporting goods stores are pretty knowledgeable.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Already got some good ideas from the post, but I can't use electric fence.

Why not? A lot of people come on saying that because they don't understand how it actually works.



As to coyotes hopping fences - coyotes almost never 'jump over' a fence. They jump up, hang off the fence and pull themselves up. This can be entirely stopped with a single hot wire.

 

[KelsT]

The portable coop that I build will keep out coyote's. The bottom 24" is enclosed so that when they start digging they loose sight of the prey, then they pop their head back up to make sure the prey has not moved. They do this every few seconds and finally frustrate themselves. Even if they were to continue digging they will have to dig their entire body depth and length because they cannot wedge this coop up like they can do a fence. Finally, the welded wire keeps them out because they cannot tear or break it. This coop is 6x14 and serves as a total habitat for chickens, run and elevated house. By moving forward every 2-3 days you eliminate odor, manure buildup, mud, and you give them fresh grass, bugs, weed, seed and other free range benefits. Check out our facebook page for more pictures.

What size and gage is that welded wire?