I just finished building a 3-sided, open air coop/run combo for my first chickens (they're still inside in the brooder for now). I decided this style of coop would be best here in hot and humid North Carolina, since our winters are so mild but our summers are miserable. I've been all over this forum as I've built my coop and run to make sure I follow everyone's recommendations on how to make the whole enclosure as predator proof as possible. Our backyard is a forest. I've seen foxes, raccoons, snakes, and possums. I know that coyotes are native to the area, and I've read that mink are too (I'm not sure if that's true, still people's mink attack stories on the forum about them fitting through 1/4" cracks really freaked me out).
I've covered every opening with 1/2" hardware cloth attached with screws and washers, and have a hardware cloth bib around the bottom of the coop/run to deter digging predators.
My last worry is the cracks around the coop door. Here's what the door looks like. The top and bottom latches are swivel hasp style latches, and the center is a gate latch which will be secured with a padlock. In the right photo below you can see the crack at the top right of the door along the top and right edge of the door.
Here's a closeup of the crack at the top right of the door. When I pull on the latched door it opens up to about an inch wide.
Here's the crack at the top of the door. Likewise, when I pull on the latched door the crack opens up to about an inch wide.
There's also about 1/4" crack at the bottom of the door (not pictured).
So, are these cracks something I need to worry about? I need the whole run to be secure from predators, since it's an open air coop and run and the chickens won't be walled off in there with a pop door to protect them.
If the cracks are a problem, do you guys have any ideas for sealing them? I thought about cutting strips of hardware cloth and screwing them to the back of the door so they fill the cracks, although having those sharp edges all along the edge of the door seems like a bad idea. Would weather stripping work? We did install a turnbuckle on the back of the door to keep it from sagging, but it only helped so much.
I'd love to hear your ideas, or if I'm being too paranoid I'd love to hear that too!
I've covered every opening with 1/2" hardware cloth attached with screws and washers, and have a hardware cloth bib around the bottom of the coop/run to deter digging predators.
My last worry is the cracks around the coop door. Here's what the door looks like. The top and bottom latches are swivel hasp style latches, and the center is a gate latch which will be secured with a padlock. In the right photo below you can see the crack at the top right of the door along the top and right edge of the door.
Here's a closeup of the crack at the top right of the door. When I pull on the latched door it opens up to about an inch wide.
Here's the crack at the top of the door. Likewise, when I pull on the latched door the crack opens up to about an inch wide.
There's also about 1/4" crack at the bottom of the door (not pictured).
So, are these cracks something I need to worry about? I need the whole run to be secure from predators, since it's an open air coop and run and the chickens won't be walled off in there with a pop door to protect them.
If the cracks are a problem, do you guys have any ideas for sealing them? I thought about cutting strips of hardware cloth and screwing them to the back of the door so they fill the cracks, although having those sharp edges all along the edge of the door seems like a bad idea. Would weather stripping work? We did install a turnbuckle on the back of the door to keep it from sagging, but it only helped so much.
I'd love to hear your ideas, or if I'm being too paranoid I'd love to hear that too!
