devested to find our flock massacred

[Es_In_Miami]

I am surprised a racoon could get through hardware cloth!

I've seen raccoons break through all sorts of things they should be able to get through. One ripped the bottom off a weber gas grill. Had the entire thing on video.

I imagine the hardware cloth was a heavy guage? Not all are equal. Also, what size welded wire are you using?

Just saw your photo. Definetly not the right material. You need welded wire. 1/2 x 1/2 is best but $$$ Don't go any less than 1 x .5. Make sure it is welded wire and give it a skirt. Lock the birds up at night. That's when they are most at risk. Don't beat yourself up too much. We learn and do better next time.

I'm sorry this happened. Raising chickens also means dealing with loss. It never gets easier.

 

[jandjmca]

You need some type of secure place they can go at night, as they are totally blind at night. My neighbor refurbished an old hay wagon with a ladder and egg boxes that are accessible for eggs

 

[No Coop No Problem]

You need some type of secure place they can go at night, as they are totally blind at night. My neighbor refurbished an old hay wagon with a ladder and egg boxes that are accessible for eggs

I had a mink hit a hen on a nest in some bushes one night while her babies were hatching. She flew off into the night. I thought all of her babies would be dead. The next morning when I went out to feed the chickens I found her walking around with 9 new babies

Yes they're blind at night, but it's extremely hard to catch something that flies away very fast and hides

 

[McChooky]

I bought some very similar (if not identical) to make a covered catio for a couple male cats(1" x 1" mesh) Its attractive but I had to use a staple gun to attach it because regular fence staples destroyed the mesh when I drove them in with a hammer.My coops have the real deal( 1/2" 16 gauge galvanized steel hardware cloth)

 

[MROO]

I am SO sorry! My first thought was dogs, simply because they chase the "squeaky toys" until they stop moving, then drop them to chase another. It's all a game to them.
Tractors are notoriously difficult to skirt, as they have to remain mobile. I recommend covering yours with 1/2 to 1 inch hardware cloth and adding a hinged skirt. Hinging along the bottom of the run allows you to lift it up when you move it and drop it back down on the new site. Is an expensive nuisance? You bet! But it's much better than losing all of your babies again!

 

[Doug Goolsby]

Good morning I,m sorry to here but there is a way install a battery powered electric fence around the chicken tractor use PVC pipe run the wire thur the pipe thats attached to tractor, get 2 tail. game cameras over looking the tractor mount up high ,the coyotes ,foxes ,skunks ,raccoons,possums,gophers,jackal will be back if you dont have dogs or cats or pets outside a conibear #3 trap will take this thief out! buy the calk gun setter if you buy the trap & safety latch its a lot of work to protect you family & flock but it will be back for a second meal, God bless you & yours hope this helps Lamar

 

[WILMOT]

THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT WILL KILL CHICKENS AND NOT EAT THEM IS FERRET,,,,, THEY JUST WANT BLOOD

 

[MROO]

THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT WILL KILL CHICKENS AND NOT EAT THEM IS FERRET,,,,, THEY JUST WANT BLOOD

So will dogs. They just want to chase the "squeaky toys." Once the toys stop moving, they're no longer any fun. They get dropped to chase the other ones.

 

[Project Blue]

Most predators have the instinct to kill and will kill more than they eat. However, some try to store extra meat under ground/leaves. Raccoons are smart and not 100 percent predictable. One time something got caught in my havaheart trap that chewed through the supposedly unchewable metal. Later a huge raccoon was caught in the same trap missing teeth. I believe he sacrificed his teeth for freedom. Look at a raccoon skull online and you'll see they have very powerful jaws. When the raccoons got in the coop it was a group. Young ones climbed all over the coop and found a loose weak spot in the wire netting. Raccoons leave a mess with they way they kill and eat, droppings and greasy footprints. Look at the height of the holes then imagine the height of an animal that would comfortably stand to make the hole. I had rats chew wood fencing at ground level but made much larger holes than they needed to get in. So say a rat gnawed a hole to get the grain another animal like a raccoon, cat, possum whatever will take advantage of it the same night it appears. I have wildlife cameras running and see multiple critters checking my coops at. Dogs will spend a long time, as in hours trying to get in. Most wild predators are quick opportunists. I've measured times hanging out. Individual dogs by far will actively tear up coops to get in staying up to 2 hours, however most dogs will spend 5 minutes or less. Wildlife, other than rats disappear almost as soon as they show up unless they see a weakness they can exploit. I had decade predator free coops and then raccoons and dogs did my flocks in. It's probably a good idea to do a yearly coop safety check as wood rots and metals rusts. All said I had an extremely hard time pit bull proofing a coop. The pit bull pulled corrugated metal sheets apart to get in.

 

[debid]

I had a skunk squeeze through an upper corner on a sagging door. The fit was so tight that it lost fur going through, I had no doubt what animal had done the damage by examining that fur. It killed most of them, maimed one pretty badly, and then climbed back out the way it got in.

I have a chain link dog kennel with smaller fencing layered and the combination is pretty effective but the doors are a vulnerability. I've had to make some modifications and I added an automated pop door so it doesn't get left open overnight even if we aren't home. Most attacks occur after the sun sets.