DH Will Not Bury HW Cloth - PICS

[bionic_chicken]

Yes, the tree trunk is a problem. DH told me he is cutting a hole out for the tree. Then I'm thinking we should weave a nylon cord up and down through the hw cloth holes and almost "sew" it around the tree. Maybe even continue the cord tightly around the tree above and below the hw cloth to reinforce the sewing job. So if a raccoon is shaking or pulling the hw cloth, there's nowhere it can go. What do you think?

 

[Chirpy]

I would reinforce that idea with long staples every inch around the tree if it were me. I just know how strong and determined raccoons can be. The raccoon can easily bite through the cord so using something like the wire that comes around bales of hay would be a better solution. That's what I used to "sew" my fences together.

Here's a picture showing me doing the "sewing". If you look real carefully at the front of the picture you can see the wire that I looped around the top of the chicken wire and onto the 2x4 welded wire.

Good luck. You are certainly doing a fantastic job of keeping your chickens safe. Kudos to you!!

 

[LoneCowboy]

We have coons too, and I just put the chicken wire or hardware cloth, sticking out a foot or so, all the way around so they can't dig into it. Also, we shut them in every night (NO EXCEPTIONS!) and have not had any problems. We did have a fox trying to get into my chicken tractor, where we raise our meat birdsm a couple of times, but we lined the edges with HW cloth out about a foot, and he gave up.

Your coop is GREAT!!

 

[bionic_chicken]

Chirpy, I see what you're saying. That's what we'll do. So, sew the hw cloth around the tree with wire, not cord, and then attach the whole shebang with long staples. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Bossroo]

If you do the wire around the tree trunk, when the tree grows you will girder the tree and the top of the tree above that wire will die . Like strangulation !!! When you put the hardware cloth up the tree trunk up a foot or two make folds in it over itself like a cone, then put staples over the folds and as the trunk grows simply remove the staples, make new folds and then re staple the wire.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Quote:
This is what I did as it was so rocky where my coop and run are.

 

[bionic_chicken]

Quote:
I was thinking about the tree's growth and I was guessing I would cross that bridge when I came to it. But I really like your idea. I definitely do not want to harm the tree. I love that tree. I also think the cone shape would be even more frustrating for a predator.

 

[LynneP]

I see what hubby means about the pine roots, and you'd end up killing the trees. I agree that a contoured 'floor' would be worth the money and sweat- and he certainly deserves a slap on the back for the rest of the job, nicely done. Raccoons bring such heartbreak and I swear they tell every predator in the district how to get in, too.

 

[smith2]

All of the ideas above sound good. I used the bent hardware cloth around the bottom of my chicken tractor and one night something tried to get in but couldn't and hasn't been back. The hardware cloth is vicious on paws and is usually tough enough to keep just about any predators out.

 

[bionic_chicken]

Thanks, Lynn. I'll hug DH for you! It really is just a gorgeous coop. Until their moving day tomorrow, the girls have been living in a brooder in my office at night, then they go out into their 3X4 playpen during the day. I move the "playpen" every day so they rough up and fertilize the yard section by section. Well, I think the raccoons have already gotten wind of the chicken "fertilizer" because there was a really large poo on top of the fence. I just know it's raccoon poo. I am in the middle of a suburban subdivision, but I have opened the front door at night before to find a huge raccoon on the front porch. I'm positive they're going to try to eat my girls. DH is really thinking about picking up an large outdoor doggie from the pound to sleep out by the chickies at night. Maybe that would keep the predators at bay.