Eglu Cube vs Raccoons

[Falka]

Hi everyone,
Newbie to BYC & the chicken world here! I recently purchased an Eglu Cube + 13ft run and have some concerns about the security of the coop itself. I live in an area with raccoons and don’t fully trust the door handles on the egg port & rear of the Cube to hold up against persistent trash panda paws. The slide-out droppings tray is also keeping me up at night - seems a little too easy to slide out, even with the latch in place. I’ve installed a hasp/padlock over the eggport & rear door handles (photos attached) to make it slightly more difficult to grab, but I’m not sure it’ll actually work.

Can anyone who has an Eglu Cube & lives in an area with raccoons share your tips & tricks for keeping these critters out of your Cube?

For what it’s worth, the rest of the run/predator skirt is reinforced with 1/4-1/2” hardware cloth, and I’m using screw-locking carabiners on the run doors as an extra precaution.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I’m not familiar with the Eglu cube, but here’s one persons suggestion for predator proofing an Eglu.

Hello,
This is probably too late now but we have an Eglu Go Up and are very satisfied with the ease of cleaning. We only have 4 chickens (2 black stars and 2 rhode island reds) and they seem happy. However, we have had to add on some security of our own. These are NOT raccoon-proof. We live in SoCal and have skunks, opossums, coyotes and skunks in addition to pesky "trash pandas". The brackets you have to buy as add-ons have been sold out for months so we have had to make do with a steel cable wrapping around the back wall, through the structure and securing with a padlock. This is a good coop for Europe but they cannot claim to be predator-proof in the Americas. So, a very pricey option for what you get.
Having said that, the coop is definitely more aesthetically pleasing than others we've seen. But the great plus was how easy it is to keep it all clean. Our kids do it themselves every day. We have the attached run as well but that is too small. Currently they free-range in our backyard all day and it's a mess.

I think @topochico225 has/had one as well (correct me if I’m wrong)

I can’t help much more than that, but good luck!

 

[topochico225]

Thanks for the tag!

I do have an Eglu Cube, but I’ve never had problems with raccoons. More accurately, I’ve never had any problems I know of with raccoons

Your padlock looks good imo. Gosh, I’m not sure of the best way to secure the droppings tray. I’m not super sure it’d be very likely for a raccoon to be able to pull it out - it outsmarts me sometimes

 

[wunderlong88]

I just purchased the Eglu Cube for a grow out pen and coop and didn't realize the size of the cage is large enough for a coon's hand to reach through and grab a chicken.

Hi everyone,
Newbie to BYC & the chicken world here! I recently purchased an Eglu Cube + 13ft run and have some concerns about the security of the coop itself. I live in an area with raccoons and don’t fully trust the door handles on the egg port & rear of the Cube to hold up against persistent trash panda paws. The slide-out droppings tray is also keeping me up at night - seems a little too easy to slide out, even with the latch in place. I’ve installed a hasp/padlock over the eggport & rear door handles (photos attached) to make it slightly more difficult to grab, but I’m not sure it’ll actually work.

Can anyone who has an Eglu Cube & lives in an area with raccoons share your tips & tricks for keeping these critters out of your Cube?

For what it’s worth, the rest of the run/predator skirt is reinforced with 1/4-1/2” hardware cloth, and I’m using screw-locking carabiners on the run doors as an extra precaution.

Thanks for reading!

I just purchased an Eglu Cube and didn't realize the size of the run grid is large enough for a coon to reach through and get a chicken. How did you reinforce yours hardware cloth? Can I see a pic?

 

[topochico225]

Haven’t had problems with coons or possums to this day but I’ve noticed mice running away when I go out to close up my d’Uccles :/

 

[AnnPann]

i have a Cube but not a ton of raccoons. i still don’t want to risk it so i added child safety door knob locks to the egg and back doors. i’ve not felt as worried about the tray, but it’s pretty heavy (i use pdz in it and it weighs it down more than pine shavings). i think a raccoon would have trouble pulling it out, even if it didn’t figure out how?

HWC can be attached to the outside of the runs with zip ties. You’ll need a helper on the inside to feed back the zip tie to you.

 

[dragonfliesdraw]

i have a Cube but not a ton of raccoons. i still don’t want to risk it so i added child safety door knob locks to the egg and back doors. i’ve not felt as worried about the tray, but it’s pretty heavy (i use pdz in it and it weighs it down more than pine shavings). i think a raccoon would have trouble pulling it out, even if it didn’t figure out how?

HWC can be attached to the outside of the runs with zip ties. You’ll need a helper on the inside to feed back the zip tie to you.

We are getting our first flock on Saturday, and I have been thinking about predator proofing our Omlet Cube. I bought the metal brackets from Omlet, but they only fit on the Eglu Go, and we have the Cube.

Could you share a link to the child safety door knob locks and how they look on your Cube? Thanks so much!

 

[AnnPann]

I used the knobs I had for my kids when they were babies, so they look slightly different than the current version (kidco brand) for sale at BuyBuyBaby, but I think essentially the same.

https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kidco-door-knob-locks-set-of-2/112240

Here's a photo of them on my Cube.

 

[dragonfliesdraw]

I used the knobs I had for my kids when they were babies, so they look slightly different than the current version (kidco brand) for sale at BuyBuyBaby, but I think essentially the same.

https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kidco-door-knob-locks-set-of-2/112240

Here's a photo of them on my Cube.
View attachment 3199717

Thanks so much! I just ordered these!

 

[piyo]

I used the knobs I had for my kids when they were babies, so they look slightly different than the current version (kidco brand) for sale at BuyBuyBaby, but I think essentially the same.

https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kidco-door-knob-locks-set-of-2/112240

Here's a photo of them on my Cube.
View attachment 3199717

@AnnPann I found this thread via a Google search and ordered those knob covers. Unfortunately, they are too big to fit around the knobs :/ I've tried and tried to mess with it, but the safety covers will not lock in place around the knobs. I'll have to send them back and find something else....