First night in the coop I AM VERY NERVOUS ... is my coop secure enough?

[jjb1953]

Hi all.
My 6 Golden Comets are 5 weeks today. For the past two weeks they have been spending their days in the coop and nights in their brooder box in the house.
So, I am *thinking* today is the big day, but after reading the many threads here on predators and so forth, I am scared to death!!! We already had a skink out there last week. We have most of the usual predators close by.
I have gotten quite attached to the chicks and the thought of something getting to them ..... well I would rather not think about it.

The coop we have is an older coop with a good part of it made of hardware cloth, including the floor.
Below are some pics. The door we just put on a few weeks ago.
The hardware cloth is attached using staple nails not screws and washers.
The roof is a metal roof with nothing underneath. We added many more screws to the roof to secure it down more, but there are some spaces I worry a small weasel relative could get through.

Does the coop look secure enough or is there anything I should do to reinforce it more?
Also, after reading one of the threads on predator forum of an animal chewing a hole through welded wire, can animals do the same with hardware cloth?

 

[Rich386]

My guess is it was safe before so why not now. You could put something at the bottom where it sits off the ground. That would prevent anything from getting under it.

 

[Rich386]

My guess is it was safe before so why not now. You could put something at the bottom where it sits off the ground. That would prevent anything from getting under it.

 

[jjb1953]

This is the first time we are using the coop. It was given to us.
The previous owner said she never had problems with predators except the neighbors dogs while hens were free ranging.
But she lives in a different area than we do.
I crawled under it today, the hardware cloth is stapled to 3X6 with larger staple nails.

 

[jjb1953]

Should I nail/secure a plywood floor over the hardware cloth?

 

[Majd]

Yeah that was exactly what I wanted to say... secure I with plywood.... a fox or coyote can easily break through. .. you would like to put a thicker wire over the hardware cloth...

 

[scrambled freud]

Where will you lock up the chickens at night? Perhaps there is a secure area that I cannot see?

 

[jjb1953]

It is half open air coop .... so that is it.

 

[chynasparks]

I now how you feel. My peeps will move into coop/run this weekend. My husband built a very sturdy coop but I'm going to worry about the wire. I don't have fox or wolves like that. I live right behind the police/city hall. So there is some traffic that probably scares things off. Dogs worry me. People aren't good at locking them up here. I am going to have a motion detector light. They will have a closed nest box. So, who knows. The Internet is full of scary stories about predators, disease, what have you. Yet folks here in the neighborhood have had free range chickens for quite a while. Do your modifications you talked about and you should be ok. Good luck with your peeps

 

[jjb1953]

Quote: We have one of those. We were just saying today there should be a voice that shouts when activated by a motion sensor ... then DH said it ought be be something that senses motion and can zero in at it and shoot pellets or spray water (probably safer).