First predator incident :(

[bluemerle]

Have you considered replacing the chicken wire with hardware cloth?

 

[guineapeeps]

My husband works with a guy who had a bat in his house. The Wholee family had to get the rabies series as a precaution. I never knew you had to if it was just caught in your house. When I was a kid, we had a fireplace and once every few years we would get one trapped in the house. Never got shots or anything

Yes...I have seen a few of those as well where we gave rabies vaccine and IG to everyone in a house that had a bat inside. Rabies has such a high fatality rate and there’s very little you can do once the neurological symptoms start, so we were always were very cautious and if in doubt, we gave the preventative treatment.
It’s amazing how any of us survived childhood....bats in the house, wandering all over the countryside as kids, no seatbelts or car seats (I can remember standing up in the backseat of our station wagon driving down the highway!) How I made it to adulthood is beyond me!


Wow....Just realized how old I felt after sharing that!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

And my parents chain smoking in the car with all the Windows rolled up.

 

[Csparling]

Have you considered replacing the chicken wire with hardware cloth?

Well as of now it seems to keep critters out. It was when the ducks were outside of the pen roaming the yard, something got them.

 

[CT Coop]

A few years ago I had a great horned owl get a 10 lb young turkey. Last summer I had a coyote get a big roo and most recently I had a fox get 3 chickens. All in broad daylight, so if they are hungry they will hunt. We have hung colorful flags and we play a radio in the coop as soon as the doors are open. This helps tremendously as long as the girls stay close to the coop. They don't free range unless we are outside these days as well as our great dane.

 

[bluemerle]

Yes! But be aware that chicken wire is very flimsy (easily rippable) and the holes are a perfect size for little racoon paws to reach through. I run hardware cloth all along the bottom of my run just to be safe.

 

[Csparling]

A few years ago I had a great horned owl get a 10 lb young turkey. Last summer I had a coyote get a big roo and most recently I had a fox get 3 chickens. All in broad daylight, so if they are hungry they will hunt. We have hung colorful flags and we play a radio in the coop as soon as the doors are open. This helps tremendously as long as the girls stay close to the coop. They don't free range unless we are outside these days as well as our great dane.

I was looking for ideas of things to put around the yard and coop that might scare off other animals. Flags are a good idea. Maybe scare crows or things that move?

 

[CT Coop]

be aware that chicken wire is very flimsy (easily rippable)

I totally agree...I had a group of raccoons get into my turkey pen by pulling chicken wire down from the roof. Lost my best breeder hen. We only use hardware cloth now.

 

[quackiemama]

And my parents chain smoking in the car with all the Windows rolled up.

Hahahahaa seriously though!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Seriously. It was the 60s everyone chainsmoked. I credit it with no desire to ever touch a cigarette.