Minister Marc C
Chirping
- Jun 28, 2021
- 29
- 65
- 74
We live in Missouri out in the country-side. Our coop (used to be) enclosed, with a chicken yard approx 12 x 18 feet or so
with the yard being 6 foot high and open topped. This worked fine for a couple of years and then in 3 separate predator strikes,
we were hit and took casualties. Twice by Raccoons, and once by Barred Owls, which literally killed everything we had in one
night, in a very short amount of time. Since that time we moved into the Ozarks. Now we are really surrounded by predators
of all shapes and sizes ~ But, our new chicken yard is double-walled, 2'' chicken wire, with a layer of 1 inch over that, 8 feet high
with a top on it, fashioned the same way. Oak logs around the perimeter keep "burrowing" predators out.
The chickens have plenty of room to run and flop around from angled post to post, like they are playing tag !
No more losses have occurred, no more attacks, because "nothing" can get in. The top really helps - and so to does the double layer
of wire. It creates a barrier that I doubt anything is going to "weasel" it's way through - (including weasels) !
SAFETY FOR THE FLOCK ! It's heartbreaking to lose an entire flock. We lost about a dozen hens, 2 roosters and about
6 or 8 ducks from those "dat-gum" owls. Owl strikes present a tell-tale sign - - if you find a halo of feathers around your downed
bird(s) it's an owl strike. Had we had the top of the yard fenced it never would have happened. Live & learn.
Now our Chickens live securely in their gated-Ozarkian high security fortress !
P.S. ~ The coop yard is exactly double this size (now). We expanded !
with the yard being 6 foot high and open topped. This worked fine for a couple of years and then in 3 separate predator strikes,
we were hit and took casualties. Twice by Raccoons, and once by Barred Owls, which literally killed everything we had in one
night, in a very short amount of time. Since that time we moved into the Ozarks. Now we are really surrounded by predators
of all shapes and sizes ~ But, our new chicken yard is double-walled, 2'' chicken wire, with a layer of 1 inch over that, 8 feet high
with a top on it, fashioned the same way. Oak logs around the perimeter keep "burrowing" predators out.
The chickens have plenty of room to run and flop around from angled post to post, like they are playing tag !
No more losses have occurred, no more attacks, because "nothing" can get in. The top really helps - and so to does the double layer
of wire. It creates a barrier that I doubt anything is going to "weasel" it's way through - (including weasels) !
SAFETY FOR THE FLOCK ! It's heartbreaking to lose an entire flock. We lost about a dozen hens, 2 roosters and about
6 or 8 ducks from those "dat-gum" owls. Owl strikes present a tell-tale sign - - if you find a halo of feathers around your downed
bird(s) it's an owl strike. Had we had the top of the yard fenced it never would have happened. Live & learn.
Now our Chickens live securely in their gated-Ozarkian high security fortress !
P.S. ~ The coop yard is exactly double this size (now). We expanded !
