Help repairing bear-damaged coop--what to do with bloody ground?

[Bear Foot Farm]

" I really wonder if there is any real way to bear proof a coop"

Electric fence will do it

 

[OneBrahma]

When we moved we inherited an existing coop. Part of one wall was made of chicken wire...not much against a bear. As you can (hopefully) see, it tried two or three areas and then tore it open at the seam. It must have had a long arm, because it was too big to fit inside the coop, so it reached through and killed all but one of our chickens.

The hardware cloth was merely bent out of shape. There was a window of hardware cloth on the door which we later noticed was bent as if the bear had tried to pull it out, but it gave up and went to the weaker chicken wire. From this I am guessing that, as long as the h.c. is firmly fixed, it will be bear proof... though I suppose a determined bear could break it. You can minimize the attractions to your property by keeping trash, food, and chicken feed in a bear-proof area. We were told that, this being spring, all the young bears were leaving their mothers and were looking for easy food. They were apparently attracted by the scent of chicken feed, which we were storing in a plastic crate on a shelf in the coop.
Everyone I've talked to recommends putting electric fence around the coop. Now, before you have any chickens to worry about, could be the time to train the neighborhood bears not to mess with electric fence: lay a piece of bacon over the fence and let them enjoy the sizzle.
And if you've got a dog who suddenly starts barking frantically, don't ignore it! You might just save your flock!
We suffered a heavy loss, but at least we've gained some knowledge for the future. Another consolation is that Mr. Bear missed the fattest chicken (heh heh).
In southwestern VA I don't think we have to worry about grizzlies, thank goodness!
I hope this is some help to you!

 

[Naturegirl44]

well darn, that so sad. We keep a small amount in a feeder in the coop at night so i am gonna go get it out of there and make sure none is around the coop. We have considered electric fence as well because we live in the bush right next to Algonquin Park and have many bears. Are chickens are free range and we hate to have to fence them in with electric stuff but it seems its only a matter of time before we loose some We seen some chicken electric fence that was 164 feet long. thats a good amount of room for our flock of 11 chickens to range about but .....we don't want to have to do it.....i guess we need to seriously look it, as your bear story is not the only one i have heard.

 

[coberdor]

Have you considered running electric fencing on your coop? You can get insulators that nail or screw into wood. You could put several strands about a foot apart, starting at the bottom and continuing uo to the roof. I love electric fencing.

 

[Naturegirl44]

Joe and i spoke last night about electric fencing around/on the coop. We really don't want to have them fenced in during the day but it would be nice if we had something that was unintrusive but could be turned on at night to keep bears/martin's out etc.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I had a bear visit, although he didn't try to get into the coop. After that I got electronetting and have surround the coop and a large area (about 1/2 acre) that includes a secure run.

I've had no more problems from any predators. I put three164' nets together with a 25 mile charger that delivers about 7000 vollts.

 

[OneBrahma]

well darn, that so sad. We keep a small amount in a feeder in the coop at night so i am gonna go get it out of there and make sure none is around the coop. We have considered electric fence as well because we live in the bush right next to Algonquin Park and have many bears. Are chickens are free range and we hate to have to fence them in with electric stuff but it seems its only a matter of time before we loose some We seen some chicken electric fence that was 164 feet long. thats a good amount of room for our flock of 11 chickens to range about but .....we don't want to have to do it.....i guess we need to seriously look it, as your bear story is not the only one i have heard.

Yeah, we need to install an electric fence. Like you, we live right up against a big forest, so numerous predators are a given. We want to free range as well (and have been since we got that first flock), but our neighbors are shaking their heads at the idea. They've lived here for years, so they know what they're talking about. Kind of ironic that we lost 18 chickens because they were enclosed and couldn't get away. Besides all the wild predators, we've been told that our road is a favorite drop off for unwanted dogs...another threat to our flock. I am (ignorantly) guessing that if you can give the chickens enough enclosed space it will be as good as free ranging--maybe better, because they'll be safe (except from birds of prey).

 

[OneBrahma]

Have you considered running electric fencing on your coop? You can get insulators that nail or screw into wood. You could put several strands about a foot apart, starting at the bottom and continuing uo to the roof. I love electric fencing.

That is a great idea!
Does anyone know if black rat snakes will bother chickens, especially young ones?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I don't think so, they may go after very small chicks and eggs, but not juvenile or grown up chickens unless the snake is humongous.

 

[txnative]

If you're not going to put any new chicks out there for a while, I would suggest spraying the moldy area with a diluted bleach solution. Then before the chicks go out be sure to clean it again with soap and water. I'm new to chickens, too, so I may be totally off base, but I think that would work.