Help with chicken coop and run

[jjchickmom]

Still no one getting in. Tomorrow I am upping the game and putting a can of tuna in there.

 

[jjchickmom]

We did the last big test last night. We left some bird seed and a can of tuna fish in the run overnight. We watched raccoons come and go all night. Some even climbed to the top of the run to try to get in. I saw bits of their fur on the hardware cloth and one jerk of a raccoon pooped on top of the run. No one got in no matter how hard they tried.

 

[jjchickmom]

Raccoons were all around the run last night. We counted 4-6 raccoons. None of them got in but they made a point to come up on both off my balcony decks to poop on them.
I swear I have to sweep raccoon poop into the garden below every morning. On a bad day my Rat Terrier finds the stinky poop elsewhere in the yard and rolls in it. I was worried that they were going to harass our Holland Lops who live on the deck below one of the balcony decks.

I am about 2 seconds away from letting the neighbor kid who sells fur to live trap the buggers and off them elsewhere. That or have my husband sit on the basement patio and shoot them with a high powered pellet gun.

On the positive side an old farmer that we use as a handyman told me nothing was going to get into our run. He saw it and said it was very secure.

 

[jjchickmom]

Where and what kind of lights did you get? Thanks!

BAXIA TECHNOLOGY Waterproof Wireless Solar Motion Sensor Night Lights

 

[jjchickmom]

Thank you!!!

You are welcome they work amazingly well

 

[jjchickmom]

Thanks I have not seen to many minks/weasels on my street. I saw one by the swamp but there is a neighbor that free ranges chickens over there. She has tons so I am guessing they are not a problem. The other predators are around. The foxes (seen one visit yard), Coyotes (hear them visit the yard and hear them chase prey at night), raccoons (a mama nests in our yard), hawks/turkey vultures (see them all of the time) and river otters (have not seen by house but have seen by the river).

 

[Patinas]

I agree with debid, cover the upper with hardware cloth. hardware cloth will help keep out the smaller rodents like rats and mice. My approach to building my coop was prevention, prevention, prevention. I have friends with chickens that have battled rodent infestations and they're hard to get rid of once they move in. Just something to keep in mind as you put it together.

 

[jjchickmom]

I'll keep your suggestions in mind. Maybe we will buy the kennel roof and put chicken wire or hardware cloth under it to keep critters out. We have a lot of mice around here but they tend to live in the shed and no rats that I know of other than the muskrat variety. The coop will be easy to break down for a full cleaning so I can't see mice moving in for good. Maybe I'll get an outdoor bait station to put near but not in the run to take care of mice. I think the mice prefer the farm fields around here that grow wheat, soy and corn.

We do have lots of snake. Little garter snakes, the large size garter snake, blue racers, water snakes and rattlesnakes.

We have 2 kinds of hawks, owls, turkey vultures and during migratory times a pair of golden eagles.

I know that mice are excellent climbers. In our old house I actually watched them climb the brick wall in our family room and squeeze through the tiny gap in the ceiling between the bricks and drywall ceiling.

 

[debid]

I was thinking that the gap that is always between the gate and side could be filled with a pool noodle or a large pipe insulator that has a slit cut into it to put on the gap area and maybe zip tied in a few spots. Then we could remove it if necessary.

The chickens will eat the pool noodle or pipe insulation. We have a split system heat pump for the studio in the garage and look what they do with access during range time (I've fixed this a couple of times, it's obviously due again). Not sure why but they tore through duct tape to get at that foam.

 

[jeria]

Coons climb they will go through the chicken wire quickly. I have lots of coons as woods behind my house. Just starting to build mine and it will have a plywood roof covered by metal roofing. It will also help with shade during our scorching summers.