Help with securing Coop and Run

[Coopof10]

I am a first time chicken owner and not as handy as I wish I was. I purchased an Amish built Quaker coop (4x6) and I'm planning to use a 10x10 Retriever Lodge Kennel from Tractor Supply for the run. I plan to add a hasp to the nest box lid and, while the human door to the coop is lockable I will probably add hasps on top and bottom with carabiners. Where I live we get Coons, Fox, Coyote mostly but we do have bears, Fisher cats and bobcats around too. I will be putting solar motion detect floodlights on the coop as well. My question is, how do I secure the run door? As you can see there is quite a gap. I have 1/2 inch hw cloth around the bottom of the kennel and plan to add a skirt 2 feet out on the outside. The coop was built with the ladder on hinges to come up and cover the chicken door at night and lock but, as you can see, I can't do that when it's coming into the panel opening on the kennel. This section is the part I am trying to figure out how to secure. I'm wondering if I should just move the kennel further out from the coop and add hardware cloth like a tunnel from coop to run? Any suggestions? I just don't think I have the handy person's mind and tend to overthink things. I want it to be as easy as possible which is why I chose the coop and kennel.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Make a tunnel out of hardware cloth to cover the ramp, then attach the ends to the coop and the run. You won't be able to lift and lower the ramp but I don't think that's necessary.

If you want to be able to continue lifting the ramp you'd need to move the coop or run further away and then make a large enough tunnel to accommodate the swing arc of the ramp.

As far as predators, if bears are really an issue, nothing short of electric will stop them. For the other predators, I notice there's some hardware cloth on the lower half, are you planning to do the upper part and cover over the top as well? Not saying you have to, but obviously coons and bobcats can climb, so there's some risk assessment you need to do.

 

[Coopof10]

Thanks! So I'm on the right track with a tunnel. I have a roof for the kennel as well but planned to line the top with hardware cloth under it. I didn't think I'd need to do the upper half as well. What do you think about that gap at the door to the kennel? Not sure how I can put hardware cloth there and still open.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't have the upper part of my run covered with HWC either. There is risk involved in doing it that way, but so far I haven't had issues.

As far as the door, this may or may not work for you, but I made an overlap of HWC over the gap of the door frame and the door itself - so on the door frame the HWC goes past the opening about 2" and on the door there's about 2" extra HWC around the edge. The downside is the door only swings one way now, but when it's closed at least there's some HWC over the gap.

 

[TERMINATORATIS]

BESIDE MAKING THE PHYSICAL BARRIER, i WILL RECOMMEND YOU SOLAR POWERED PREDATOR GUARD SET OF FOUR (SOLD ON Amazon). DUE TO THE FACT THAT IS WOODED AREA (AS SHOWN ON THE PHOTOS) THERE MUST BE PREDATORS SUCH AS COONS OPOSSUMS EVEN LARGE RATS. INVESTMENT IN PREDATOR GUARD WILL NOT HARM TO IMPROVE COOP SECURITY.