How did a raccoon get your chickens? What was the weak spot?

[Birdielee]

So far I have only staples. Not good, duly noted.

 

[RiverOtter]

I always just lay the wire mesh flat along the ground. A 3' high roll of 2x4 welded wire fence, with 2 feet on the outside and one foot inside, with the upright fence over it like an upside down T.
That set up stopped my aunt's West Highland White Terrier from digging in, or even trying to, I'm sure of it stopping anything less determined ... and everything is less determined than a Terrier.

When I had a raccoon attack, they came in through a roof vent. Any tiny gap up for raccoons and down for weasels and rats has to be stopped up.

A line of electric fence about 10 inches up stops a LOT of beasties from sniffing around the run. I've seen some serious massacres where raccoons could get next to very sturdy fence, reach through and grab. If they can't twist off a limb and run with it, they'll just pull it up tight and start eating what they can reach. Nothing will make you hate raccoons more than that.

 

[crowber]

they opened the door. get a padlock

What kind of latch was it?

 

[crowber]

They ripped off 1/2" hardware mesh that was merely attached with staples .

What sort of staples are we talking here? I can see how regular manual staple gun staples would be no good, but if a raccoon is getting past staples that need to be hammered in, or need a pneumatic staple gun, that would be good to know.

 

[easterbun]

I'm planning on fender washers.

Use the longest screws you can. On our chicken tractor I used fender washers but only 3/4" screws because I had them on hand.. and after being fine for a long time, one night they were just ripped out like they weren't even there. 1 1/2" screws would have been safer.

 

[SueT]

Yes

What sort of staples are we talking here? I can see how regular manual staple gun staples would be no good, but if a raccoon is getting past staples that need to be hammered in, or need a pneumatic staple gun, that would be good to know.

Yes it was a manual stapler with 1/4" staples. Don't do that.

 

[Birdielee]

Use the longest screws you can. On our chicken tractor I used fender washers but only 3/4" screws because I had them on hand.. and after being fine for a long time, one night they were just ripped out like they weren't even there. 1 1/2" screws would have been safer.

That's ridiculous. How in the world?! What were they screwed into? I just installed the fender washers today with 3/4 (or 5/8?Now i have to check)screws into 3/4 inch green plywood.

 

[Birdielee]

I always just lay the wire mesh flat along the ground. A 3' high roll of 2x4 welded wire fence, with 2 feet on the outside and one foot inside, with the upright fence over it like an upside down T.
That set up stopped my aunt's West Highland White Terrier from digging in, or even trying to, I'm sure of it stopping anything less determined ... and everything is less determined than a Terrier.

Ok. Good. So how is the upright fence attached to the horizontal mesh? Or is it pinned to the ground or with a border of wood/stone? Thank you

 

[RiverOtter]

@Birdielee , I don't attach the two, I like to have a wood border on the upright fence, or, even better if you have crazy predator pressure like me, I like a perimeter pen fence made of cattle panels with chicken wire attached on the inside. Snip on wire in the ground wire and you can put a T-post right through it.

 

[easterbun]

That's ridiculous. How in the world?! What were they screwed into? I just installed the fender washers today with 3/4 (or 5/8?Now i have to check)screws into 3/4 inch green plywood.

They were screwed into pressure treated 2x6's and plywood where it got ripped out. I thought they would be fine - it certainly felt secure. Coop was about 18 months old or so at that point.

This is one reason the coop I am building will have HC sandwiched between boards.