How did you make your coop predator-proof?

[jus1jack]

I did my best coon tested tough so far...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=26580-my-coop-page-2

 

[lunkerchicken]

My coop is well constructed using 2 x 4's and modeled after a regular house so it is like a mini Fort Knox - nothing is getting in there.
The run was a little trickier but I put chicken wire on all the sides, buried a foot down and then 6 inches out under ground. I then backfilled a good portion of the trench with rocks for added protection. I am also in the process of placing hard ware cloth over the bottom 1/3 of the run.
On 3/4 of the roof I have corrugated plastic roofing to protect against not only predators but weather as well. Over the other 1/4 I have chicken wire.
I just mounted a motion detector flood light on the coop/run as well. That way if any critters start probing at night, the flood will light right up and maybe spook them away!
Knock on wood, so far nothing has penetrated the fortress!

 

[Scoot58]

I buried chicken wire all around the bottom so nothing can dig under it. It has worked so far. This was when it was almost finished. The wire encloses the whole run.

 

[LynneP]

Ours is here, we have a predator-rich environment. So far, we're without losses.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-LynnePs_Run

 

[roaminggnome61]

We have just put our chicks out today for their first overnight. In order to predator proof the coop (portable pvc quansot hut design) we rewired the entire coop with 1/2" hardware cloth. Also, we placed a 1' hardware cloth apron around the perimeter to keep the diggers stymied. We will inform the forum if we lose any of the girls. If we do have predator death, we will get the electric fence with the solar transmitter so we can continue to free range the girls.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I put Sadie in the chicken yard.

She has had 4 litters of pups in with the chickens.
(Our neighbors dog likes to dig her out to breed her, but he never bothers the chickens that escape with her)

There is always 1 or 2 hens that decide to lay their eggs in the puppies bed!

I also have 3 pups left for sale. Not the litter in the picture.
The one's I have now are fathered by my male Great Pyrenees.

Jean

 

[Hypnotist_Collectr]

Quote:
OH!

That is the sweetest thing I have ever seen! How do you get your dog to like your chicks that much? My dog looks similar to yours, and I have not let her near the chicks yet (they are 6.5 weeks and in my house, still.... coops is still being desgned... did things a little backwards!)
Anyway, your babies are precious!

 

[LaSombra]

Well, I only let mine out in the run during the day. I'm mostly worried about predators at night. We definitely have coyotes (One of my cats got taken and I now put the cats in the shed at night). The coop is built from half of a carport on the side of our shed. We have 1/2" plywood on all walls but one, which is metal siding. We did the floor from wood as well so nothing could tunnel in.

The windows are hinged and locked but when open, are screened with chicken wire. The door has an upper and a lower lock so nothing can push the door in and sneak through

As for the run, We used plywood instead of any kind of mesh for the lower 2 ft of the surrounding fence and then used 1" mesh for 3 more feet above. Then we covered the entire top with 2" mesh to keep out hawks, etc. Now, something could technically tunnel its way in to the run, but we have dogs and cats outside most of the day, as well as kids.

Here's a pic of our run and you can see a little bit of the hen house on the right-hand side...

 

[newchicksnducks]

Mine wasn't predator proof enough We have 3x2 welded wire surrounding run, with double off-set row on bottom, which 16 inches is buried as an apron. Chicks put themselves to bed around 8 pm, so we just have to close the pop door for the night. Our Khaki ducks have to be chased around as soon as it gets dark, captured and placed in coop. One night my daughter decided to let them spend the night in the run...sure enough, the next morning both ducks had been killed. Apparently a weasel got in during the night. They only need opening 2-3 inches around...just like the upper portion of our fence. I think the hot-wire is next for us! And nothing replaces a secure coop at night.

 

[GroundParrot]

When I was a kid in Florida my Dad would use hardware cloth on *all* sides of the coop/run...including the floor and roof. This stopped the weasel/racoon devastation we'd been experiencing.

I'm new to the forum but have been reading for weeks - why don't more folks use hardware cloth on all six sides of a run/coop? Saves a lot of digging and is very effective.

Thanks for all the great advice and tips so far!