Hubby doesn't think predators will climb fence

[IDIOT HUSBAND]

Hubby is not an idiot, just uneducated at this point. Give him a chance to learn. I'm in the process of making my second coop, it will only have chicken wire at the top of the run. But, they will be put up every night in the coop and I will have weld wire around the bottom of the run. The coop will be more secure than the run with weld wire around all the vents. I have all standard breeds no bantams, hawks would have a hard (not impossible) time packing them off. I don't want them to fly out so that's why I'm putting the chicken wire at the top. Good luck.

 

[Wifezilla]

Love the screen name!

As for the size of a bird, if a hawk can't take off with it, it will just decapitate it and eat the head. I lost 2 ducks that way last year. Mama hawk came back this year to see if there were any more fluffy snacks roaming the yard. They were, fortunately, in their covered run. A few weeks later mama showed her baby where the snacks lived. The ducks, again, were in their covered run so no actual snacking took place.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
Just like a predator, kids will only touch an electric fence once.

I learned this at a very young age at my grandparents cattle farm.

 

[PineappleMama]

I've dumped a possum out of my dog's bag of food... stored in a hamper in the garage... scared the snot out of me honestly, screamed like a little girl... then there was the one that Jane & Lil killed under our shed... this is with a 6' fence and before we ever got the tempting chickens... only dogs in the backyard... oh, and there was the raccoon in the drive... never caught him in the back, but still... MIL, just a pinch down the road has possums, raccoons (you can tell because they wash the catfood in the catwater), skunks AND foxes in her yard... and yes, this is CITY.

So, when we built our coop we secured the whole thing with Hardware Cloth. Costs more, but I figure if I had to buy more birds and feed them for months to get back to where we are the cost would be high... and that's not counting The Face I'd get from DD.

 

[huntercf]

Definitely cover the coop, I live in the city and I had to cover mine to keep out the cats. I have seen possums running along the tops of fences quite often. You would also be suprised what a hawk can carry off.
You are going to end up covering it anyway, whether now or later after a few dead birds, it will probably just be less stressful to do it now and have peace of mind.