wantmesomebirds2
In the Brooder
I am beyond sick and tired of fighting and fighting predators and always losing.
I've had chickens and other poultry for 10 - 12 years now. Both in Missouri and when we moved back to Illinois
A few months ago, something slaughtered everything I had. Except for one guinea.
Of course we did live traps, the special gold method, etc. Finally found several racoons dead and something like fox shape, and mink/weasels.
The floor of the chicken house is dirt. Which of course, things can tunnel into the chicken house.
We took two layers of chicken wire and laid it all across the floor and up all sides (of the chick house) by at least 6 inches and attached it to 2 X 6 boards. So nothing can come up between the sides/walls and fencing and get into the enclosure. In addition to the two layers of chicken wire, we then added four layers of chain link fencing, which also goes up the sides of the walls and attach to the 2X6 lumber.
Everything is well screwed into the lumber and there are no spaces at all. The floor is covered in six layers of fencing, each layer is staggered so that none of the holes of the fencing match up with each other. The fence was not cut when put up the sides of the walls, but bent, so that there would be no chances of gaps.
Every bit of floor is covered and a good six inches up the side of each wall. It is all well attached to things that can not be pulled out or away that leave any space that something cough get through. No holes are big enough for anything to fit through, and it is all wire (some really thick gauged), so nothing can chew through six layers of steel. It is basically a good solid floor, with protection up each wall that is sealed/attached to keep anything from coming through the walls.
Oh, also none of the walls are wood. They are all metal-steel panels that overlap each other by 10 inches, and is all well sealed together. A metal-steel roof tops off the house.
I've had chickens and other poultry for 10 - 12 years now. Both in Missouri and when we moved back to Illinois
A few months ago, something slaughtered everything I had. Except for one guinea.
Of course we did live traps, the special gold method, etc. Finally found several racoons dead and something like fox shape, and mink/weasels.
The floor of the chicken house is dirt. Which of course, things can tunnel into the chicken house.
We took two layers of chicken wire and laid it all across the floor and up all sides (of the chick house) by at least 6 inches and attached it to 2 X 6 boards. So nothing can come up between the sides/walls and fencing and get into the enclosure. In addition to the two layers of chicken wire, we then added four layers of chain link fencing, which also goes up the sides of the walls and attach to the 2X6 lumber.
Everything is well screwed into the lumber and there are no spaces at all. The floor is covered in six layers of fencing, each layer is staggered so that none of the holes of the fencing match up with each other. The fence was not cut when put up the sides of the walls, but bent, so that there would be no chances of gaps.
Every bit of floor is covered and a good six inches up the side of each wall. It is all well attached to things that can not be pulled out or away that leave any space that something cough get through. No holes are big enough for anything to fit through, and it is all wire (some really thick gauged), so nothing can chew through six layers of steel. It is basically a good solid floor, with protection up each wall that is sealed/attached to keep anything from coming through the walls.
Oh, also none of the walls are wood. They are all metal-steel panels that overlap each other by 10 inches, and is all well sealed together. A metal-steel roof tops off the house.
How did the predator get your birds? Did you find a breach somewhere? Do you know what the predator was that got your birds? If you have a game camera put it up because from my experience from my game cameras, most predators have routines and routes they frequent. If they have made a kill in the past, they will be back. They may not come back the next night but they will come back periodically and look for a place they can breach. I had a bobcat several years ago and kill 14 birds. It didn't come back the next night but did the following night and I caught it. They probably come onto your property more than you realize. Most nights I get a picture of a predator on at least one of my cameras. Here it is mostly coyotes but we also have several other predators too. I have electric wire around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates, netting covering all of the pens and it some more vulnerable places along the fence I dug a trench and buried some wire a foot deep and hog ringed it to the bottom of the fence. All was done because of losses in the past by predators. Good luck and have fun with you flock and keeping them safe...
