Improving coop ideas

[acfburns]

any ideas on how to make this coop better.Half of it is covered the other open with wire on top

 

[WoodlandWoman]

That's a nice, big coop.

I would put some stronger wire over the chicken wire, if it was mine. If the cost of hardware cloth is too high, I'd at least layer some 2x4 woven wire fencing over it, to keep raccoons out. It also keeps dogs from tearing through the wire. If you have a good dog or two guarding your property at night, you might be able to get by with the chicken wire. I'd also add another latch that isn't so easy for raccoons to manipulate.

Can you tell we have a lot of raccoons here?

You could also do a wire apron around the bottom, to prevent predators from digging in. You just lay it on top of the ground, 12 to 18 inches wide and attached to the coop walls. You can lightly bury it with dirt, if you don't have much grass to grow through it, to anchor it.