Is this coop dangerous?

[WingItRanch]

I see! That makes sense now that you described the issue with the land. The others have posted great ideas about providing bottom coverage.

I do use a chicken tractor similar to that for short outings so my chickens can graze without fear of a hawk or bobcat grabbing them but I don't let them into the tractor for a few hours, it's not their permanent home. The idea of a removable predator skirt would work in your case. Maybe instead of having it full attached, you could have a "line" of hardware cloth that could be anchored in with stakes or those big garden staples.

 

[KelseaV]

I see! That makes sense now that you described the issue with the land. The others have posted great ideas about providing bottom coverage.

I do use a chicken tractor similar to that for short outings so my chickens can graze without fear of a hawk or bobcat grabbing them but I don't let them into the tractor for a few hours, it's not their permanent home. The idea of a removable predator skirt would work in your case. Maybe instead of having it full attached, you could have a "line" of hardware cloth that could be anchored in with stakes or those big garden staples.

I think I’m going to try some sort of skirt and just go for it and hope for the best! I have two Great Pyrenees that I may be able to run with them at night as well. Currently I bring the girls in at night because our neighbors requested the ability to sleep and our coops are on the side of the property nearest to neighbors… but if the coop is movable I may be able to position them on the other end of the property where the dogs barking won’t keep everyone up. So I’m hoping the portability will give me some flexibility in that as well!

 

[WingItRanch]

I think I’m going to try some sort of skirt and just go for it and hope for the best! I have two Great Pyrenees that I may be able to run with them at night as well. Currently I bring the girls in at night because our neighbors requested the ability to sleep and our coops are on the side of the property nearest to neighbors… but if the coop is movable I may be able to position them on the other end of the property where the dogs barking won’t keep everyone up. So I’m hoping the portability will give me some flexibility in that as well!

Sounds like a good plan. I'd love to hear how it goes for you. My wish is to eventually get goats and a guard donkey and hope that keeps away enough predators to allow free ranging in the future.

I have a dog but he's an aussie and more likely to herd the chickens than actually protect them from anything!

 

[Debbie292d]

I see! That makes sense now that you described the issue with the land. The others have posted great ideas about providing bottom coverage.

I do use a chicken tractor similar to that for short outings so my chickens can graze without fear of a hawk or bobcat grabbing them but I don't let them into the tractor for a few hours, it's not their permanent home. The idea of a removable predator skirt would work in your case. Maybe instead of having it full attached, you could have a "line" of hardware cloth that could be anchored in with stakes or those big garden staples.

Tent stakes come to mind since I just got done staking down a pet pen when we were out camping with chicks a couple of days ago. We have some that are thinner metal, maybe 1/4" thick, really heavy duty metal ones, or giant plastic ones that would be too big for going through the hardware cloth and you'd have to cut an opening for them.

 

[1motorpsycho]

If you have these predators, I would say.. yes, that chicken tractor coop pictured is asking for trouble.

I have MANY predators in my area and I made sure to build a sturdy coop and run with double latches (you'd be surprised how dexterous raccoons can be) and 1/2" hardware cloth (not chicken wire) all the way around the run, including a "skirt" buried to prevent digging predators. I also have a full roof.

I agree... nothing is really bear proof.

Maybe others will disagree but I have to say that any "cheap and easy" coops will not work unless you're willing to loose your chickens and invite a predator feast.

Why not chicken wire? It's not too late but I'm in the process of doing this? I only live in town but raccoons are pretty much my main concern.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Why not chicken wire? It's not too late but I'm in the process of doing this? I only live in town but raccoons are pretty much my main concern.

Because chicken wire keeps chickens in. It keeps almost no determined predator out. In the case of trash panda, they don't even bother trying to get in. Cunning little [explicative]s, they have a nasty habit of reaching thru the chicken wire, grabbing a bird and pulling it head first thru the wire. They then eat whatever portion of the bird they can drag into reach until full.

 

[Krugerrand]

I'm a big fan of cattle panel hoop structures. Mine (run only) is not even secured to the ground. It's strapped to the T-Posts. It has an 18-24" apron going around it through which the grass simply grows and makes it not noticeable. From when this was taken, I removed the back wall and added a third panel to give them more space. I've also scored some free metal roofing panels that keeps 1/3 of it protected from the elements. Worst predators around here are raccoons, dogs, and foxes. Nothing has been able to get through.

 

[echale3]

My wife and I just lost our entire flock (3 EE hens, 1 bantam frizzle polish hen, 3 barred rock hens, and a barred rock rooster) to a bear and her three cubs. Before that, we lost an EE hen and a beautiful white cochin rooster to a skunk. When the skunk came back for more, it succumbed to lead poisoning.

Last year a young bear took out 2 of our beehives, then I installed an electric fence around the one I have left and it's been OK ever since. I did get some pix on my game camera of a bear coming back to investigate the remaining hive and leaving after it stuck its nose where it didn't belong.

Predators of any decent size, if they want to get into something as flimsy looking as that Quonset hut style coop shown, would have an easy time of it. To do a better job of predator-proofing something like that I'd strongly suggest installing a minimum 4' tall electric fence around it with a gate so you can get in. Use a heavy-duty fence charger, some heavy gauge wire, and put the fence posts close enough together that you can have an "X" pattern of wires in between the horizontal wires, and make sure that your first course of wires starts low enough to the ground to prevent something small and sneaky like a skunk or young trash panda from creeping in under the wire.

I'm in the process of building what amounts to an Alcatraz-style electric fence around our coop and run to keep the bears from coming back.

I'm using a fence charger around the bee hive that delivers 6.3 joules of energy at about 13,700 volts, which, according to most experts is overkill. All I know is that it bit me and when it did, the zap sounded like a firecracker going off and it literally turned my knuckle white. I'm putting in the same model to charge the fence around our coop and run.

Some experts say that about 0.7 to 1.0 Joules of energy will deter a bear, but I want to know that any bear sneaking around our coop will get hit so hard it'll never come back.