Just when you think you’re safe...

[Monkeysmom5018]

From the picture you posted it's hard to see any welded wire in the corners of what looks like a gate with the board over it, especially the unhinged side. If the wire can be pushed in any, the coon can squeeze through. It looks like the coon could get behind the board even though there is a pipe against it. Our daughter recently had a coon get into their coop. Luckily it didn't kill any birds but did do some damage to the comb of one of the birds. It climbed the wire and made a gap between the wire where it is at the roof and squeezed through. Their pit bull went out and the coon got out and ran off. They fixed the gap so the coon couldn't get in again.

Yeah the wires not secure at those gaps but there’s no way a raccoon could get in there.

 

[Folly's place]

Also I'd add hardware cloth to your upper wall vents, and anywhere there's an opening larger than 1/2" diameter. We secure it with fence staples to the framing, and then screw 1x4" boards on top.
It's hard to overbuild, when it comes to predator protection.
Mary

 

[cmom]

Luckily I haven't had a coon breach yet... I mostly see coyotes here.

The light in the background is another camera. It looks bright but isn't it just looks like it because of the infrared.

A coyote behind some of the coops. I have electric wire around the coops and pens and they know it's there.

 

[Howard E]

Yeah the wires not secure at those gaps but there’s no way a raccoon could get in there.

You might think that, but I'd beg to differ. I have a similar gap in a double gate in a section of chain link yard fence, and I've personally witnessed skunks, possums and coons slip through with ease. The barn cats don't even slow down when they go through it........and the gap is only 2 1/2 inches +/-. Chickens won't, large dogs won't......but varmints? Remarkable what they can maneuver through.

Varmints that live in the wild are really talented at getting into places we would think impossible. Most folks look at their chicken house as a means of keeping chickens in and build it accordingly. Better plan is to build something to keep varmints out.......and design and build it accordingly and let the chickens adapt to that. In reality, the difference is really pretty subtle, but significant.

And as for the insulation board......good that you are replacing it, as it was not going to stop anything. The best you could hope for with that was when the coons knocked it down, the pipe holding it up was going to club em in the head when it fell.

The ingenious widowmaker trap?

 

[ValerieJ]

And as for the insulation board......good that you are replacing it, as it was not going to stop anything.

I thought it was there to keep weather out. It might do that.

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

I thought it was there to keep weather out. It might do that.

That’s why it was there, but it wasn’t there when the raccoon came.

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

Working on it!

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

 

[ValerieJ]

Have you considered putting a hot wire around the pen? That has worked for me. I have hardware cloth around the bottom, like you are showing, and then hot wire at the top edge of that, so that it's the first the the raccoon touches.

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

Have you considered putting a hot wire around the pen? That has worked for me. I have hardware cloth around the bottom, like you are showing, and then hot wire at the top edge of that, so that it's the first the the raccoon touches.

We haven’t. The only electric we have out there is for a cozy coop heater that’s plugged into an extension cord then into the garage, which is separate from our house. We did try a heated water bowl our first winter and that shorted out and would’ve burned the whole coop down if my hubby hadn’t been home to hear the pop.