Keeping the raccoons out - are cable ties strong enough?

[chickenbuddy]

Where did you by the coop?

 

[calbirder]

I bought it directly from Omlet (http://www.omlet.us/homepage/homepage.php), but MyPetChicken.com also sells them. If you have a particular color you want you may have to check both places.

I added a layer of 1/2" hardware cloth over the top of the run today so there is very little of the coop that a raccoon hand would fit through, and that gap is at the top front of the coop, far from where any chickens might huddle in fear. Just to be safe I may cover that bit as well but I didn't have time today. I will get to that when I return from my last vacation of the year next Saturday. I'm picking up the chickies Sunday.

As far as whether they would run into the coop in fear, I pretty much doubt they would do that. I'm guessing that they could be startled OUT of the coop at night and may indeed huddle in a corner of the run in fear, so I've made all the corners and the bottom edges especially secure.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Thanks to everyone for their input!

- Mary

 

[ISSOLA]

Quote:
Unfortunately, during the terror of a raccoon attack, chickens may not be able to figure this out. What tends to happen, I've read, is that the frightened birds pile up in the corner of the pen (especially in a small pen) where they can be easily grabbed by the predator and pulled through the wire bit by bit...if the spaces in the wire allow for this. Bottom line, if you aren't locking your chickens in the coop at night, you've got to assess the security of your pen against predators.

Duh! Of course!

That observation is spot on! Anyway, there is enough reinforcement zip ties, I think. The coons haven't figured it out yet. Any larger raccoon hanging around is "taken care off" before it has time to ponder out any scheme.

 

[kcravey]

Havent read this entire line... but looking at that wire, *I* (living in raccoon country) would lock them up at night. Better them to have to wait on you , then you finding they ate your chicks through the fence. Got a friend down the road that had a chicken in a dog cage and the raccoons ate him through the cage. I have seen them coming up on mine - they travel in packs..... Chickens get scared and run all around , one raccoon (or possums too) will stand there patiently with their hand in the cage just waiting to grab something they can eat. Just get a visual of your cage surrounded by a pack of raccoons.... with hands in the wire.... I think my little chicks would come up and want to peck them and see what they taste like!

 

[ISSOLA]

Quote:
Yeah!!! So glad you enjoyed my blog. I had forgot to take pics of the boxes when I got them home, like you did. I was tearing the boxes apart and fixing the cube together, right through the evening dark. My husband had to coax me indoors with dinner. Are you getting point of lay hens? I agree with putting the pullets into the coop at dusk/close the door, and letting them out next early morning. If they don't learn that "upstairs coop is nice cozy home"; it would be difficult to break a habit of huddling at a corner on the ground when they get ready to sleep. I know you are excited, so enjoy your chickens and new toy!

BTW - with all the free media from the blog on the eglu cube, I think the omlet business may have taken off here (note - orange cube sold out in US this yr). Dare I hope they would give me a discount for my next purchase?

 

[Mr chicken dude]

It depend on what type of zip ties you use...I have the black ones and I used them around my garden to connect one roll of fencing to the other...They've been out there for 2 1/2 years and they aren't disintegrating like I thought they might..And they are also very strong sometimes I have a hard time cutting them with clynes...

 

[elmo]

No matter what you use to put your run together, I think it's a good idea to get in a routine of doing a walk around check of the perimeter, looking for weak spots, loosening nails/screws, signs of digging, etc.

 

[patandchickens]

The problem with relying on inspection to detect whether your cable ties are starting to degrade enough to be vulnerable is that YOU are only going to be out there OCCASIONALLY checking them (and will probably not test them to the limits of their strength, as that tends to be real hard on the fence wire etc), whereas the predators are out there checking them more or less constantly (a lot more often than you yourself, anyhow, and a lot more vigorously).

So, the first sign of weakening is apt to be the presence of a pile of bloody feathers one morning.

Just saying,

Pat

 

[calbirder]

ISSOLA - I am getting POL hens, and I would like to be sure they get in the habit of sleeping inside the nice, safe coop, so I think that after reading all of this I WILL lock my hens up every night. Just in case. And because I hadn't even thought about them getting in the habit of NOT sleeping inside. Lots to learn still.

- Mary

 

[ISSOLA]

Quote:
My chickens took only 2 days to learn to go up to the coop themselves. I had them since they were one-day old chicks. I put them into the eglu cube when they were 7 weeks old. They learnt to go up to the coop by themselves, after I physically placed them into coop every night for the first two nights. I went to place them into the coop on the third night, but was surprised to find them there already. Since then, I have had no problems. Your getting POL pullets, perhaps need longer training to know where their sleep quarters is.

The most fun is the learning, and experimenting process. This BYC website is golden with information.