Keeping wildlife out

[supchicks]

Hi - construction is well underway with our coop but I have a question about critter control. I was originally planning to dig down and bury an apron of plastic-coated chicken wire around the coop to discourage diggers, but now I'm wondering if putting a border of big square patio stones around the perimeter would do the same trick, or are the critters smart enough to just dig around the stones?

As for wildlife, I know there are skunks around, and I'd assume some raccoons too, although I've never seen one. Maybe an possum too, but we're in suburbia so I'm not sure about them.

What do you think?

 

[Folly's place]

You could do both, and use hardware cloth instead, to keep out the rats and weasels. Nobody regrets having too much security! Plan for everything from large dogs to little weasels, and raptors too. Chickens are critter magnets! Mary

 

[Wise Woman]

When my husband built our very first coop almost 15 years ago, we didn't know about burying hardware cloth around the perimeter of the coop to keep predators out. My husband put large river rocks the whole way around the run and the coop was on a cement floor. We had no losses to predators. We have racoons, skunks, bob cats, mountain lions, owls and so forth, so I guess it worked. As we embark on building a new coop over the next year, we will put down hardware cloth as well as some sort of decorative pavers all around the perimeter of the coop. Good luck.