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Lost all 5 last week; need advice re: coop & run

Discussion in 'Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance' started by FormerCityGal, Apr 15, 2012.

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  1. Apr 15, 2012 #1
    FormerCityGal

    FormerCityGal Out Of The Brooder

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    Apr 13, 2011
    Hi all

    I had posted on the Predator board that we recently lost all 5 hens. Woke up one morning and all were gone from the run - remains of two were found outside of our property, but the other 3 just disappeared. There were feathers in the coop and run area.

    Here are a couple of pics of the coop and run. At night, we have been leaving the outside door of the coop open. It appears the incident last week happened in the morning, after the hens came down from the roost area.

    There were no signs that anything crawled under the chicken wired area, no holes dug, etc. I find it odd that something may have jumped back and forth over the fence 5x. It's hard to see in the photo, but the white fence also has chicken wire on it.

    There has been coyotes in the area in the past, however I haven't seen any around the property for about a year. A couple of hawks sit in the trees but they are small.

    Any feedback would be appreciated.

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  3. Apr 15, 2012 #2
    applefalls

    applefalls Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Feb 25, 2009
    Cockeysville, MD
    How high is that small white fence with the chicken wire? It isn't totally clear from the picture, but it looks low--perhaps low enough for the chickens to fly over. My chickens don't fly--most don't--but they can pretty much all hop over something low. If a coyote or a hawk did manage to get in, either one could have spooked the chickens into flying over that low fence. I've seen chickens hop up onto something as high as what your horse fence seems to be, too.
     
  5. Apr 15, 2012 #3
    Chemguy

    Chemguy Chillin' With My Peeps

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    May 30, 2011
    Springfield, Ohio
    That gap below the fence is enough to let a chicken out and almost any predator in. Even a coyote. Also, as has been said, the height of the fence is possibly an issue. Most predators can get up and over something that low.
     

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