Lost half my flock

[Stargeer2]

Much improved! Plan on the birds being locked in the coop at night, because the run is safer, but not foolproof. Over decades, we have upgraded our coop/ run combination, and still had issues. Don't give up, but keep improving your coop!
Mary

Thank you for the critique! I do indeed plan on keeping them in the coop at night. I am too traumatized from the initial loss! But hopefully this increased security, and our 4 new girls, will help bypass that! And lead to a long tenure of chicken snuggles and eggs!

 

[Brady bunch]

I am very sorry to hear this. If you do not want it to happen again and want to find out l, you could get an inexpensive camera to keep watch.
Also look for any openings or cracks. If you want to get more chickens wait until spring.

 

[Shezadandy]

My wife and I got 4 more chickens, and will hopefully get a rooster tonight. I also spent all day beefing up security. Pictures attached! Please let me know what you think. I installed hardware cloth around the base, put down a 2' wide apron, chicken wire on top of the bird netting, and put hardware cloth on every gap I could find! Constructive criticism welcome! And of course pictures of my 4 new girls are included as well!

Much improved. I would also wrap the exterior of the coop in another layer of hardware cloth, and secure it to your coop with 1x3's or 1x4's you can paint to match so it will still look really nice (whatever width would fit over the existing white trim). Then you know it's secured by 2-3" all around instead of just what the coop designers put in those 2x2 (lumber) frames. - so you would copy the pattern on the outside - wrap hardware cloth around the coop, staple it into the existing frames, then use 1x3s or 1x4's (whatever fits) and screw them into the frames - that will toughen it up quite a bit. Also make sure your coop has a solid bottom … night time predators have the most time to figure their way in.

You can support the center of your run "ceiling" with a 9ft or 12ft pole, dug in 2-3 feet into the ground (like a fence post) if you want a good spot to staple your top-cover down - and a better head clearance, depending on how tall you are- or you could do 2 sunk poles and make a perch ladder for the birds to enjoy in between. Also- would strongly consider finding a spot for an automatic door - there are some that will run on 4 AA batteries for a year, so no power cord- so when your birds go into the coop for the night, they're not vulnerable- so your chickens are only be able to come and go from the coop to the run from your automatic door opening.

 

[BreanneRN]

I would add, if you plan on going away again, bring out the electric fence to back it all up. Predators know when we aren't around and they act on that information to overcome all defenses. Amazing what they can do with unlimited time to do it. The electric fence will greatly add to your defenses when you are going to be away, and if you only use it then, won"t cost much money to run and they aren"t that hard to set up.

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, your coop needs work too! Shezadandy has the right idea about securing the hardware cloth, and reinforcing that coop, while you build a better one!
Add that electric poultry netting, or electric fencing too.
My coop, and the open walls; These pictures were taken right after the last building phase out here, so things were still a mess. And later, when a 30 ft. spruce fell on it's roof, only the shingles and a couple of plywood roof sheets had to be replaced. Now the roof is all one color too.
That's hardware cloth, with 2"x4" woven wire over the lower 4', all staples with fencing staples, and then 1"x4" boards screwed in on top to the building framing. Solid!
When bears come, we'll add electric too.
The building is on an old concrete foundation too.
Mary

 

[aart]

I do indeed plan on keeping them in the coop at night.

In the coop/run combo or in the coop part itself?
You may need to do some work there too.....it's too small for the 7 birds you propose.

 

[Milkshakeroo]

My wife and I got 4 more chickens, and will hopefully get a rooster tonight. I also spent all day beefing up security. Pictures attached! Please let me know what you think. I installed hardware cloth around the base, put down a 2' wide apron, chicken wire on top of the bird netting, and put hardware cloth on every gap I could find! Constructive criticism welcome! And of course pictures of my 4 new girls are included as well!

That setup is pretty impressive to me. I live in Australia where we get introduced foxes sometimes but apart from that, predators are pretty much non existent. Very grateful after reading all about raccoons, weasels etc that I can leave my chickens out in the run for a couple of days and come back to no losses.

 

[noregerts]

Don't be embarrassed, we all had a First Coop. Predators are determined. I lost three hens to a raccoon a while back and to this day I don't know how the little sonofagun got in.

 

[perchie.girl]

Hello all! I'm devastated.. I just got back home from a couple days away and discovered 5/8 of my chickens missing. Feathers around the run suggest a struggle, but there's no blood or bodies anywhere. I thought the coop was pretty secure. I have a 6' tall chain link fence in a circle with one side being the wooden coop itself. I had a 7500 lumen double light that turns on at night to try to scare off predators, and bird netting over the top to stop any unwanted visitors. I can't find where anything would have entered, but alas 5 chickens are missing, including our favorite rooster. My wife is even more devastated.. the three that are left look terrified, and are hiding in the top of the coop which makes it even harder. My question: what do we do now? How can we support our presumably terrified chickens? And not that I can get any chickens currently since I live in NY, but should I get more? And on a side note: anyone have any good advice for consoling my wife as well? It wouldn't be as hard if I didn't know how devastated she was as well...

Thanks all!

You are getting some great advice.... I speak as a person who has lost three flocks total. after different phases of Reinforcement....

Most dogs can climb a six foot chainlink fence including Coyotes.... the netting will only deter flying predators.

I went chainlink over the top as well. Or at least good stout wire like welded wire with a maximum of three inch openings. This will deter raccoons. Any where the fence touches perches raccoons will reach in and grab what ever part of the chicken they can get a hold of and pull it right through the chain link.

I reinforced mine with Hardware cloth...

As others have said even the tinyest hole is a possiblity for a breach. If they can get their teeth on the hole they can make it bigger. or feet....

The good news is it wasnt dogs if you didnt find bodies.... Dogs will chase and kill chase and kill till there is no one to chase any more.

I see you are in New York.... I would put a hard cover over that run which will do dual purposes one keep predators out and in the winter give them a snow free area to hang out in the winter.

As far as consolation... saying its a learning curve probably wont do it. Bring her home a box of chicks.... ?

Hot wire was suggested.... Highly recommend it. a strand low for diggers and a strand high for climbers. Its easy to put up and safe for the family pet that happens to get too close.

deb
who lost
One flock to dogs
One flock to bobcat
One flock to coyotes

oh and one Guinea fowl lost a leg to Raccoons. and survived.

deb

 

[Stargeer2]

In the coop/run combo or in the coop part itself?
You may need to do some work there too.....it's too small for the 7 birds you propose.

How big should a coop for 7-8 birds be? This one was rated for 12, but all of the birds pretty much just huddle together in one small little section: They barely use the space they already have! ...Part of that is that they regard the laying box as a sleeping box currently...