Lost our whole flock...try again?

[emily_witthuhn]

Hey friends! New member here and brand new chicken keeper. My husband and I live at a camp in central Kentucky and our house and yard are surrounded by woods--lots of predator pressure. This summer we built our first coop for our first little flock, but lost all 10 of them last week, the first night they were old enough to sleep outside. We think it was a weasel. Looking back, the mistakes we made seem obvious to us now. It was devastating.

--Our run was covered on all sides with .5" hardware cloth, except for the top, which was covered in netting (this was first the HUGE mistake, and the point of entry for the killer/s).
--We didn't have a door between the coop and the run bc we (wrongly) thought our run was fully enclosed. Second mistake.

So my question for y'all is: If we fix these issues, does it seem reasonable to try again with a new flock or is it a losing battle against the wily Mustelidae clan?

--a few other details on our coop/run set up for context: the whole thing has an 18" hardware cloth skirt around the bottom, the hardware cloth walls are attached to the structure with staples (but we can add screws and washers for reinforcement). The coop (5' x 6') is attached to the outside of the run (9.5' x 12') with a shared wall.

 

[Sequel]

Hey friends! New member here and brand new chicken keeper. My husband and I live at a camp in central Kentucky and our house and yard are surrounded by woods--lots of predator pressure. This summer we built our first coop for our first little flock, but lost all 10 of them last week, the first night they were old enough to sleep outside. We think it was a weasel. Looking back, the mistakes we made seem obvious to us now. It was devastating.

--Our run was covered on all sides with .5" hardware cloth, except for the top, which was covered in netting (this was first the HUGE mistake, and the point of entry for the killer/s).
--We didn't have a door between the coop and the run bc we (wrongly) thought our run was fully enclosed. Second mistake.

So my question for y'all is: If we fix these issues, does it seem reasonable to try again with a new flock or is it a losing battle against the wily Mustelidae clan?

--a few other details on our coop/run set up for context: the whole thing has an 18" hardware cloth skirt around the bottom, the hardware cloth walls are attached to the structure with staples (but we can add screws and washers for reinforcement). The coop (5' x 6') is attached to the outside of the run (9.5' x 12') with a shared wall.

Gosh I’m so sorry that happened! What a terrible shock! Your set up actually looks quite good, is there any way you could roof that run? Chickens love cover from rain and snow, as well as shade when it’s hot out. I have a hot wire about 2 1/2 feet up to deter climbers which may or may not be an option for you.
The short answer is yes try again!
And welcome to BYC!

 

[emily_witthuhn]

Gosh I’m so sorry that happened! What a terrible shock! Your set up actually looks quite good, is there any way you could roof that run? Chickens love cover from rain and snow, as well as shade when it’s hot out. I have a hot wire about 2 1/2 feet up to deter climbers which may or may not be an option for you.
The short answer is yes try again!
And welcome to BYC!

ooo, how does the hot wire set-up work? that sounds promising! We may have enough metal sheeting around here to roof the run. I wonder if we would still need hardware cloth under it to keep anything from slipping under the edges though, since the metal is corrugated.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
I'm so sorry for your losses, it is awful! Many of us have learned this way, including me. Yes, upgrade your coop and run, and start over when it's all fixed.
A roofed run is best, built for your snow load, so your birds will want to be outside is rain and snow and ice. Now is a good time to do that!
That hardware cloth needs to be better attached everywhere! Here we overlapped it, used fencing staples into the framing, then 2"x 4" woven wire over the lower 4', and 1'x 4' boards screwed in over it all. Thin about raccoons and big dogs, and serious power!
Upgrade your locks; raccoons are strong and smart, and can open so many things!
At least one big window, with hardware cloth, into the coop, so it's not so dark.
Chickens are on everyone's menu, and it's impossible to overbuild.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Roofing the run will be good, but still plan for no openings larger than 1/2" anywhere!!! Metal roofs do tend to have problems with condensation on the underside, so if in the future you might enclose that space, some underlayment would be good there.
Mary

 

[Sequel]

ooo, how does the hot wire set-up work? that sounds promising! We may have enough metal sheeting around here to roof the run. I wonder if we would still need hardware cloth under it to keep anything from slipping under the edges though, since the metal is corrugated.

Oh yes I think you need the hardware cloth to close up any gaps. Weasels are small so squeeze in pretty small spaces. Raccoons are my biggest fear here, although I have seen mink in the neighborhood. Fortunately for me they prefer seafood so stay in the woods closer to the water. So far.
The electric fence has been the gold standard here. There are some good tutorials here and on you tube. If you don’t have access to power near your coop there are solar and/or battery powered chargers . Premier 1 is a popular company for portable electric fencing.

 

[Folly's place]

Electric fencing is a big help, but probably not as much against weasels. As above, Premier1supplies.com is excellent, and @Howard E and @cmom have good advice and pictures on this site.
Mary

 

[Ruthster55]

Another place where predators can get in (besides the run roof which obviously needs upgrading) is by digging underneath the run or coop. Basically, the hardware cloth around both needs to be buried or at least skirted to deter digging by predators.

The coop and run are so close to the woods that I think they also need some electric fencing, as Mary has suggested.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

Hey friends! New member here and brand new chicken keeper. My husband and I live at a camp in central Kentucky and our house and yard are surrounded by woods--lots of predator pressure. This summer we built our first coop for our first little flock, but lost all 10 of them last week, the first night they were old enough to sleep outside. We think it was a weasel. Looking back, the mistakes we made seem obvious to us now. It was devastating.

--Our run was covered on all sides with .5" hardware cloth, except for the top, which was covered in netting (this was first the HUGE mistake, and the point of entry for the killer/s).
--We didn't have a door between the coop and the run bc we (wrongly) thought our run was fully enclosed. Second mistake.

So my question for y'all is: If we fix these issues, does it seem reasonable to try again with a new flock or is it a losing battle against the wily Mustelidae clan?

--a few other details on our coop/run set up for context: the whole thing has an 18" hardware cloth skirt around the bottom, the hardware cloth walls are attached to the structure with staples (but we can add screws and washers for reinforcement). The coop (5' x 6') is attached to the outside of the run (9.5' x 12') with a shared wall.

Very sorry that happened to y’all. We are in east central KY, and definitely know from experience the many kinds of livestock predators that are in the area. I think that your coop looks good and with a reinforced top I would definitely not give up on having chickens.

 

[emily_witthuhn]

Oh yes I think you need the hardware cloth to close up any gaps. Weasels are small so squeeze in pretty small spaces. Raccoons are my biggest fear here, although I have seen mink in the neighborhood. Fortunately for me they prefer seafood so stay in the woods closer to the water. So far.
The electric fence has been the gold standard here. There are some good tutorials here and on you tube. If you don’t have access to power near your coop there are solar and/or battery powered chargers . Premier 1 is a popular company for portable electric fencing.

this is great. i think we will definitely try this.