Mountain critters and how to keep them out of the coop?

[kloverdarling]

I live in the mountains of colorado, we have Hawks and Eagles, bears, Bobcats, foxes...etc. I noticed some paw prints on the side of my coop under the window, most likely a fox or bobcat. I have since purchased two solar motion lights, which work great.

What else if anything can I do to prevent the dusk/nighttime critters from getting to my chickens?

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[Ol Grey Mare]

I live in the mountains of colorado, we have Hawks and Eagles, bears, Bobcats, foxes...etc. I noticed some paw prints on the side of my coop under the window, most likely a fox or bobcat. I have since purchased two solar motion lights, which work great.

What else if anything can I do to prevent the dusk/nighttime critters from getting to my chickens?

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Can you post a photo or two of the coop and run as it is now so we can see where changes might be beneficial?
For your specific predatory concerns the heavier the wire used the better - so definitely no poultry netting - and I'd be tempted to do a good, heavy wire base (like cattle panels, field fencing, etc under a smaller mesh like hardware cloth)...doubling up is going to put an extra layer of protection there. ANY openings (smallest vent to windows) needs a good, heavy wire over the opening that is secured well. A good fence charger running a couple strands of hot wire around the perimeter is a great deterrent. Locking the birds into the coop at night is another option that puts that extra protection between them and predators, provided the coop is secure.

 

[aart]

The lights might work good...for lighting up an area, but it won't deter predators for long, they'll get used to them.
Bears? HOT wire, Very hot wire!! Baited with bacon to make sure they 'get' it.

 

[kloverdarling]

Here are a few pictures of the outside, the ones with vents being the newest. I am still working on ventilation. Its an 8x8 shed with a steel human door and the poultry butler automatic door for them, on its tallest wall 10' and the shorter walls around 8'. I have 13 chickens that are 9weeks old now. 3 Black Jersey Giants, 4 Easter Eggers, and 6 Barred Plymouth Rocks, one being my Roo. I have 3 levels inside the coop with their roosts being the highest level at about 4' with roost bars 1' up from that. I'll be posting a full run down of my coop construction in another thread. I free range my chickens, we are on a large mountain property so there is plenty of room. My Anatolian shepherd is out with them during the day and they have access to lots of hiding spots in case of overhead predators. I probably need to add hardwire cloth to the window. I have it completely open during the day and crack it slightly at night.

 

[speckledhen]

I have almost every predator that you have here in the mountains of N. GA. I've never had a predator loss, at least so far in the almost ten years we've had chickens, because the birds are all in prior to dusk, don't get out until full daylight and the coops have several locks on the pop doors (raccoon resistant) as well as well-secured hardware cloth on every window and ventilation opening. I also have a basic baby monitor in the main coop which picks up sounds from the other coops and surrounding woods and transmits them to the receiver in my bedroom at night, just in case something does breach the coop defenses (like a human predator). When I say "well secured", I mean with screws backed by large washers, not staples.

If you have them truly secure at night, that will prevent most losses, however, eventually, you'll probably have one during the day. It's really inevitable at some point in time. My number is coming up eventually, I'm sure, but with the good overhead cover of evergreens in winter and all other trees the rest of the year as well as several alert roosters with different vantage points, so far, we have beat the odds.

 

[Folly's place]

I have a run that is adequate for daytime predators, including hawks, so if a raptor takes one of my birds, I can confine the flock in their run for a couple of weeks, until that hawk moves on. With bears, electrified poultry fencing, or three strands of hot tape, should work. See Premier1supplies.com. Mary

 

[Beekissed]

Get your own predator and place his/her living area around your coop. Problem solved. A good chicken dog is worth his weight in gold and can keep preds from your chickens for years without fail. Just takes a little training and an electric containment system centered in the coop area. I use a wireless fence and have done so for the past 11 yrs or so.

We live in the mountains here also and have many of the same preds as you, so if it can be done here, it can be done there.