My first try a big failure - how can I protect my chickens?

[wolfiewear]

Lost my first two 2-month old chicks last night from a chicken run that is entirely encaged. I assume a racoon. Can't figure out how it got in, but perhaps just reached through the wire and dismembered them? It was messy.

Now I can't figure out if I should give up my last two chicks so they'll be safe or not. What can I do to make it safer if it's already entirely enclosed?? I see racoons and possums in the backyard constantly, although I live in the middle of a city. How can I keep them from eating all my chickens?

 

[Poison Ivy]

You need to run hardware cloth around it so they can't reach in and grab them. I had several chickens killed that way in the beginning. Plus you need to have a small house they can be locked in at night. Even if it's a dog house with door to close up. Then I would set a trap for the racoons and dispose of them. Or call ACS to do it for you. Good Luck

 

[Bubba]

I do the same here I don't use chicken wire, I use 1 inch or 1/2 inch steel hardware cloth. Not only is it way to small for them to get thier grubby hands through, the tight weave gives it strength to. So much so that a dog wouldn't be able to go through it, might be able to tear it down eventually but they would be hurt badly in the process....

Bubba

Edit PS It's not a failure its a learning experience. It is human to make mistakes, it is not human to repeat then over and over. (Do wars count?

) A failure is if you keep doing it over and over, while not learning from it.

 

[foxtrapper]

Coons most assuredly will reach through fencing to rip off pieces of meat for dinner.

Either make the weave tighter so they can't get their paws through, double fence so that can't reach far enough through, or electrify so it hurts if they try to reach through.