Need some feedback on my idea...

[E.M. Silkies]

Ok so I have a predator issue that's forcing me to rearrange my coops and I want some ideas from the experts!

I have several hutch style coops for my silkies. But apparently they aren't able to hold their own against neighborhood dogs.... Last night a dog tore through the hardware cloth on the bottom of my coop and killed two chickens. Here is my plan. I have a large space that I wanted to enclose for goats so I'm thinking now, I'm going to enclose the fence with ostrich wire and put my coops inside the fence. I think that will keep the big game(or dogs...)out. My back-up will be the Great Pyrenees I intend to keep inside this new fence.

I also plan to make even more coops in addition to the ones that I already will put in the enclosure. I have silkies and right now my pens only hole a few silkies at the time. I would like to make something that can hold more than that if possible. I found a coop that Three Cedars Silkies just posted on their FB page that I think would work beautifully. It is made on the ground but big enough(it seems) for about five silkies. Do you all think that a pen on the ground, with a roof will be ok inside the larger fenced area?

 

[N. Virginia]

Hmmm...don't know what ostridge wire is. Electric will keep things in/out...what about adding a strand or two to whatever fence you build to keep critters out? A guard dog sounds great also.
Cheers,
N. VA.

 

[E.M. Silkies]

I'm definitely open to electric wire. I've even considered doing strictly electric. Ostrich wire is made of triangles about 3 inches tall by 2 inches wide. It's very secure and I know a place I can get it for $40 per 100ft roll.