New chicken mama w/14- 5 week olds in NW GA.

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Shiner19 said:
The chicken tractor is pretty safe we believe - wrapped in chicken wire. Our ground is very hard - lots of rock so little chance of anything digging under. Our beagles often will warn us too if they sense anything outside. Understand about the light - just an added deterrent. I worry most about the racoons and cats and think though they would have to work hard at getting in and likely our dogs would sound off alarm. We are converting an existing 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 shed to coop and will have 8' tall run around it. Probably can get it done in a couple days once we start.
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Chicken wire isn't safe at all.
Small chicken killers can fit right through chicken wire.

For your coop...make sure you use 1/2" inch hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. It's easier to build it predator proof from the start then have to try to make it predator proof afterwards.
 
Shiner19 said:
I have 14 - approx 5 week old chicks acquired from my daughter who was surprised with 20 babies one day coming out of her barn.
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Hi and welcome to BYC. Do you mean a broody hen hatched 20 chicks, or your daughter was surprised in another way? However it happened, 20 chicks is quite the surprise!

Even if you feel it's too late to use 1/2" hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, is it possible for you to attach the mesh cloth over the chicken wire? 5-week-old chicks are still very small, and most predators can easily grab hold of chicken wire with their paws and teeth and rip it apart. Raccoons and opposums can also reach through chicken wire and pull chickens out; they do this to adult chickens too. Chicken wire was made keep chickens in, not to keep predators out. If you feel the chicks will be safe, then hopefully you are right. But there are too many tragic stories involving failed chicken wire on the Predators forum, and we are just trying to prevent another. Have fun with your chicks!
 

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