new member, no chickens yet! Worried about coons...

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raeraemcrae

raeraemcrae

Hatching
9 Years
Feb 17, 2010
5
0
7
Hello, I'm in Austin, TX, and weeks away from my first chickens. First have to get the coop. Wanted to join ahead of time in case I have questions I can't find answers for, and to look for fellow BYC folks in Austin!
I'm married, with one young teen daughter, three cats, and no other pets yet. Just started my first Square Foot Garden this past week, and am very excited about where that will take us. Chickens are next. Trying to move towards more sustainable, organic, "natural" life, and want my daughter to have these important experiences while she is still young. Also looking into Rainbarrels, to place near my garden.
I am dragging my feet about coop choice because I have definite coons and possums in the area. The raccoons have come in my cat door to eat the cat food. But when I blocked the food visually to the outdoors (patio door, glass), they stopped. So, I am hoping they are not too desperate or tenacious. I back to a large preserve; my yard is fenced.
I want a "free-range" open bottom coop, and am trying to find ways to make that work, like a timed door on the roost/nest part.
And, can anyone tell me how to subscribe to a thread after I already posted and I don't see the button anymore when I come back to edit? It's probably super obvious....
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Welcome!

Smart thinking on getting some knowledge and support, as well as the coop, BEFORE the chickens! Take advantage of our experiences! We are here to make things easier on your adventures in keeping chickens.

There's a search feature on the upper right side of your screen. You'll be amazed at what you will find that's already been discussed.

Have fun!
 
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from Oklahoma!

I keep my few laying hens in their covered run - it's large and I don't have a lot of birds since I live downtown. On days I am able to be home I let them out in my fenced backyard. So far the only predator I've seen during the day (besides stray dogs) is hawk. I have caught several raccoons and my dog has caught some possums after dark. I have attempted to build the requisite "Fort Knox" coop and run. I use chain link dog kennel panels for my run - wrapped in chicken wire, with hardware cloth over some of the gaps. The roof of my run is also chain link panels. The coop is inside the run so I leave the pop door open at night. I did the same thing as you and joined on here before I got my chickens - you will learn tons - Good luck!

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from SoCal. I too was abig time lurker before I got my chicks. I didnt want any problems- esp death as I knew my girls would be pets, and that would be a big knock to the heart. We have plenty of racoons and oppossums here too. We built our coop sides with quarter inch heavy mesh and buried it a food deep, layed into a ribbon of concrete. So far so good. Make the search button your friend- and good luck. Looking forward to seeing future posts.
 
Hi! I'm new here too and also live in the Austin area, but way out in the country. If you live in a rural area, you might consider a Great Pyrenees dog. They are in the "Livestock Guardian Dog" class and will bond with your chickens and guard them from wild animals and other dogs. If interested in that, please read all you can about them. Mine chase hawks out of the sky as well as run off other dogs and coyotes. They are completely nice to my chckens, baby chicks and so forth. The breed is primarily used to protect goats and baby goats, but also bond to birds as well.
 

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