New to Forum /Predator Protection/ Planning on Chickens - Suggestions

[herbandteas]

I am also getting chickens soon. I have a neighbor who had phesants but one night they came home and found rats swarming the pen they were in so they got rid of the birds. So my question is how to keep the rats from bothering chickens in their coop/run?


Helaine in Olalla, WA

 

[New2Farming]

I live in Louisiana. This is my first go at planning a coop, but I know there are skunks in our area but unsure of other predators. There isn't electricity out that far from the house yet but there will be so electric fence is out for now. The ground is very hard but we have had something digging in it none the less and we want to protect our chickens. Would covering the floor area of the run with wire mesh be ok or would something else work better??

 

[sdm111]

Hello I also live in louisiana and deal with foxes hawks eagles coons possums dogs etc. and found only an elec fence and covered pens to work If your saying to put wire on the ground then I would say no cause it's going to really mess up their feet from scratching. If your meaning as a floor of an off the ground coop then that's fine

 

[New2Farming]

From the designs I have seen most if not all are covered. I will be covering the run for sure we have owls and other birds of prey here. I am trying to plan for ground predators that can dig under the frame. Digging down in the hard clay wont be easy but if I have to I guess I have to. Would a mesh skirt around the base work until I can get electricity out there?? When I was looking at some coop designs I seen this one https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/permanent-hoop-coop-guide .

 

[sdm111]

Oh I see I also have hoop pens but house individual birds so smaller scale but a lot of them. The only problem I had with those types ( although yours will be much larger ) is that dogs or foxes in a pack would surround the pen freak out the chicken and grab them through the wire when they were running around. If you do that I suggest wrapping the bottom with hardware cloth about a foot or two high so paws or talons can't get through. You could also dig a trench and bury the wire about 6" into the ground to avoid diggers.