Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[stake]

They are back in our area... and causing problems for some. we hear them every night. Glad we have 8 ft chain link around our paddocks! ...though I am waiting for them to try to breach it. I keep a shotgun and a .357 available at all times now.

Fisher:

Are you talking fox or coyote? I am trying letting a radio run whenever I am not at home(and not enough to let the fox acclimate to it)....I am also keeping a loaded shotgun in the dining room....day two of this test....hope it works....cause I really don't have the $$$ to rebuild 'fort knox' pens....

 

[dheltzel]

I go to extreme measures to make my pens predator-proof, and have not had anything breach my defenses in years (the early years were when I learned how to protect my birds - by experiencing some losses). I do this with these rules:
1. cover everything - raptors fly and coons climb.
2 Add a full 2 ft of "apron" around the coops and runs. This is just 2 ft wide galvanized woven wire laid flat on the ground, with weights to temporarily hold down the wire until the grass grows through it. It's invisible and very effective in stopping all diggers.
3. Good, string doors - well secured and often padlocked.

None of this is very expensive really. It does add some costs and a lot of time to get it right, but I could not stand to have my flock decimated by predators as Stake has had to deal with. It is so worth it to have them secure, I sleep well because of it.

 

[winc564]

While this discussion is running, what do you think of clear roofing panels, like this:

We were considering covering all or part of our run with it. Good idea or no? I'm not sure how to attach hardware cloth to it.

 

[wingstone]

Quote: not sure why, but i suddenly had an image of annie oakley, the one where she is leaning on the shotgun

 

[wingstone]

Quote: just don't offer to shake hands.

yes meatie's are still gonna be grown for awhile

 

[chiques chicks]

While this discussion is running, what do you think of clear roofing panels, like this:

We were considering covering all or part of our run with it.  Good idea or no?  I'm not sure how to attach hardware cloth to it.

You'd need good ventilation, heat will build up.
Those panels aren't very sturdy, trust me. They need support at least every 16 inches, and they get brittle in the cold. They only last a couple years at best.
Better off using some sort of wire, perhaps 2x4 welded wire? That will stop the big stuff, but not mink, weasel and rats.

 

[wingstone]

Quote: i have used these, they cracked with the first snow build up. and any overhang got broken in the wind.

 

[fisherlady]

Fisher:

Are you talking fox or coyote? I am trying letting a radio run whenever I am not at home(and not enough to let the fox acclimate to it)....I am also keeping a loaded shotgun in the dining room....day two of this test....hope it works....cause I really don't have the $$$ to rebuild 'fort knox' pens....

Yotes... i like the radio idea!

 

[winc564]

Glad I asked. I was trying to find something to help keep them dry. I'll keep looking.

 

[emorems0]

While this discussion is running, what do you think of clear roofing panels, like this:

We were considering covering all or part of our run with it.  Good idea or no?  I'm not sure how to attach hardware cloth to it.

Our coop has that type of roofing... The sides of the coop are made from pallets covered with hardware cloth so plenty of ventilation in the summer. We put panels of siding over the sides in the winter to seal up sides (leaving the top open for ventilation), I like that the clear roof lets lots of sun in during the day in the winter. It has held up just fine for us this winter. I did buy the little wavy plastic strips to put between the roofing panel and the roof trusses (or whatever the strips of wood are called that you secure the roof to). I also made sure the roof had a good angle so the snow doesn't build up too much. I should have angled the roof so it was south facing for better snow melt, but I didn't think of that until it was too late. The turkeys are roosting up there on the edge of the roof now and still haven't had any cracking or breaking. I know it won't last a decade, but it should last a few seasons and I like the benefits of a clear roof.