Please look at my locks and run pics!

[1sttimefarmer]

Hi all, I am new to this forum and we have just finished building our run. We had the coop built and it came with these barrel lock latches and a slide hook latch on the egg box. Please tell me if I need to replace them with something more secure. I suspect a coon could get into those slide latches pretty easily. The run itself is very secure with 1/2 inch hardware cloth but my husband didn't bury any or make a wire apron around. I'm mostly concerned about my own dog as the chickies will be locked in their coop at night. I hope no daytime predators would dig under. His thought is to use these paver stones around the exterior. He thinks that's enough. I at least want to get the 12x12 stones to beef it up a little more. Please any thoughts? This is our first chicken attempt and I love my girls so much, I'd be so devastated to lose any of them.

 

[ocap]

I like picture 2 and 3 for racoon locks. I have installed an apron of wire on all my runs, coops and tractors.

 

[renardsubtil]

The stones better be heavy...coons are not small animals. You might think about burying some plastic netting or coated metal netting (bare meal tends to rust when buried) under the stones.

Yeah, I'd replaced the slide latches unless they're just for the run - the most important structure imho is the roost, if that building is secure than don't worry it because most of the chicken predators are nocturnal. The only things that'll come in the day would be dogs, large cats, hawks, and people. Coons tend to come late in the evening, usually when the sun is about to set.