PNW'ers, I need your advice!!!

[Autumn Mama]

Hi all,

We live in the Pacific Northwest (near Vancouver, BC), and we are in the midst of building our coop + run. We plan to use 1/2 inch hardware cloth, cover the outdoor run, and generally make it inpenetrable!!!

What I'd like to know from those of you in this general area with chickens, is this: what have been your worst pests (ie lice, mites, rats etc) and what have been your most common predators?

We also plan to use a metal roof, (it's up already) use adequate ventilation, plexiglas windows (maybe a real one if that's availabalt to us...)

Let me know what you deal with!!!

 

[Autumn Mama]

bumping this up...hoping for some replies!!!

 

[emilyweck]

Hi there. I'm in Oregon and yes, same pests. My predators are raccoons, hawks and possums. My coop is raised off the ground and has solid wood floor. Cover the floor with vinyl for cleaning. Also, get a latch that is raccoon proof, if you have them up there. They're smart little buggers and will keep coming back until they figure out how to open it. A latch with a key is the best...just leave the key next to the lock.

I have welded wire/hardware cloth along the sides of my run and covering any window in the coop. I buried the hardware cloth 1 foot below the ground and then took in 90 degrees out another foot all the way around the perimeter of my run. Raccoons are diggers and will dig and dig and dig if they see a glimmer of hope. They should get frustrated with hitting wire and go elsewhere.

As far as hawks are concerned, your roof should be just fine. I only have a problem when I free range them, but I'm usually very near if they are out of the coop. I hope this helps and let us know what you end up with.

 

[emilyweck]

Also, I forgot to say that once you get the hardware cloth below ground level, make sure to fill over the top with dirt so they don't see the wire.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi there - I'm in Tacoma. My worst pest is the mites on my poor banty cochin. None of my others have the problem with the mites that the banty does.

I started to have problems with flies last summer, and can tell it's going to be a fly-filled summer. I'm planning to go get fly traps soon and will make some, too.

We've got a clear-roofed coop. The only problem that causes is early-rising birds... and an early-rising me.

 

[Autumn Mama]

Quote:
Your coop sounds exactly like what DH is constructing! It's 4' x 8' and we did go with the vinyl over the floor

...Raccoons are interesting, hey? We figure that with the coop being off of the ground by 3-4' that should deter any raccoons from getting into the coop. They would have to hang with one paw off of I don't know what, while trying to unlatch with the other, lol! Quite the picture!

Quote:
We will do the same with the HW cloth, though we might only go 6" deep around the run, as DH seems to feel that would be enough. Hopefully he will run it @ 90 degrees outwards too...Do you think 6' is deep enough? Any advantage to going deeper, or just more digging?

Thanks for the information!

 

[FrenchHen]

Rats. Nasssty scampering beasties.

We have a couple of traps out and I got 7 today.

Bleh!

We take the food away at night and have shored up the coop with hardware cloth, but they still find their way into the run.

 

[Autumn Mama]

Quote:
So, how can you prevent the mites ? Or are they everywhere? We plan to use DE dustbaths, allow them access to some feed mixed with DE (food grade), and I think use it in the coop, though I don't know exactly how to do that...

Fly traps are a great idea, plenty of those around here. Lots of barns + animals + poop = mucho flies!

Our metal roof should prevent any early risers, as I'm sooo not one! DH will open everything when he leaves for work, lol...I usually stumble out into the bright light squinting with my cup'o'java in hand, once I'm out there though I'm fine!!!

 

[Autumn Mama]

Quote:
Seven rats!!! GAHHH!!! They are horrid!!!

Yes, we have many of those, too. When we moved our compost bin to make room for the coop, we disbanded a group of seven. Maybe they ran all the way to your traps, lol. Our traps aren't working. What kind do you use? We have a live animal trap baited with peanut butter, after several weeks we've only caught one, and then we drowned it.

We didn't know what else to do with it inside the trap. I so hate killing things, but rats....ewww. I will learn how to be okay with it, I think.

 

[FrenchHen]

I have a t-rex type trapper. It's a kill trap, and it's pretty efficient. I vary the bait between PB, chicken feed, and scratch corn.

I've also heard you can mix peanut butter and plaster of paris for a homemade poison. Hide it in a PVC pipe so other critters don't get it and so it stays dry.
I need to restock my pipes.