post your chicken coop pictures here!

[napdognewfie]

Hardware cloth all around and under everything. No openings more than 1/2" or they can squeeze themselves in. Everything has to be tight.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hardware cloth all around and under everything. No openings more than 1/2" or they can squeeze themselves in. Everything has to be tight.

So hardware cloth over the wood too? Can they chew through? Or do you just mean like over the window openings, eaves, etc.? I will definitely ensure it's tight though. And we were going to make the run from a chain link dog kennel but I like the look of hardware cloth better and either way we would need to buy some HC to go up the walls and/or make a skirt so I may as well buy wood. If I only made the skirt up two feet, would a weasel be able to climb up and get in?

 

[bruceha2000]

Hardware cloth all around and under everything. No openings more than 1/2" or they can squeeze themselves in. Everything has to be tight.

Right.

I originally had the "predator proof" stall coop made of existing 1/2" plywood half walls on 3 sides, full wood on the back, "window" openings (the 3' between the front and side walls and the ceiling) covered with 2x4 welded wire (because it was already there) people door the same. I added 1/2" hardware cloth over all the openings and the ceiling because it is the joists for the floor above and critters could have gotten up the side of the coop and between the joists, then drop down.

I figured anything significant that dug under the walls would not be able to get up through the existing horse mats on the dirt floor, they are HEAVY. But mice were finding their way between the seams and when we saw the VERY cute ermine (winter white, I think it was November, with black eyes, nose and tip of tail) up by the house, I hauled out the shavings and horse mats (did I mention they are HEAVY, not to mention unwieldy) and ran 1/2" hardware cloth from wall to wall, poultry stapled about 6" up then put the horse mats back down. If a mouse/vole can get between the mats, there is no reason an ermine couldn't follow the same path.

 

[Stephanie R]

bobcats are like ghosts... in broad daylight you can look directly at them and still not see them till they move twitch an ear or tip of tail. ONe time I came around a corner and froze because I saw something move. It was right at a culvert... natural brush in the back ground

I stopped the car and stared... it turned and disappeared. This was about six oclock in the morning.

Same thing for Mountain lions. I have only seen one... a ghost in the fog crossing the road. Same time in the morning too;

I am located in San Diego County

deb

We live just outside the city limits on 6 acres. All the properties around us have about the same acreage. It's not really rural, but it has that feel. We have seen two bobcats, both about 30 feet from our house. One at about 10:00 in the morning standing in the meadow by our patio (while I was sitting outside with a friend) and one right outside our bathroom window with a squirrel in its mouth at about 9:00 in the morning. Neither one seemed terribly concerned with our presence, but did finally run off after we made some noise. They were different cats. We could tell from their size.

 

[napdognewfie]

You want all openings covered. Don't just staple it because it can be pried up, use u shaped poultry nails.

I had a weasel climb up my rabbit cage, squeeze under the closed door and massacre all of them. If you have ever looked at a ferret, those things can really flatten themselves out.

 

[FarmerPhronc]

Your 2 deterrents, assuming they don't have a taste for chicken, are excellent. Most predators are unlikely to visit, they will head to the next "restaurant", the one with the screen door

To be honest I'm not sure if they have a taste for chickens or not, that's why I don't let my hens free range preferring to keep them in the chain link run. So far no signs of them trying to dig under or reach thru. Planning on going to town tomorrow and will be getting 1/2" hardware cloth to put on the ground and up the run. Thinking 2' up and out.

 

[Sylvester017]

I've lived in rural Colorado for 10+ years so have a pretty good idea of what predators to be wary of. I just got my hens a week ago, so far no signs of predators.

Aren't most predators nocturnal hunters, except maybe hawks and eagles, or am I just fooling myself?



I have a rather good sized, fenced in back yard, with 2 day time predator deterrents, lol

I keep my 5 ladies in this coop with 16 gauge 1/2" x 1" welded wire



I have added a 6 X 12 foot run made from chain link dog kennel panels.



I have it so I can pull up the ramp, safely enclosing the ladies in the roost area at night.

First of all I like your coop if that's the same one I saw on the cedar website with the metal roof. The additional pen provides a good place to ball-tie a tarp over the coop for shade or rain protection.

Secondly in a rural area it's good to have 2 dogs although my personal preference are for the flock guardian breed dogs rather than general working dogs but still a plus to have 2 big dogs - yours are handsome! The only reason I say guardian flock breeds rather than herding or general working dogs is that the herding/working breeds will instinctively leave the flock unprotected to go chase after a predator (our old Border Collie and Rottie) where a flock breed will not only let the flock walk around them but most flock dog instincts will stay in the midst of a flock until the predator is in range. Some of these flock breeds are gentle giants with family members as well as with the flock like Pyrenees, Ovtcharka Mountain, Sarplininac, Maremma, etc etc. The drawback for me now to have a great flock dog breed is that most of them are in the 100+ lb range and my cottage backyard is just too small for a large dog to get enough exercise plus I only have 4 hens now. Used to have 25 acres but in retirement we have a small cottage yard.

Third it's great you have awareness of predators in your area. It's amazing how many people get surprised when a coyote, fox, or raccoon attacks their birds. Noctural raccoons with kits usually don't come out in the daylight hours but around us we've seen the adults with no kits walking around the golf course in the morning and in the late afternoon sun. If predators are hungry enough and food is available all bets are off regarding their normal behavior. I've seen videos of cute raccoons viciously rip open a screen door and attack a human in their own living room. Some raccoon behavior is just the thrill of the chase and not necessarily for food. Any time I see roadkill in our suburb I know it means at least 1/2 dozen less kits next year LOL!!

 

[Sylvester017]

IAnd very true!! Raccoons have adapted soo well to city life. The scary thing is city life is actually making them SMARTER than country coons. I watched a documentary a few months ago and it was so interesting but also scary haha it was by Nature (you know, PBS) and I watched it on Netflix, if you have it. I will see if I can find the name of it for you. They tracked a group of raccoons all through the city. It was so fascinating.

YEP, SAW THE NETFLIX NATURE ON RACCOONS. BUT THX - POST THE INFO AS IT IS GOOD FOR ALL CHICKENEERS TO WATCH!

 

[ShrekDawg]

YEP, SAW THE NETFLIX NATURE ON RACCOONS.  BUT THX - POST THE INFO AS IT IS GOOD FOR ALL CHICKENEERS TO WATCH!

It was so fascinating yet scary!! I definitely will!!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Okay, Googled it and it's apparently called Raccoon Nation and it's by Nature aka PBS. it's not available on PBS anymore but is on Netflix if you have it and probably other digital serviceS. I think yoy can buy it on Amazon too. There is also one.on deer, coydogs, etc. They have a lot of fascinating ones