junebuggena - great, thanks. No problem building what we need to build. Just don't want to overbuild.
What @junebuggena said.... predators travel through the canyons we in San Diego have left wild. I started with chikens in Santee. which is inland about eight to ten miles. from the coast. But during summer there will be mountain lion sightings ALL the way to the coast. Following game and water.
coop space just has to be protected from the occasional rain and wind and predators. Raccoons are the most prevalant of em all and the most intelligent and dilligent predators. they can rip a hole in plain chicken wire. We are talking the main roost area where they will sleep at night.
Up in the desert where My big coop is I rather assumed I didnt have racoons.... wrong. I lost thirty Guinea fowl Tweenagers all missing heads. they were roosting in a chainlink enclosure on a perch that was about eighteen inches below the chainlink roof. Raccoons will reach in and grab and pull off what ever they can get. I was devistated. Same thing with perching birds that are along the walls of the chainlink. Same episode One of my Guinea Hens lost a leg right off at the hip joint through the wire. She survived it though.
so I put Hardware cloth along the walls where the roosts came up against the chainlink and a Tarp over the top of the Guineas. but I wasnt happy.
I Used to have Aviaries and when i moved up to the desert I brought all my aviary cage wire with me.... Below shows my fortification Avairy wire over the top of chainlink. This aviary wire is 12.5 gauge with a spacing of 3 x 1/2 inches.
I lost my last flock to Coyotes which was the result of cascade failure.... very long story. I didnt replace any because i am rebuilding the coop to suit a better situation.
the coop will transform into a Poultry house because of my physical deterioration I cant haul water and food any more. The new house will have water piped into it as well as having all access from the center aisle.
So in the long run over building is not possible. Building for flexibility is an absolute necessity.
My future plan
This is how I affix perches in wire the eye bolts can be used with any wire support they work as a physical support for the perch and clips or wires run through them keep them from hopping off
The bottom pictures show my aviary wire. you turn the eyebolts once inserted through and it snugs the perch up to the wire... very secure.
You can buy this wire right here in Santee....
https://www.wingzstore.com/diy.html
the beauty of the aviary wire is its self supporting. you can construct a cage without any internal support. I used Zip ties for assembly then Hog rings to make it perminant.
deb
