Predator Proofing Run

[LynneP]

Thanks for the positive feed back on the roof, we're VERY pleased so far. We've had some torrential rains/winds and except for a tiny leak on one seam, it's tight. We're going to cross-beam those parallel roof joist before winter. It's light and bright and because of the angle there is shade in there at all times of day.

because we support a colony of feral cats, electricity was not an option for us, but the fuzzballs have checked every part of the coop and run, and find it solid. it was fun watching them.

About the wire- we decided that because our winters are so severe that all needed maintenance on the run should be capable from inside. Because each post is anchored on a U-bracket in concrete the wire is very taught, and secures with poultry staples and board batten with screws. If you run at it, you'll bounce off!

 

[cjeanean]

Burying wire is the biggest pain in the rear you will ever encounter!!! If you have enough wire, and are willing to cut it, this is an idea someone gave me in the chat. Say your run is 10x10, with one side consisting of the coop. This means you have three 10 foot sides. Get a 10 foot by 36" length of welded wire, and cut it into foot wide strips. This should give you three strips 1 foot by 10 foot. Attach the wire along the perimeter of the run on the ground. Predators always dig right up next to the fence, and if that wire is on the ground around the perimeter they'll be digging wire instead of dirt. I attached the wire to the fence using the free wires off the strips after I cut them. I just twisted those ends to the existing run fence. I don't know if that makes any sense, if you want to use this idea and have questions feel free to ask!!!

 

[dixygirl]

Quote:
Did you already have the hardware wire when you lost the chickens? Was it attached to something across the bottom or free swinging.

 

[raizin]

the hardware cloth was not buried. The racoon was climbing the outside of the fence and coming over the top. I caught it coming out of my coop, one chicken was all ready dead and it was going back for seconds. Once I got the electricity up I have had no more chicken deaths. everyone (all animals) avoid the chicken coop. My dog, the cats, the racoons (3 more down still got at least 4 more prowling the area). The racoons almost killed one of my cats but the electrical fence is keeping them out of the coop. I even just installed a sprinkler system around my coop to water the yard to keep the grass alive. I tied all of the different wire mesh together by running a piece of smooth wire woven through both types of wire so nothing could squeeze through. I didn't bury the wire because almost half of my coop is over a rock bed and I can't dig a trough. It was a nightmare to dig the fence posts on that side. had to actually move the post holes around and just make design accomodations when building the run.
Steve

 

[TexasJoe]

Quote:
I agree. VERY BEAUTIFUL, indeed. I'm now frantically searching Home Depot and Lowe's website for the same stuff!! THAT WOULD BE PERFECT TO roof my butcher's shed!!! Natural LIGHTING FOR THE WIN!


And, I also agree that electric fencing will deter those creatures foolish enough to search around for a way in. You just need to determine which predators are your greatest concern and design the electric fence perimeter accordingly. Dogs will be easily deter'ed by putting the electric fence 16" off ground and about 1' from cage perimeter. Possums and raccoons will be detered by multiple rings of elec. fence along the edge of the top of the cage (space the rings about 4-6" apart, parrallel to eachother).

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Ugh, I'm going to have to think about predator proofing my house and run soon, we get our chicks tomorrow and I'll have to start renovating the old ice house infront of our house for the chicken house, it's like 17 x 12 and has a concrete bunker at one end that would have been used for storing meats, it has a lid so we're using it for food storage since its completely concrete, but I have to dig a trench around the building and pour a new apron for it, since the old one is...well dead, it has two holes along the sides, plus I have to bond then pour some self leveling cement in the inside, because the cement floor/foundation is so old it's all cracked. Anyway, we have animals galore, not bears or anything as far as I know, but Racoons, Fishers, Skunk, etc... I have yet to see any Racoons hanging around, bu there was a dead Fisher in our barn, and I know for sure we have a Skunk that scampers across the front lawn every morning because a) it REEKS outside in the mornings, and b) the dogs go mad about the same time it stinks like hell LOL. We also have huge eagles, I almost hit one with the car yesterday... it was in the middle of our road eating a dead animal I believe, but it was clearly there and clearly bloody huge, it flew away when I almost hit it, somewhat thankfully LOL. I'm not sure yet, but the dog may have stumbled across a baby Fisher, and if he has well it's going to have a to die, because I don't want that thing growing up on my property and later killing my animals, I'm hoping it's just an abandonned kitten and not a Fisher, but I'm goign to check it out tomorrow... My mum told me she heard meowing and Nacho went to check it out, but Fisher babies have a somewhat Kitten meow.

I'm no help, but what we're doing is sinking our 1/4 inch hardware mesh about a foot down, or as far as possible (we live on the Canadian Sheild, so a foot is likely not plausible), and then we're going to grab some of the sheild rock thats hanging out at the sides of our paddocks and putting them around the run, butting up against the hardware mesh to prevent anything from getting close enough to dig a reasonable hole.

 

[TexasJoe]

There ARE other methods of predator and pest control. Make a perimeter around your coop/run with: Mothballs, sevin dust, lawn grade DE, natural pest deterrents like Marigolds, non-poison fly/roach traps, zappers, etc. etc. I've heard of using everything from wolf's urine to...on second thought..let's just say people go to extreme lengths to keep predators from their livestock and crops..

These methods are what I would consider "pro-active". For example, I've not seen a single mite on my birds yet, partially because I use sevin dust BEFORE my birds arrive..not after I start seeing mites. This way, i Don't have to directly apply the sevin dust to them or their current living environment, limiting the fear of "chemicals" on my "organic" flock. After my birds are in their habitat, i simply use the sevin dust AROUND my pen, not in it.

 

[mylilchix]

Well, we've continued to work on the run. It should be done tonight. I didn't realize that marigolds would deter predators. I may try that. We only have on side of the run I'm worried about now. 2 sides of our run back to our llama pasture, one side back to our dog run, so we just have one exposed side. We're burying wire and then rocking, but I'll have to try some of the natural remedies a long it.

Sonja