yellowish_chickenfeet
Chirping
Hey everyone! We are currently drawing out our future coop, but need some advice on predator proofing.
A little about our area:
We live down a hill with a few other houses just out of the city limits. We're on a lake, and on the other side is a wooded area with a state park a ways beyond that. Next to our house is a little gulley, where the only permanent residents are small animals, but deer often will come through. I suspect that a lot of the animals in our area move along the edge of the lake, as all of the houses are up a little ways.
Now that you now more about the sort of habitat around us, here are the predators we know we have:
-Weasels. This is the one I'm most concerned about. A few years ago one of our bunnies was killed by a weasel. It bit him in the neck, which must have killed him near instantly.
-Coyotes. I've never seen any coyotes around us or seen their prints on our side of lake, but this winter we saw all sorts of tracks on the ice. I don't think we have to worry about them, but just in case. Maybe it seems crazy, but I was also afraid that the chickens might attract the coyotes to the yard, and then they could become a threat to our little terrier.
-Raccoons. I've never seen any, but I have seen their droppings in the gulley.
-Hawks. I see them flying above the yard, however, the chickens will not be able to free-range, so I don't think this is much of an issue.
-Our neighbor's dog. Again, we won't be free-ranging, but we don't have a fence around our front yard, so I'm just worried that the dog might come over and harass the chickens while they're in their run. The dog is a lab mix who as roughed up our dog a bit before. She's sweet to humans, and I'm guessing she'll get bored with them after a while, we just need to make our run strong enough in the beginning.
-Our dog. Our jack russell is small and old, but he's killed birds before. Like the neighbor's dog, he'll probably just yip at them for a while and then get bored.
Sorry if this is a lot—I just wanted to get all the details straight. Most of this can be cured by just ensuring that the coop and run are secure, but I am a total newbie. I know nothing. I'm in need of some serious tips and tricks as well as just general ways to build a sturdy chicken palace.
Thanks
A little about our area:
We live down a hill with a few other houses just out of the city limits. We're on a lake, and on the other side is a wooded area with a state park a ways beyond that. Next to our house is a little gulley, where the only permanent residents are small animals, but deer often will come through. I suspect that a lot of the animals in our area move along the edge of the lake, as all of the houses are up a little ways.
Now that you now more about the sort of habitat around us, here are the predators we know we have:
-Weasels. This is the one I'm most concerned about. A few years ago one of our bunnies was killed by a weasel. It bit him in the neck, which must have killed him near instantly.
-Coyotes. I've never seen any coyotes around us or seen their prints on our side of lake, but this winter we saw all sorts of tracks on the ice. I don't think we have to worry about them, but just in case. Maybe it seems crazy, but I was also afraid that the chickens might attract the coyotes to the yard, and then they could become a threat to our little terrier.
-Raccoons. I've never seen any, but I have seen their droppings in the gulley.
-Hawks. I see them flying above the yard, however, the chickens will not be able to free-range, so I don't think this is much of an issue.
-Our neighbor's dog. Again, we won't be free-ranging, but we don't have a fence around our front yard, so I'm just worried that the dog might come over and harass the chickens while they're in their run. The dog is a lab mix who as roughed up our dog a bit before. She's sweet to humans, and I'm guessing she'll get bored with them after a while, we just need to make our run strong enough in the beginning.
-Our dog. Our jack russell is small and old, but he's killed birds before. Like the neighbor's dog, he'll probably just yip at them for a while and then get bored.
Sorry if this is a lot—I just wanted to get all the details straight. Most of this can be cured by just ensuring that the coop and run are secure, but I am a total newbie. I know nothing. I'm in need of some serious tips and tricks as well as just general ways to build a sturdy chicken palace.
Thanks
