Predator proofing?

[appleacres]

Hello,
We are building our first coop--a few questions.
We have put windows up high (6') and lined them with hardware cloth, and also lined the bottom of the coop in hardware cloth (stapled).
The coop is currently only about 2' off the ground on cinderblocks. Should it be higher? Additionally, should we line the walls with hardware cloth or
some sort of metal mesh fencing to discourage predators? Should we dig the fencing down a foot into the ground? The walls are made of old pine boards we had left over, so there are some gaps. I just am a bit unclear about how quickly a predator (like a fox, which we have living on our land) would be able to chew through the wood and get into the coop. There is currently a small little run to do training in (they are only 3 week old guinea keets right now), but in the long term I plan to just let them free range within the 3 acre orchard that has an 8' fence surrounding it (but animals like fox can get through that fence easily). We will be in the orchard daily so not as worried about daytime attacks, more concerned about 5am raids on the coop.
Thanks!

 

[jreardon1918]

Two feet off the ground will keep some predators away. Many coops are not raised at all. HW cloth on any opening that a critter can exploit will help. Do regular checks of the coop to look for new gaps. We dug our HW cloth down and then out. I think just getting the HW cloth out a few feet is the important issue for digging. We inspect the perimeter twice daily.

And cameras can really tell you about late night threats. There is a trap to the left of this picture. It has been there a while unbaited. Will use if this guy makes any progress digging.

 

[Duckstruck]

When constructing the run in my coop, we didn't bury the wire straight down, but curved and facing out (so that digging predators would have a hard time beginning to dig). Something that I forgot to consider before building was the difficulty of rats; depending on the gaps in the boards, I'd consider their ability to get in.

From what you've described, it sounds pretty secure!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

You should cover all gaps larger than 1/2" with hardware cloth but don't have to line solid walls or floors with wire. Very few predators will chew through walls.

You can save yourself a lot of digging by using an anti-dig apron -- wire laid flat on the ground with the grass growing up through it -- instead of burying the wire.

If you have a very heavy predator load and/or bears you'll want electric wires.

 

[aart]

Should we dig the fencing down a foot into the ground?

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

Is the coop located out in the orchard...far from your house?
Posting some pics of your coop would help immensely here.

We will be in the orchard daily so not as worried about daytime attacks,

Ummm...fox are sneaky, so are hawks, they can attack even with human presence as close as 10' away.

There is currently a small little run to do training in (they are only 3 week old guinea keets right now), but in the long term I plan to just let them free range within the 3 acre orchard

What's your plan to get the guineas to coop up at night?
IIRC, they like to 'live wild'. Might want to ask about that in the guinea forum.

 

[gtaus]

but in the long term I plan to just let them free range within the 3 acre orchard that has an 8' fence surrounding it (but animals like fox can get through that fence easily).

My biggest daytime predator concern is hawks and Bald Eagles. So I have my chickens confined to a chicken run with bird netting covering the top. Where I live, people who free range their chickens usually don't have a flock to carry over into the winter. They lose their chickens one by one over the summer.

I just use 2X4 welded wire fencing around the chicken run, with no predator apron, and so far that has proven good enough for the occasionally neighborhood dog that comes around.

At night, I lock my chickens up in a Fort Knox coop, that only something as large as a bear would be able to get into.

So far, that has kept my birds safe. It sounds like your coop is already pretty safe. I would be more concerned about predators while the chickens are free ranging in the daytime.

 

[appleacres]

My biggest daytime predator concern is hawks and Bald Eagles. So I have my chickens confined to a chicken run with bird netting covering the top. Where I live, people who free range their chickens usually don't have a flock to carry over into the winter. They lose their chickens one by one over the summer.

I just use 2X4 welded wire fencing around the chicken run, with no predator apron, and so far that has proven good enough for the occasionally neighborhood dog that comes around.

At night, I lock my chickens up in a Fort Knox coop, that only something as large as a bear would be able to get into.

So far, that has kept my birds safe. It sounds like your coop is already pretty safe. I would be more concerned about predators while the chickens are free ranging in the daytime.

Yes, we do have every kind of animal here--hawks, eagles, owls, foxes, fisher cats, linx and bobcat, weasels, racoons, etc. My birds are actually Guinea Hens, they will be pretty big, but if a hawk can get them then I am not sure what I could do to prevent that, we'll see!

 

[gtaus]

My birds are actually Guinea Hens, they will be pretty big, but if a hawk can get them then I am not sure what I could do to prevent that, we'll see!

I have never raised Guinea Hens, but I thought a 3 week old Guinea Hen would be small enough for a hungry hawk to take. Maybe you could keep them confined to a run covered with bird netting until they are large enough that you would not be concerned by a hawk.

Everyone has different predator concerns, and you have to weigh the possibility of that predation to the cost of preventing every possible attack. For example, about 4 years ago I had a pair of mountain lions come through my property one night. They made a terrible noise. Our dog ran down into the basement stairwell and did not go outside until the next morning. But in the 30 years I have lived here, that was the only time (that I am aware of) that we have been visited by mountain lions. I said my coop was like Fort Knox, but I imagine a hungry mountain lion could tear it apart if it really wanted a chicken dinner.

But the chances of a mountain lion, or bear, attack are pretty low and it would cost me too much to build defenses against them. More likely a neighborhood dog looking to get at the chickens some afternoon when I am not at home. So far, the 2X4 welded wire has deterred the stray dog that visits. Also, I have watched the chickens all run back into the coop if a dog comes sniffing around the chicken run. So they do their part too.

 

[saysfaa]

The weakest predator thing I see in your coop plan is the staples if they are something like roofing staples - they can pull out fairly easily. The gold standard is either a strip of wood a few squares in from the edge that sandwiches the hardware cloth between the building or long screws through washers. If the are fencing steeples, never mind. Is the mesh half inch or less?

I don't think the two feet adds much, if any, added benefit against predators that the hardware cloth won't do. The gap gives a very attractive shelter to several species of predators. Even if they can't get through the floor, you don't want them living there (if the coop is big enough) or using it for a lookout (any size coop Other reasons for raising the coop have pros and cons.

 

[neo71665]

Coons and possums can reach in 2x4 fence injure and kill birds. They can even start to eat one through a hole that big. Stuff like snakes, minks, weasels will walk straight in for and all they can eat dinner.