Predator protection

[Badbart]

I have buried hardware cloth around the run two feet out. I have some old lumber, logs and busted brick laying around I thought about stacking it along the backside of the coop to help prevent animals from digging in.

I'm afraid they might back up and dig behind the logs missing the hardware cloth. Did I mention the wife will KILL me if something gets her chickens...lol

 

[Ourpeeps123]

I think the chickens will be ok. Predators wouldn't want to dig that far to get to the chickens.

 

[aart]

I'd just cover that mesh with dirt and plant some grass seed.

 

[nomorepets]

Wondering if this is enough protection: I plan to have the chickens in a tall fenced yard, with a bit of chicken wire strung around a corner of the yard to let the dog know to stay on her side away from the chickens, and put the chickens in the coop at night...I'm hoping if the dog is there the racoons stay away, and two huge pines should keep Hawks from being able to land. Any thoughts?

 

[Folly's place]

It will help, but not be very secure. Chicken wire might keep the birds in, but your dog, and anyone else, can go through it. If the coop is really safe, that's 90% of the battle, as long as you are going to lock everyone in every night. Daytime predators do happen, so perfect safety is another story. Mary

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Coons can be bold, particularly if there are more than one. I wouldn't count on your dog keeping them away totally. Speaking of your dog, is the dog PROVEN to be safe with your chickens? If not, that dog will go through in less than 3 seconds when it wants to.

 

[Badbart]

I'm going for a 99.999% safe coop and primary run that can be left open during camping or vaction time. Then I will have a secondary run with chicken wire and bird netting for during the day when we are home. I would be worried about the dogs and raccoon can be very bold.

 

[centrarchid]

Add hotwire to perimeter.

 

[bigoledude]

Bird netting is good only for birds. Coons can and will find a gap in it or, just tear right through it. Bird netting won't even slow down a big boar coon. In many cases raptors are able to infiltrate bird netting. Sometimes they are able to get in and are not able to escape. In these situations they usually kill even more chickens.

Hawks and owls love to attack from a perch. Two large pines seems like an advantage for raptors as opposed to a deterrent. Back in the old days, when it was legal to kill birds of prey, people would erect poles near their chickens with foothold traps on top to catch raptors.

Badbart, you are doing well. Just imagine the largest and smartest threat to your wife's birds and develop a strategy to keep these out. If you have any of the weasel family, don't leave even the smallest gap in your defenses. It is absolutely incredible how small of a space minks and weasels can squeeze through at full speed! And, they tend to kill everything they can catch.

I'm just wondering if the stuff you are stacking against the back of the coop is gonna be over buried hardware cloth. If not, predators are pretty adept at moving material like logs, rocks and dirt while trying to uncover their next meal.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Wondering if this is enough protection: I plan to have the chickens in a tall fenced yard, with a bit of chicken wire strung around a corner of the yard to let the dog know to stay on her side away from the chickens, and put the chickens in the coop at night...I'm hoping if the dog is there the racoons stay away, and two huge pines should keep Hawks from being able to land. Any thoughts?

Hawks are more likely to light in the trees and wait on a bird to venture near. Then the hawk c a n drop out of a tree a nd on your chicken. Hawks are ambush predators highly able to kill in the forest. The trick is to separate the hawk from your chickens. No hawk, no dead chickens! One of the most deadly chicken hawks is the Sharp Shinned Hawk. This hawk is also named the "Blue Darter Hawk" I'll give the folks on this forum two chances to guess how it got to be named the "Blue Darter"