Preventing digging under chicken run - tractor coop

[golfaz]

I lost my entire flock this week to a weasel. It managed to get under the fence, at a low, uneven ground area. It left a mess and before I build a new flock, I need to come up with a way to prevent this from happening again.

The coop is tractor style with an adjacent run. It is fenced-in but the floor of the run is open. I can't bury fence since the coop is mobile. If I enclose the floor with fence making all 4 sides of the run fence protected, would the fencing be ok for the chickens since they will walk and scratch on it?

I guess I could always put sand on top of the fence to make it easier on their feet.

Any suggestions?

 

[lightchick]

Do you have a door that you can open and close between the coop and the run? Did it happen at night?

 

[golfaz]

Yes, it happened at night. Yes, I have a door into the coop, and I didn't have it closed that night.

The uneven ground was very small, so small that my hand didn't fit under it, and there were no dig marks. I assumed it was a weasel or mink.

 

[lightchick]

So I'd say to just close the door at night and lock it and that should do it. I'm so sorry about your flock!

 

[golfaz]

Will I have issues during the day?

I also bought those blinking red lights and will put them on all 4 corners of the coop

 

[lightchick]

I doubt it. Most predators are scared of attacking in the day time and predators that would attack in the day time are too big to fit under a tiny gap like that.

 

[ihunt]

An electric fence just above ground level (outside perimeter) works very well.I have outside dogs one 1/2 chihwahwa 1/2 rat terrier and he is a killing machine, once he learned the chickens where off limits nothing gets at our chickens or pigs not even the bears. Here's the boys taking a break after treeing a bear in the front yard and the little guy (Dinero) patrolling the poll barn that shelf is 5' feet high!

 

[Pecanny]

I use barn roofing tin on the ground anchored with cinder blocks, rocks, anything heavy. (see avatar). It works great. Just lay it out on the ground fully around the pen. You can often find old barn tin cheap at country yard sales, ect... Or if you know where any dilapidated barns are located, the owner may sell you some cheap.

 

[Pecanny]

Sounds more like a coon. Some smaller animals like a mink or weasel will kill and run with their dinner. A coon will kill everything he can grab, eat his fill, then leave the rest laying dead.

 

[JackE]

This is what works for me. 650' of electrified poultry net. No ground predator can get past it, not even a snake. It is easily pulled up and moved if you want. You can power it with solar if you want, or just go with household electric. When an animal takes, in excess of 7000Vs to the face, they move on, and lose all interest in chicken dinner. Those red blinking lights are useless. And, predators WILL attack in broad daylight. I've lost a bunch to the fox, to prove that point, before getting the fence. The fox around here won't even approach the fence anymore, they stay well back, and watch the birds, and just dream about a nice chicken dinner that they won't get. Another good thing about the netting, is that You can surround a much larger area for less $$$ than a much smaller area protected by a wood framed, hardware clothed run.