Question on Predator-Proof Run

[JPinVT]

Hi there! I'm hoping you guys can help me with a few issues I'm having with my chickens' run. The coop is 100% predator proof, and we didn't have any issues with the run either all fall or winter. However, the coyotes are now going crazy in my area, and yesterday (during the day!) one or more of them knocked one of the posts over and climbed over my fence! My husband and I have seen an incredibly bold coyote in our yard - in fact, last week we watched him run into the front yard, grab one of my dog's toys (a rope pull toy), and run back into the woods with it! My husband saw the coyote's tracks around our coop and run, so we know they're the culprit.

Anyhoo, I was hoping to get your advice on how to build a better run. We're going to start from scratch, which unfortunately won't be a problem since all of the hens are gone now

(24 chicks are happy and safe in my basement though) The problem is that the coop is in a rather difficult position. It's sitting on the side of a short hill, so the run will be built on uneven/sloped ground. Additionally, the land is all ledge, which means anywhere from 0-12" of dirt before we hit rock, so we can't really bury the posts or fence for security and stability. I'm also curious about electric fencing as an option, but I have no idea how it works. This may be a completely stupid question, but wouldn't it hurt the chickens just as much as it hurt a predator?

Thanks so much for any advice/pictures/help!

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Hi! Sounds like you've got a building challenge! The best bet is to use big, study posts, dig them in about two feet, and pour cement. Then add a roof! No way a coyote will knock that down.

Given your rocky bottom problem, though, you can't dig anything in that far. You might still try using some cement around the posts to firm them up a bit.

I've not used electric fencing - we go with the wood posts and hardware cloth.

 

[blueskylen]

we used cattle panels -nailed down landscape timbers and bent the cattle panels in a hoop then nailed them to the landscape timbers - covered the cattle panels with chicken wire and a tarp at the top for shade and rain - built a door at one end and the coop at the other end. this has worked for us for 4 years now with nothing getting in.
easily built and very strong.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It sounds like an apron of wire on the ground around the outside of the run to prevent them digging in will be important. With uneven ground, you can stake it down or weight it down, where it doesn't want to lay flat on the ground.

 

[JPinVT]

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll have to make some sort of apron, maybe with cinder blocks holding it down. That's not the cutest thing in the world, but if it works, I'll happily do it! I'm still just not sure how we make the fence sturdy if we can't bury the posts...

 

[SAORSA]

If you "frame" the walls of the run, connecting the posts to each other, it will give you stability. As long as you are framing if you like, you can put rafters connecting the posts across from each other for even more strength. The roof will give you protection from birds of prey and raccoons as well. I put welded wire, ( 2"x 4" non-climb ), livestock panels, ( chew and tear proof ), up for my walls and then covered them with chicken wire to precent the wild birds from eating all of my feed and to keep the raccoons from reaching through. I didn't do it but you could also attach a row of chicken wire to the bottom of each wall and burry it laying flat to prevent anything from digging under. just some thoughts.

 

[Mervin]

JPinVT

My situation is similar and I'm pretty sure I'm going the electric fence route. They're really not that complicated. Basically you need fence wire, a charger and some ground rods (they do have to be driven into the ground). I've heard many suggestions about using single wires just to run predators off due to their tendency to explore with their nose.

Generally you set up the fence on a picket line out from the barrier containing the chickens. The prevailing wisdom is that a electric fence, by itself will not contain chickens. I also find a lot of merit in blueskylen's thought on cattle panels as well. Here are a couple of links that I've gotten a lot of good info. from regarding those two ideas.

Robert Plamondon article

Permanent Hoop Coop

 

[patandchickens]

Cementing posts doesn't do a lot of good, mainly it makes them rot thru faster and become nearly impossible to remove/replace/repair.

Normally you'd just get good strong posts and set them 3-4' deep and be good. However in your situation, where that would involve dynamite <g>, the second best thing is to construct a very strong sturdy run frame *on top of* the ground and anchor it with a good apron. Use p/t 4x4s for all posts, and 2x6's connecting them at top and bottom. Run diagonal braces in all directions including horizontally at the corners (at the top). This will make a sturdy, rack-resistant structure.

I would suggest using the heaviest gauge wire fencing you can find, holes no bigger than 2x4 and hardwarecloth added to the bottom 2-3'. Affix it really well to the posts and boards.

For digproofing, SECURELY attach 3' or so of the same heavy gauge wire fencing to the outside bottom frame of the run as an apron, and then pile dirt and rocks and concrete rubble and that sort of thing onto it. This will both digproof your run *and* help anchor it.

Coyotes can go over pretty much any fence you can build, so either put on a good strong well-supported wire top to the run (the best solution if the run is small enough to make the engineering feasible), or put CORRECTLY INSTALLED and FREQUENTLY TESTED electric wire around the upper portion of the run fence. Remember though that all electric fails *sometimes*, so it is best if you are not relying on it too much.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[PhilErvin]

Regarding electric fence chargers; they work great. You would run a single strand of wire on the OUTSIDE of your run where it would be accessible to intruders and not your girls. I would advise that you run a single strand about 6 inches up from the ground, then another strand every 6 inches up until you reach the top. You would have one charger that would supply a jolt to all the single strands of wire.
When a predator touches the wire it's body acts as a conductor and the electric jolt travels through it (predator) to the ground. Good Luck