Raccoons getting chickens

[Caryar18]

Any tips or advice on how to raccoon proof your coop as much as possible??

Also will rats/mice get my 5 week old chicks? If so how do I prevent?
Thank you in advance!

 

[centrarchid]

Show a picture of current coop to provide starting point.

 

[Peepsi]

Any tips or advice on how to raccoon proof your coop as much as possible??

Also will rats/mice get my 5 week old chicks? If so how do I prevent?
Thank you in advance!

We really need to see your set-up first before answering that.

My coop/run is raccoon and mice/rat proof, but that's because the entire thing is enclosed in 1/2" hardware cloth, top, bottom, sides, everywhere. Nothing can get in except a bear, and we don't have those!

 

[Caryar18]

Show a picture of current coop to provide starting point.

 

[BDutch]

Dont know much on raccoons. Rats are a real danger to 5 weeks old chicks. Mice not.

 

[Peepsi]

Can you get 1/2" hardware cloth? If so, I'd place the hardware cloth over the other fencing wire you have up. Any raccoon can reach right in and grab a chicken. Also, mice and rats will just waltz right in. If you have the hardware cloth over all of the sides, and blocking all of the holes, the the mice, rats, and raccoons can't get to your chickens. Also, flooring. I suggest laying down a 1/2" hardware cloth skirt around the coop as well, to stop animals from digging under. I'm sure someone else will chime in on exactly how to do the skirt. Lastly, you need a lock or twist tie (i suggest a metal lock, personally) for your latch. Raccoons have little hands that are very deft at opening things. They can easily open a latch, unless you put a lock on it, or some other form of security that they can't open.

Here is the coop set-up that I have:

It has hardware cloth on top, bottom, and all sides. The latch has a lock. Nothing can get in short of a bear.

 

[centrarchid]

The 1 x 2 inch welded wire is a good start but make certain it is securely attached to wood nails no more than 4" apart. Look carefully at corners of that door; if you can pull them out by tugging on corner of door then consider putting a latch on corners. Move the roost away from corners of pen so raccoon not tempted to reach through fencing to grab sleeping birds. I would make so roosts stick from outer wall off coop and terminate well away from run walls. Better yet have birds roost in coop and close doors at night. It raccoon traffic high then consider mounting an electrified wire around base of pen to zap raccoon probing perimeter. I also also do trapping to keep raccoon numbers down.

I have cameras out most of the time in barn and around out perimeter of my fence. Raccoons usually captured outside my out perimeter. When they did get past that we had approaches making their job more difficult.

Cameras were really helpful because most of time the raccoons took multiple nights of incursions before actually going after chickens. A trap could be relocated to area raccoon was messing around.

I now use lights in the barn, not very bright, so chickens can see a raccoon coming in. The chickens can then evade raccoon and produce alarms that call dogs or myself up.

Think layers as you obstruct those raccoons and predators in general.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Can you get 1/2" hardware cloth? If so, I'd place the hardware cloth over the other fencing wire you have up. Any raccoon can reach right in and grab a chicken. Also, mice and rats will just waltz right in. If you have the hardware cloth over all of the sides, and blocking all of the holes, the the mice, rats, and raccoons can't get to your chickens. Also, flooring. I suggest laying down a 1/2" hardware cloth skirt around the coop as well, to stop animals from digging under. I'm sure someone else will chime in on exactly how to do the skirt. Lastly, you need a lock or twist tie (i suggest a metal lock, personally) for your latch. Raccoons have little hands that are very deft at opening things. They can easily open a latch, unless you put a lock on it, or some other form of security that they can't open.

Here is the coop set-up that I have:

View attachment 1982752

It has hardware cloth on top, bottom, and all sides. The latch has a lock. Nothing can get in short of a bear.

Nice setup! I had always thought that 1/2” hardware cloth would stop non- bear predators also, until I read a post on BYCs where dogs sliced through the poster’s hardware cloth to get her birds! After a neighbor dog came onto our property and killed one of our free range guineas, I’m thinking about putting field fencing over the top of our hardware cloth for our chicken run...

 

[Criticalicious]

I probably wouldn't keep more than 3 or 4 birds in that setup, maybe 5, unless they are let out to free range. I always recommend electric fencing if you can add it, but with all those trees, it might be difficult. Can you clear the trees immediately next to the coop? I can see a raccoon climbing the tree and dropping down to try and get at the chickens.

 

[Caryar18]

Nice setup! I had always thought that 1/2” hardware cloth would stop non- bear predators also, until I read a post on BYCs where dogs sliced through the poster’s hardware cloth to get her birds! After a neighbor dog came onto our property and killed one of our free range guineas, I’m thinking about putting field fencing over the top of our hardware cloth for our chicken run...

I have a fully fenced in yard and gate that keeps dogs out. There was actually a husky that got in yesterday because my gate was left open by accident and he was going after the chicks in my coop! Luckily once the gate was shut and I chased him away he couldn’t get back in. I’ll have to definitely go to Rural King and get some more supplies before I keep them out full time. I brought the girls in because I’m too worried a raccoon will get them because they are sleeping against the fence due to them not roosting yet.