Raccoons getting chickens

[centrarchid]

Got pics @centrarchid ?
Not that I doubt you, but always good to see scenarios of HC failure.

On sight in old images, will be fun to find.

 

[centrarchid]

When we first moved in I was taking all sorts of short cuts housing chickens. Raccoon was trying to take advantage of this one. The hardware cloth used below was of an intermediate grade. Lighter and heavier were available from same vendor at time. A neighbor with heavier version had similar issue involving raccoon. My dog can beat the heavier stuff by jumping on it with their front feet, whether tight or not. She fatigues the welds. It has been really bad news when dogs have cornered a raccoon in a pen where the dogs destroy pen to get in at raccoon. My Little Lucy will do whatever she must to get at her target. Recently she tore up a pen to get at a snake allowing rooster out to fight with another in another pen. Loose - loose on that one even though snake was not a real problem.

 

[Folly's place]

Many people just don't understand what can happen! Very impressive photos, should be posted up front on the 'Predators' section.
That's also why I have more than hardware cloth, and why electric fencing is an available add-on.
Mary

 

[hayley3]

I've never seen hardware cloth that wide...What size is that?

 

[cmom]

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 love my electric wire...

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.

I more or less do the same thing. I have my cameras, my electric wire. I also use welded wire but I have chicken wire also. I can't afford to put the 1/2 x 1/2 wire up. I would need several hundred feet 5' tall. So far I have no issues. The other night I got a video of a cat snooping around the chick/grow-out coop. When it touched the hot wire, it flew up in the air. When it came down it sat briefly and had the look of "what just happened?" then took off.

 

[cmom]

I love my electric wire...

 

[cmom]

I've never seen hardware cloth that wide...What size is that?

It looks like 1" x 1" welded in the picture with the chicken wire. In the OP's picture, the wire looks to be 1" x 2" welded wire. I'll have to look at them again.

 

[aart]

I've never seen hardware cloth that wide...What size is that?

Not sure what exactly you are referring to but HC is available in 4' widths, but you'd probably have to order via amazon or some other supplier(it's not on most shelves in that size) not sure it goes larger than that.

 

[Folly's place]

We bought 36" wide hardware cloth, and installed it verticals, overlapped a little, on the run framing. Stapled with fencing staples, the covered in 2"x4" woven wire 4' up, then covered in 1"x4" boards screwed into that framing, mostly 4"x6", some 2"x4" verticals.
Mary

 

[hayley3]

Not sure what exactly you are referring to but HC is available in 4' widths, but you'd probably have to order via amazon or some other supplier(it's not on most shelves in that size) not sure it goes larger than that.

Oh.. I meant the hole size....mine is 1/2 inch, so that looks huge to me.