Raccoons getting chickens

[RebelChief]

I live on a lake so I have all sorts of wildlife around. I do have traps for the naughty ones.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I'd be worried about snakes too. I lived in the Florida panhandle and there were snakes everywhere. Now I live in Georgia where I've had a king snake kill a 4 week old duckling. Hardware cloth won't keep out tiny snakes but the big huge snake monsters won't fit in.....I don't think.

 

[jspeese]

That may be your problem, some of your girls sleeping against the fence. My own run is built out of that same kind of wire and I like it, because unlike chicken wire it lasts for years, yet it is less expensive and a heck of a lot easier to work with than hardware cloth. But a raccoon could reach its paw through and grab a hen sleeping against the fence (mine sleep in their 8x8 coop). I put chicken wire over the outside mainly to keep songbirds out and the chickens (when they were chicks) in then depending on it for any protection. Granted, hardware cloth is miserable stuff to work with, but for a coop the size of yours it shouldn't be impossible to add onto your existing set-up. Judging by the palmettos, I'm guessing you're somewhere in Florida or the Coastal South, which is unfortunately raccoon heaven. I am in the Savannah River area and unfortunately there are plenty here as well.

 

[hayley3]

https://www.cwrescue.org/predatorproofhousing

Great link..thanks! I bookmarked it , there's a lot of wisdom on that page.

 

[aart]

Great link..thanks! I bookmarked it , there's a lot of wisdom on that page.

One of the best I've seen.....as it also shows bad examples and explains why.

 

[Folly's place]

Thanks, @fawnda , for the link to that excellent article!
Mary

 

[jhales1952]

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!

My husband buried chicken wire under the coop and attached the edges to the chicken wire that surrounds the coop. Nothing can dig in. He also doubled the wire that surrounds the coop by overlapping it so that the pattern did not exactly match making the holes even smaller. We lost a little bantam rooster by a hawk reaching in and grabbing it by the throat. That won't happen again with this set up.

 

[Paula321]

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...

That’s what I did. I have 1x2 welded wire over 1/4 inch hardware cloth. That will keep out rats, raccoons and coyotes. It is totally worth it to help with a good night of sleep.

 

[2hotchicks]

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

I have been a chicken mom for 4 months & am planning my new coop (haven't broken the news to hubby yet). I'm 56 years young & I need a run I can walk into, crawling isn't working for me.
My coop & attached run can be no more than 32 sf so my new run will be 8x4' with an elevated coop at one end. I have two pullets that are my pets. Looking at the Carolina Coops website, I fell in love with the black hardware cloth. Since I'm so restricted on coop/run size, I think I can splurge & get the black hardware cloth. I would like to hear what others think of this product.
I live in Indiana, in town but on edge of town in rural setting with woods & river half mile away (raccoons, opossums, fox, coyote, resident hawks, eagles). Yard fenced with 5' chainlink fence, 3 house dogs (they don't bother chickens, they are part of my security system & will chase off predators but dogs are in house while we're at work or sleeping).
Hardware cloth - 19 gauge - vinyl coated black - galvanized after weld - 1/2"x1/2" mesh

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1...-a5f7-5cfaf2d57b57_1024x1024.jpg?v=1493040002

 

[Folly's place]

Is the non-coated also 19g ? Get the heaviest (thickest) gauge you can, and if plain is sturdier, forget about the cute black coating.
Mary