Racoons and Goats or Dogs in Chicken run

[ToddDooley]

Hey there everyone,

I hope this day finds you all well! I've lost my flock of 6 in 1 night to what I can assume is a raccoon, which is horrible...I thought having chain link fence 6ft tall around my run would deter anything like this from happening. I think they climbed up a tree next to the run and jumped down into it...so before I get another flock, does anyone have any advice for having a dog with their chickens for protection? I used to have my 2 goats in the chicken run as well, but it was quite the hassle feeding everyone.

Would the goats being put back with them be enough of a deterrence, or is a dog my only other choice?

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm in the middle of Iowa so having a dog outside all winter long is not something I want to do....

Take care,

Todd

 

[Weeg]

How big is your run? Do they free range? I don't know that a dog would appreciate being trapped in a small run all the time. It also depends on your setup. Can the dog sleep in the coop? Will it live in there full time or come in your house? If it lived there full time, you would have to create a setup, to were the dog had a place to escape the chicken poop, and the chickens. The dog would also have to like the chickens. Dogs can attack and kill chickens as well, but a good handful of dogs that are properly socialized, won't. I wouldn't' put a dog in a muddy run, or a run that isn't maintained. A run that isn't maintained can fill up with poop, and mud, which is a bad situation for a dog to live in.
You also mention you don't want a dog outside all winter, having it in the coop and run would still mean it is outside all winter correct? Unless it had its now shelter, I don't think it should live in the coop. A dog house with in the run with a dog door, so the chickens can't access it would be necessary if it were to live with the chickens, so it had its own sanctuary away from the poop and chickens in general. I think it is actually a good idea, would just take proper management and a good setup.

 

[Aapomp831]

A Great Pyrenees or Anatolian Shepherd would be best; they love to be outside even in the winter. It comes with work though - you will have to train it to do the specific job of protecting your chickens. It will be an added expense though - and I know it’s not healthy to keep a dog inside of a chicken run where they can eat and lay in the poop and get different infections.
A much less expensive way would be to properly secure your run so the raccoon can’t get into the coop at night.

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your losses. Put electric wires up you can even use your fence as a ground and when the predator touches your fence and the electric wires they will get zapped. There is a thread and in it a BYC member put some chicken wire around some of his apple trees to keep the critters from getting to his apples and I'm pretty sure it worked. He made the chicken wire hot so when a critter touched it they would get zapped. There are several threads on electric fencing and electric wires. I use electric wires around my coops and pens and nothing so far has bothered my birds. I don't free range due to losses from predators in the past. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

Here is a good thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/

 

[hayley3]

Hey there everyone,

I hope this day finds you all well! I've lost my flock of 6 in 1 night to what I can assume is a raccoon, which is horrible...I thought having chain link fence 6ft tall around my run would deter anything like this from happening. I think they climbed up a tree next to the run and jumped down into it...so before I get another flock, does anyone have any advice for having a dog with their chickens for protection? I used to have my 2 goats in the chicken run as well, but it was quite the hassle feeding everyone.

Would the goats being put back with them be enough of a deterrence, or is a dog my only other choice?

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm in the middle of Iowa so having a dog outside all winter long is not something I want to do....

Take care,

Todd

Do you not have a closed coop to lock them inside at night?
Can you share pictures of your run/housing?
I built my coop with raccoons in mind because they are the hardest to keep out of a chicken coop.
Sorry about your chickens...that must've been awful to find them murdered.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have any experience training a guardian dog? It may take 2 to 3 years to train a dog to be reliable enough to watch the chickens instead of eating them.

Having a fully covered, secured run with no openings larger than 1/2", a full surrounding apron, all latches secured with a least 2-3 step latching, and locking the coop door as well at night, would reliably keep coons out with less effort than buying, raising and training a guardian dog.

 

[chicken3fly]

Do you have any experience training a guardian dog? It may take 2 to 3 years to train a dog to be reliable enough to watch the chickens instead of eating them.

Having a fully covered, secured run with no openings larger than 1/2", a full surrounding apron, all latches secured with a least 2-3 step latching, and locking the coop door as well at night, would reliably keep coons out with less effort than buying, raising and training a guardian dog.

yea...

 

[Howard E]

To the OP, you don't need dogs or goats. You need a secure coop that protects the birds at night from all threats. An open topped run, leading into an open coop is not secure.

You have assumed raccoons. This time of year, likely not. What was the pattern of the kill?

 

[cmom]

Do you not have a closed coop to lock them inside at night?
Can you share pictures of your run/housing?
I built my coop with raccoons in mind because they are the hardest to keep out of a chicken coop.
Sorry about your chickens...that must've been awful to find them murdered.

First, I love your signature. For the OP, I have some coops my DH and a friend built for me several years ago that were supposed to be a surprise but I caught them in the act. Because we have hot summers here for several months, they left one side open. I have put tarps over the open sides more to keep the rain out when it comes from that direction in the summers and to keep the feed dry. Their hearts were in the right place. I don't worry about predators and I have had my share over the years. I know I have posted this before. I have secured my coops and pens mainly with electric wires around the coops and pens, concrete under the gates and in some places I buried wire in a trench a foot deep under some of the fencing and attached it to the bottom of the fence. I have also covered my pens with good heavy duty netting which is attached to my coops. Since I don't have sides and pop doors on some of the coops I rely on the predator controls I have put in place. Mainly the electric wires. I have a very strong fence charger and if anything touches the wires, they will hurt for a couple of days. I want whatever comes in contact with them to know it. I don't shut the pop doors. So far nothing has breached. I know some of the predators have tested the wires. I also think that the adults teach their young that a chicken is not worth getting zapped for.
This is an attempted dig until it touched the wires. I had heard something during the night and upon inspection the next day I saw this spot so what I heard must have been when the critter came in contact with the hot wires.