Thank you all so much for your suggestions and recommendations.
Yesterday, as recommended by The Lazy L, I bought this huge hasp (about 8 inches long and three inches wide, and a large carabiner...I mounted the hasp to the door and the top of the wood tunnel and secured it with the carabiner. It looks like it would protect Fort Knox it's so large and heavy duty. There is no way anyone could pull up the door now!! The wood tunnel leads from the run into a kennel, and the door of the kennel is secured each night so I don't find any animals in there in the morning, plus the top of the kennel is covered with hardware cloth....thus they can't get to the inside of the tunnel at night to work on the tunnel wooden door to the run that's 3/4 inch thick.
I feel so much better not having to worry every night about a raccoon trying to figure out how to get the tunnel door up at night!!!! I think the coop/run/kennel is now as totally secured from predators as I can make it, short of something like a bull ramming the fences. However, if I see anymore screws or washers laying on the ground, (which I fixed by adding more screws and washers closer together) the last option will be to electrify the perimeter. Sure hope I don't have to do that, but whatever it takes I will do.
Good luck to you all who are also trying to make your flocks predator proof! They're our babies and only we can protect them! Thanks again!!!!!!!
Edit...By the way, when you see the pics of the tunnel and kennel, I wanted you to know that I now have three foot high hardware cloth secured to the outside of the cyclone fencing all the way around the kennel and also on top of the kennel. Didn't want you to think I was only relying on cyclone fence for securing my girls. No way!
Also, here is a pic of my coop/run/kennel and the tunnel. The white tarp I put on to keep the winter winds from blowing my flock around in the run. We live on a hill and it gets REALLY WINDY HERE IN THE WINTER. It is secured with screws and washers every 6-8 inches over the hardware cloth that surrounds the run.
Yesterday, as recommended by The Lazy L, I bought this huge hasp (about 8 inches long and three inches wide, and a large carabiner...I mounted the hasp to the door and the top of the wood tunnel and secured it with the carabiner. It looks like it would protect Fort Knox it's so large and heavy duty. There is no way anyone could pull up the door now!! The wood tunnel leads from the run into a kennel, and the door of the kennel is secured each night so I don't find any animals in there in the morning, plus the top of the kennel is covered with hardware cloth....thus they can't get to the inside of the tunnel at night to work on the tunnel wooden door to the run that's 3/4 inch thick.
I feel so much better not having to worry every night about a raccoon trying to figure out how to get the tunnel door up at night!!!! I think the coop/run/kennel is now as totally secured from predators as I can make it, short of something like a bull ramming the fences. However, if I see anymore screws or washers laying on the ground, (which I fixed by adding more screws and washers closer together) the last option will be to electrify the perimeter. Sure hope I don't have to do that, but whatever it takes I will do.
Good luck to you all who are also trying to make your flocks predator proof! They're our babies and only we can protect them! Thanks again!!!!!!!
Edit...By the way, when you see the pics of the tunnel and kennel, I wanted you to know that I now have three foot high hardware cloth secured to the outside of the cyclone fencing all the way around the kennel and also on top of the kennel. Didn't want you to think I was only relying on cyclone fence for securing my girls. No way!
Also, here is a pic of my coop/run/kennel and the tunnel. The white tarp I put on to keep the winter winds from blowing my flock around in the run. We live on a hill and it gets REALLY WINDY HERE IN THE WINTER. It is secured with screws and washers every 6-8 inches over the hardware cloth that surrounds the run.
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