Racoons

[J99]

I’m going to be honest here I got into this chicken thing in ignorance, I had no idea what all it entailed. I am not very financially stable and money is tight , Now I need to know exactly what I need to do and the cheapest way possible to make my chickens safe. I have two runs , one is adjacent to the coop and has boards closer together but it’s done with chicken wire, the bigger run is mainly chicken wire with boards to support. My inside coop is dirt floor and wooden building.
Ive just learned Racoons and rats can just dig under my coop and Racoons can reach through , dig under, or just chew right through my wire . To make things worse my chickens started liking to sleep in the enclosed run. They always put themselves up at night until I got a Rooster that sleeps outside and one by one they followed and since it was summer and the run was enclosed I thought it was ok
So now what can I do now ?

 

[sorce]

Post pics!

Half inch hardware cloth is necessary to enclose their overnight spot at least.

Especially with winter coming, chickens are going to be preferred easy Pickens soon.

Sorce

 

[muddy75]

I’m going to be honest here I got into this chicken thing in ignorance, I had no idea what all it entailed. I am not very financially stable and money is tight , Now I need to know exactly what I need to do and the cheapest way possible to make my chickens safe. I have two runs , one is adjacent to the coop and has boards closer together but it’s done with chicken wire, the bigger run is mainly chicken wire with boards to support. My inside coop is dirt floor and wooden building.
Ive just learned Racoons and rats can just dig under my coop and Racoons can reach through , dig under, or just chew right through my wire . To make things worse my chickens started liking to sleep in the enclosed run. They always put themselves up at night until I got a Rooster that sleeps outside and one by one they followed and since it was summer and the run was enclosed I thought it was ok
So now what can I do now ?

there are are different ways to keep your birds safe.....are you in urban or rural setting?? most popular is half-inch hw cloth with buried skirt to keep out predators. we had issue with raccoons entering from above so we added electric fencing at top perimeter. we also used foot-hold and live traps to remove the “repeat offenders”.

 

[J99]

Yes electric fence that’s money I don’t have can I see a picture on this hardware cloth and how it’s applied to the chicken wire and how far up etc? We are about to wrap our run sides and building with weather tarp stuff but that won’t stop racoons

 

[Howard E]

Sounds like you are worried more about what might happen than what already has? If so, that is being proactive......a good thing. All too often folks start asking these questions after the birds have all been killed.

How many chickens and how big is your run? When money and resources are tight, there needs to be a cost/benefit equation to work out.

 

[J99]

Yes it’s proactive, nothings gotten in as of yet. I have 29 chickens one rooster and four ducks. I live in a more rural area but not in the country, however I’m beside wooded areas. My predators would be Racoons, rats, opossum, coyote fox but I’ve never seen a coyote or heard them people just say they are around. I have an enclosed coop that’s surrounded my outside cages attached to the coop, then an inner run which is wood and chicken wire and then a bigger outer run that they are locked out of at night it’s wood and chicken wire also but the wood is spaced out larger here’s pics

 

[so lucky]

If this were my issue to deal with, here's what I would do:
Check on craig's list or other trading/resale sites to find some used fencing. It needs to be half inch welded hardware cloth to insure that it is strong enough that fox or coyote or dog can't gnaw through it, and that raccoons can't stick their paws through it and grab a chicken by the neck. Sleeping chickens are terribly vulnerable, so securing where they sleep at night is the most important.
If the rooster is protective, and if the daytime run is such that the birds can fly away or run and hide, you might have some assurance there, but as soon as possible, the whole run needs to be enclosed in dog run panels or one by two welded fence. It is not cheap, so you may have to do part of the run, as it looks pretty big, closing it off to a smaller area while you save or earn the $$ to do the rest.
When you put the wire up, make sure you fasten it well, like a fortress. Put it down in the ground as an apron, too, coming out about a foot and covering it with dirt. Or, I have seen runs with concrete blocks surrounding the run fence. Most animals can't move a concrete block. But you may have bears in your woods. We have a few here in SE Missouri, but I have not tried to protect against them. Yet.
Save that chicken wire if you remove it. That will be good to cover the top of the run with, when you get to that point. No, chicken wire doesn't protect against raccoons or dogs, but it is better than nothing. And unless there is a handy tree or building that the raccoon can use for support while chewing through the chicken wire, you shouldn't have a problem. Besides, night raiders like raccoons will be foiled by your soon-to-be very safe night coop.

 

[townchicks]

The place to start is with your coop. Make sure your coop is raccoon proof, hardware cloth over all ventilation and latches with locks. Then pick up all the chickens after they roost and put them in the coop. Cheapest and safest option. Then they will be safe during the night, and as you can, start reinforcing the inner run with hardware cloth.

 

[Howard E]

I agree the place to start is with the coop. It looks like a pretty good fit for your climate. If you can find a way to get at least 1" x 2" welded wire over the openings, and unless coons and other varmints can dig in, that should keep the coons out at night when they are the greatest threat.

It also looks like you have all the materials you need on hand to reconfigure the run area if you are open to such a suggestion. In general, smaller and tight is better than larger and open.

MY rule of thumb on the wire to use........1/2" hardware cloth or 1/2" x 1" welded wire....aka, cage wire (what I use)......is best, as coons cannot get their hands/paws through the openings to reach in and grab a bird. Both of these options are more expensive than 1" x 2" welded wire. But a coon CAN reach through that....perhaps as much as 6 to 8 inches. If a bird were roosting that close to an opening, they might perish. If roosting birds are not anywhere near the openings, they should be OK.