Revamped my roost area

[RollinWithTheStones]

Last roost area was a disaster, chickens hated it and a raccoon broke in and killed all but one. So I patched it twice and killed two raccoons to date. My last girl feels much more comfortable up in the rafters of the coop so I turned it into a roost. I still have to put her up and get her down, but at the end of the night she's happy and alive.


I was originally using it as storage and when the raccoon struck a second time killing my Phoebe I started putting my birds up there as added protection. After I patched the hole and abandoned the idea putting them up there and because of it I lost two more chickens. So now all I have is Luna my White Cochin.

IMAG0813 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

Two boards for a platform to keep water and feed on. So that way they still have access since she gets put up at about 7-8pm and taken down at about 7-8am

IMAG0816 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

Here she is checking it out.

IMAG0819 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

 

[pawsplus]

Looks great! How is the raccoon getting in?? B/c if he can still get in he can get up there, more than likely.

What have you done to prevent his access?

Are you going to get her another friend or 2? Once you predator proof, of course, I mean! B/c it's pretty rough being a single chicken . . .

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Well I've boarded up the hole twice, used hard wire cloth and plastic coated chicken wire, also put a new post right under the access to stop the boards from being pulled off (what the raccoon was doing to begin with). I've also trapped and killed two of them. It was getting in between the space where the roof and the wall meets. I had wire running across and it ripped the wire off, then I used boards and it ripped those off, now I've got boards, wire and a trap.

I'd like to get her a few new friends, right now though she seems pretty content being by herself. She was always a loner and never with the flock, which is probably how she survived.