RIP My favorite 2 chickens :(

[hdvision]

Oh, and before (no one knows) the chickens got out somehow and raccoons killed and ate both (one was almost all eaten the other was just a little). The second time around it came from a hole in ceiling of the coop. (a tree is in the middle of it, so you can see how the chicken wire didn't fully go around the tree). So we caught the raccoon trying to eat our chickens again. If we were 30 seconds late, it could have killed the raccoons....

And anyone know how the raccoons kill them? Seems hard to be a raccoon and catch something that flies and yells really loud..

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
A raccoon can rip right through chicken wire. They are incredibly strong for their size. The coon's closest relatives are bears. If you look at the way God designed them, you will see that they are basically a small bear with hands and a tail.

 

[ChooksChick]

My understanding of your setup is that you have a penned area for your birds.


I have two different types of enclosures: a coop, see here-
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=144372

and a run, which is just wire for penning them in. Perhaps you need to think about doing the same. Think of a coop as being a chicken barn, where a pen is the fenced yard.

You ought to have a solid floor, sides, and a roof of wood or metal, not wire, on your coop. It should have doors that close at night and roosting boards for them. This way, they go into the coop at night to be locked up safe and tight.

Best of luck, and I'm so sorry for your loss! I can't imagine how hard that must be for you- we do love our feathered friends like family.