Run roof dilemma

[Equus5O]

I live in Warren County, NJ. We have fifty wooded acres. The chickens will be not too far from the house. We have bears. We haven't had any problems with the bears. We don't keep garbage outside. The compost will be relocated further away from the chickens. I have read a few horror stories here on BYC regarding bears versus chickens in NJ.

The chickens will be kept in the run during the day, for the most part. Their free-ranging time will be limited, due to a Jack Russell Terrier and my working during the day. They will be in the coop for the night.

The coop will be contained within chain link fencing. Currently, the fencing will be about 12'x18'. We were planning on roofing the run with the chain link, and purchased the necessary amount. However, the coop is taller than the height of the fencing. So, roofing the run with the chain link will require a lot of work, to configure it around the roof of the coop. If I don't roof the run with the chain link, I can have a bigger run, then I can roof the run with a lesser material than chain link.

Here's the bottom line (after all of that wordiness!) ... does anyone think that a bear will scale the chain link to get inside the run and then tear apart the coop? Is it enough to use lesser material to protect the chickens against the hawks during the day? Yes, there are bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, possums, etc ... but I don't think there's that much of a concern about those predators during the day. Even though I'm at work, my mother and the psychotic Jack Russell Terrier are here during the day

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I think your only choice is a hot wire/electric fence to keep them out.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
I totally agree. Hot fence is the easiest, most effective solutions for many problems around the farm. My fence actually makes a pulsing sound in the wire and once critters know that the sound is related to PAIN they stay away. And a word of advice. Unplug that fence before ya go out weed eatin. When ya get that fence caught in the weed ear\ er it aint easy to get loose while doing the funky chicken from the shocks. We won't go into how I might know.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Just a stab in the dark perhaps but if your serious about bears, i don't think the bear will scale your chain link fence/run, he or she is just going to swipe right through it and seperate the panels from the frame. Perhaps if you have the old style galvanized type it might stand up to more, but the modern ones are super wimpy!

I would personally, spend my time in the Predators & Pests forum to learn how to build a good sturdy shelter in your case, by reading about vulnerabilities & occurrances at others places.

 

[Equus5O]

<sigh>

Hot wire wasn't the answer I was looking for. LOL

That's just not an option right now. Possibly down the road. I know my husband wants to run electric to the shed, which isn't that far from the coop.

 

[LynneP]

We are in black bear country and people nearby have had problems with garbage but we haven't even with the coop. We freeze bone/meat/poultry leftovers until pickup or bury them. Here's how we did our run, using PalRUF on top. To be honest, if a bear singles you out, they are difficult to exclude. We've always figured that with the carelessness of neighbours they'll head there first, plus our coop dumpings are placed way out back on a manure pile, though I've never seen any bears on it. Most of our neighbours have dogs, too, which discourages bears from coming past them in our direction.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-LynnePs_Run


Electric wire is your best option.

That said, the animals that reach through are the bigger problem, like raccoons. 1/2" hardware cloth mesh misht be a better investment, placed over the chain link.


Worst bears are young juvenile males in July, sent from their mothers. They will pick an easy meal over a hard one. We keep our fingers crossed, figuring that there are plenty of wild ground birds nesting by the neaby brook to keep them away. We could be wrong. *Ahem*.

 

[Equus5O]

"Are you having abear problem or worried you might have one?"

No. We haven't had any problems. I know they're out there. My dog has treed a sow with triplets twice in the past week. Our garbage is never outside. Every week on my way to work in the morning, I see the torn apart garbage all over the road. The garbage commutes to work with me

.

I wonder though, are the raccoons a problem during the day with reaching through the fence? It's pretty active around here during the day, so I just don't see it happening. I have been known to be wrong, of course ...

 

[conny63malies]

You wont like my answer, but
if a bear wants you chicken he will get them. THey tear through plywood,chainlink, one swipe with the paw will tear through the ot wire. Palruf is not a big deal either,they pierce that with their claws. About the only thing that stops them is a brick build coop.

 

[Equus5O]

This is what we have, so far. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. The framing for the fence isn't complete, yet.