Security ideas?

[cleoandtheo]

I am not handy AT ALL, and not terribly creative, so I bought coops that I made from kits. But our place in the mountains has us really nervous about predators (in particular, raccoons, coyotes, or worst case, black bears), so we are hoping to come up with ideas we can ADD to the coop to make it more secure. Given that the coop has already been built, I'd GREATLY appreciate any clever security ideas you might have that we can add on to keep the girls safe! Thanks so much!!!

 

[spotstealer]

Would you be able to post pictures? it would help us to see what you already have?

 

[knjinnm]

Install and electric barrier.

 

[Ole rooster]

Let me tell you the electric wire really works. I had it around my barn to keep aggressive livestock out of the feed room. One day I was taking a calf to the auction barn and he wouldn't load. So I made me an off the wall electric poker by attaching a piece of the barbed wire I used run through a piece of hose for the handle. I just knew it would work. Time came, I stuck it to the calf, about 500 lbs, and he jumped but the wrong way. The bugger backed up, ran over me and got me all tangled up in the darn wire. I was bouncing all over the holding pen with the fine bard wire transfering the shock to more than 5 or 6 places. So yep, electric wire works, on us anyway.

I don't remember how I ever got out of that wire, but I do remember I was cut up.

 

[LincTex]

You can buy small fence chargers at farm supply stores for $25. You will also need some plastic insulators along with the wire..

The first picture on this page has a helpful view... the little yelow things are the plstic insulators the wire needs to run through to prevent getting shorted out.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=42454-permanent-hoop-coop-guide


You can get creative - - just make sure you build a "strong perimeter", because bad critters will try to find the weak areas!!!

 

[spotstealer]

Quote:
I can really picture that! I bet the calf laughed is ass off!

 

[cleoandtheo]

This is the same coop design, but the location I am worried about is at our cabin in the mountains, on a hill.

I worry about electric wire -- wouldn't that be dangerous for the kids & dogs?

 

[cleoandtheo]

not a great picture -- sorry!

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
We might be kinda lame, but all our pens/coops could probably be accessed by predators if they actually got into our yard.

We have coyotes, foxes, raccoons, hawks, and black bears also in our neck of the woods (we are up in the Sierras). However, our yard is well-fenced, and we have a big, brown dog in the yard. We've only lived her a few months, and the foxes and raccoons circle our yard but don't come over the fence… they're scared of Ginger (the dog).

Good girl, Ginger. Here's a treat. (And she is a GOOD flock dog!)

 

[cleoandtheo]

I got a good idea from Jerseycoop's recent post about their new coop: I think I'm going to reset the coop on cement blocks so that nothing can tunnel under & into the coop too easily. I like that. But then, how would I secure the coop to the cement blocks? A strong predator could knock the whole thing over, couldn't it? Hmmm....

I don't worry too much at night. We take the girls out of the coop, and put them in their travel kennel, and bring that inside for the night. But my hubby worries about the girls all day long too, since they aren't easily in sight. I want to keep the girls as safe as possible, and put his mind at ease.