Skirts around chicken tractors

[Kevinp]

Does anyone have experience using dog fence (2x4 holes) skirts around their chicken tractor? I’ve just made 4 chicken tractors and need to add predictor guards. I live in Georgia. I am considering making foldable dog fence skirts that I saw on Aart’s post. I could imagine a raccoon digging and reaching under the bottom edge of my tractor at night, but my flock should be up on their roost at night. My tractors have a 21” high run with an open bottom small coop sitting on top of one end of the run. My question is has has anyone had a predator harm their chickens while using a similar apron.
thank you

 

[3KillerBs]

Following because I've been wondering about a similar thing.

 

[aart]

I am considering making foldable dog fence skirts that I saw on Aart’s post.

I used 1x2 ww mesh.....that might not totally preclude a reach thru and under, but it certainly would slow them down.
You'd also have to make sure the edges of the apron were flush to the ground and maybe even pinned down at the outer edges.
Feedback I got was the aprons were difficult to use on the rough pasture they had(I sold this tractor to someone who used it for meat turkeys and chickens for several years)

 

[OPA Acres]

I'm a bit late to this conversation. We use 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth for the walls and roof (under the tin) for out chicken tractors. We also place a single strand electric fence wire about 6" - 8" off the ground to deter anything that has the idea to try to dig under.

I know this may not work for everyone - but we run about 0.10 of a mile worth of electric fence down an existing fence line and that's how we tie in our chicken tractors while still being able to move them down the line

 

[McChooky]

I'm a bit late to this conversation. We use 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth for the walls and roof (under the tin) for out chicken tractors. We also place a single strand electric fence wire about 6" - 8" off the ground to deter anything that has the idea to try to dig under.

I know this may not work for everyone - but we run about 0.10 of a mile worth of electric fence down an existing fence line and that's how we tie in our chicken tractors while still being able to move them down the line

After seeing a gruesome video of an owl grabbing a chicken thru a chicken tractor that had no electric fence around it I'd highly recommend a system such as yours!

 

[OPA Acres]

After seeing a gruesome video of an owl grabbing a chicken thru a chicken tractor that had no electric fence around it I'd highly recommend a system such as yours!

I had heard of raccoons reaching through chicken wire and grabbing birds - and even though they may not be successful at pulling them through, they would often end up killing the birds. But owls - I did not expect.

 

[McChooky]

I had heard of raccoons reaching through chicken wire and grabbing birds - and even though they may not be successful at pulling them through, they would often end up killing the birds. But owls - I did not expect.

The great white owl swooped down on the ground and ran up to the cage and grabbed the chicken INSIDE the tractor .The camera was behind the owl so you couldn't see anything but his feet fly up and his wings flapping as he grabbed it.I wouldn't have thought so either but obviously it was not hardware cloth.

 

[OPA Acres]

The great white owl swooped down on the ground and ran up to the cage and grabbed the chicken INSIDE the tractor .The camera was behind the owl so you couldn't see anything but his feet fly up and his wings flapping as he grabbed it.I wouldn't have thought so either but obviously it was not hardware cloth.

wow! Definitely something to think about!

 

[Bananer86]

The great white owl swooped down on the ground and ran up to the cage and grabbed the chicken INSIDE the tractor .The camera was behind the owl so you couldn't see anything but his feet fly up and his wings flapping as he grabbed it.I wouldn't have thought so either but obviously it was not hardware cloth.

I’m assuming this was at night? I’m thinking about a tractor for our 3 week old chicks some during the day. They aren’t big enough to go in the run with our 10-11 week olds yet but love being outside. I also thought I could use it for the biggers sometimes when the babies aren’t in it.