Squirrel proof day run fence

[ClothespinQueen]

I need a bit of help please. We live in the burn zone of a large wildfire from 2 years ago. Our forest was completely burned. Critters are starting to return, which is just lovely. Except for the 3 squirrels that have moved back home with us. I'm not sure what it is they're eating - there is not much in what little is left of the forest and it is dry as anything here in Texas.

We have a lovely critter proof chicken house/pen that has a wire "roof" on the pen and so far proven sturdy against furry invaders. We're ready to build a day pen for the girls but with our new neighbors the hairy tree rats, we're at a loss of what to do. Putting a chicken wire ceiling on the entire day pen is going to be expensive, not to mention hard to do.

We also don't have electricity out there yet, though we can run an extension cord. I had thought of electric fence on the top. Has anyone had any luck with that?

Is there another means of keeping squirrels out of the pen and getting into the feed? I hate leaving the girls in their little coop pen, it was meant only for when we had to leave town for a weekend, not all of the time. There's too many hawks and owls and other things with plenty of tree free space flying around now to let them out entirely on their own in the day.

Thanks for the help.

Jeannie

 

[4 the Birds]

You could get deer netting which runs 20 bucks for a 100 ft roll that is 7 ft wide. It is lightweight and you could run support wires up high or tall poles to drape onto. Not sure what extent a hairy tree rat or squirrel would go to get to your feed but the net would be a fast and cheap way to keep the hawks at bay and give you a peace of mind.

 

[chfite]

Do you keep the food in the coop where the squirrels aren't so likely to get into it?

Chris