Tell How Predators Got Your Chickens. Save Somebody Else From The Bad Experience

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Glad to hear that someone and their chickens will benefit..we can thank OK for starting this thread and tending it! Thanks OK! I am precisely 2 miles from the exact middle of nowhere...yes, there is a roadside marker. Sometimes it surprizes me when a new predator shows up..don't know why that is but it does, so all I can do is keep that coop strong, and not leave the door open!

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Hello all, just wanted to say thank you for this post. It took me two days of reading to get through all the entries but it gave me a lot of things to think about for our upcoming adventure into chicken keeping. We had planned to use an old shed to house them, but after reading this we plan to make a lot of adjustments to 'strenghten' it and add more safety for our birds. One thing I kept wishing, was that people would say where they are from when they related their tales. I being new to this am unsure about what I might run into. In my area lower new York (rockland county) we have raccoons, possums, neighbors dogs, stray cats, coyotes, ...but thats what I only know of, I never even tout of snakes (that made me think twice about this whole idea) .
Also I had thought to cut costs by using chicken wire on the skirt of threshed, thank you all for changing my mind. I now have 100ft of 36 inch hardware cloth on the way and a roll of twenty five feet already here. I also tout a hook and eye latch would be fine, thank you for teaching me about that as well. Those raccoon pictures are amazing. We have raccoons that combover here every once in awhile and tip over trash cans so that is what I expect to be my biggest problem.
Thank you again,
S
I plan to post my pictures of the coops enclosure when it's done, I hope you all will be critical. Your losses will help me and countless others.

Thats great Sallysec that you did your homework and studied how predators operate and how to keep them out. The hardware cloth is a great investment. I live in Kentucky. Lots of people here live near you and would be glad to help answer questions about predators in your area. Best to protect against all predators and the hardware cloth is a step in the right direction. I'll be glad to help as will many others if you have questions. This thread is about helping others to protect their chickens and mistakes we made that cost us our feathered friends. Thanks for joining our conversation

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Welcome, Sally Sec!

I was wanting to ask if the hook and eye is alright if it has the spring closing on it?? The subject of best lock came out in an older thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/414252/best-way-to-latch-a-door


The picture of the lock is at this link:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...nyAQ&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p<br><br>Most

So this is what I have as my outside lock of my chicken door.

Opinions about this one?

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Welcome, Sally Sec!

I was wanting to ask if the hook and eye is alright if it has the spring closing on it?? The subject of best lock came out in an older thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/414252/best-way-to-latch-a-door


The picture of the lock is at this link:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...nyAQ&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p<br><br>Most

So this is what I have as my outside lock of my chicken door.

Opinions about this one?

I don't use that type of hook personally but I think your fine with using it. The idea is to make it more complicated for coons that are very smart. That type hook and eye is spring loaded meaning the coon has to preform two task at once. First he has to compress the spring with his paw while at the same time remove the hook from the eye. They are smart but they are limited with their ability to accomplish that procedure. I hesitate to say its impossible but the latch I use on my coop door is no more complicated than that and I have never had a problem. If your really concerned add another latch above or below it or even a hasp would work to give you added security. Hope that helps

 

[cheeka]

Hi Sallysec!

I'm further upstate NY (50 miles SW of Albany) but I grew up on Long Island... where the coons are enormous and take big chunks out of cat flesh... you won't have many problems with snakes... especially if you use hardware cloth... a garter snake can get in, but the chickens will have a blast pecking it to death, and either stripping it down like spaghetti, or if one is quick enough, swallow it whole, slurp! coons will be your biggest problem out of all the predators you have. you probably have very similar to what i have, although not as likely to see them... like fox... depends on how rural you are in rockland. but if you have coyote, you have fox... and this is a bad year it seems in ny (probably everywhere) but the coyote are pushing the fox (coyote eat fox) out of their normal territory worse than ever, so we've had lots more fox problems than usual. can't wait to see what you build for your chickens, and pics of the chickens too as soon as you get some!

 

[Sallysec]

I've never seen either a fox or coyote, but in westchester ( next county for those of you not in ny) I've seen news reports of the coyotes walking around in the public all day long. I've also heard about fox problems and bear problems in no. Right now my backyard has a fence (we have two dogs) and I keep a large vegetable garden back there, my only problem in the garden has been chipmunks and squirrels..although there is a baby bunny that eats from my compost pile too. My dogs make such a fuss at them, and I had a cat a few years back that let nothing in his yard. Right now I don't have a good cat around. I have a useless one....that someone declawed and my husband felt obligated to adopt the poor thing. About the only large animals I see in my neighborhood are deer regularly, stray cats , and about a year ago we had raccoon problems. My husband would flip out on the raccoons and would want to shoot them, but we don't exactly live in a gun friendly place lol and the animal control here opulent take them if we trapped them. I was once told to keep my dog quiet and let the raccoons be Lastly, does anyone in southern my have bird problems? Jersey? I've never heard of those kinds of issues. I kind of want to know about the unusual predator that we don't expect.

If I can get the hang of posting pictures I will show some pictures today.


Thanks again,
S

 

[Sallysec]

So I ran outside and took a few shots, this is a complete novice work in progress...my husband and I have never done anything with chickens before, and so any criticism is welcome, especially if you see a problem before it arises.



This is the run we started on last weekend, it waited until yesterday for the hardware cloth to be delivered. we plan on adding the sides, one of them having a door, the top is going to have some type of counterweight door on it to lift of (I don't understand my husbands vision on this, so i am just going along until I can physically see it). My father has some input on this and since he raised chickens before we have been listening. He also comes up with some crazy ideas ...he wants to put auto shocks on the lid of the coop....for opening and closing. We shall see what happens, I don't care as long as it functions.



So this is where the chickens are going to go, my husband is redoing an old shed in the corner of our property that we planned to just let fall apart until the chicken bug bit...


There is a lot of damage to this shed, he plans on removing the wall and replacing both the wall and floor...he is debating on putting it up on cinder blocks


shed awaiting some tlc...



the vegetable garden.....I have been excited by the idea that the chickens can benefit from this area and so will the garden


overhead view of the garden, chicken coop will be to the top left of said picture...also I need to research the best plants for chickens I guess....I want to try and give them some plants around their coop and run to attract snacks.

We plan to free range under supervision only for a few hours during the day.

Work to do...so off I go...
~S

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Hi sallysec! Looks like a great project. I like the coop raised up, stays dry instead of damp that way. Chickens and gardens seem to go together don't they, a word though, there will be times when you don't want those chickens in there. True they eat alot of bugs and other pests, but they also know exactly when that fruit or veggie has developed a ripe spot and will peck it, eating a nice hole in stuff. You are having a run so that will help, I am planning on fencing the garden off from them...since I free range it will be easier that way. People often don't know they have coons until they have chickens! At least you know and are prepared...I love dogs for just that deterent..although coons can be ferocious and damage a dog badly...I keep three American mastifs roaming...the bark alone will cause predators to look elsewhere..I like that. Keep us posted on your project already off to a great start! (The auto shocks actually sound like a good idea - if its like the lifts that help open and hold up a hatchback door)

 

[cheeka]

those are great, but the lightweight ones are a little harder to find than the standard used in cars. my Sonoma pu truck has a canvas cap with 15lb lifts. one broke, and to replace it, we tried a standard, but it was too strong and wouldn't close because the actual top wasn't heavy enough. the 15 lb needed to be ordered and I can't remember what it cost, it wasn't bad, but it was a ltitle more expensive than what you have for a cars heavier metal door.
my second coop has a nice large plywood lifting lid that i could use those on to make it easier to clean...but i have a nice long 2'x3' board to prop it up.
I cut the opening for the second coop this morning and re-attached the ramp for entry, the hardware cloth needed to enclose it entirely is cobbed for a moment, it's in the 90's again today and i'm overheated. the gang was very interested and went in to explore immediately and seem very pleased. i will post pics later!

 

[cheeka]

Sallysec, sounds like a great start and your garden is beautiful!