Texas

[Derangedplanet]

I am doing nothing today. No cooking, no cleaning, no dishes. Sitting enjoying the beautiful day. Then sit some more.

Jealous! I was supposed to pick up a coop today and the lady sold it after agreeing on a meet up time . So now I'm spending my day trying to figure out how to have a coop built in the next week or 2 plus preparing for my father in law coming over on sat and my house is still a pile of boxes

 

[NickyPick]

Ok I need advice, opinions.
6 baby chicks-week old this Wed, and in a plastic tote. I have a 2x4 ft dog kennel to put them in next. First in garage (safe) then onto back porch, how can I predator proof (against raccoons mainly) while on back porch--or do I need to? Cage is 2 in by 4 in welded wire.

I'm trying to figure out how to comment on this. I've gone from 15 chicks in a Wal-Mart pool brooder in the house, to an 8x8 solid wood walled coop with an 15x20 chicken wired coop (which only the brooder protected against those bastard coons), to 90 hens/turkeys in a 24x24 wood and hardware clothed coop and open run. I've had no predator issues in the coop.

So, on a small scale, if you really want to keep raccoons away from your chicks/pullets. Make a pen sealed with hardware cloth - 1/4 x1/4 inch fencing. Chicken wire is ONLY good enough to keep chickens in. All the predators can just rip it right off and rip apart your chicks/hens. If you're on your back porch, find some way to seal them in with good wire fencing. Even horse fencing, temporarily, will be better than using chicken wire, for anything.

 

[NickyPick]

What I need to do tomorrow, is to finish burying 2 ft of horse wire along the back yard fence. Had to take my Dad to the Woodlands for his Covid vaccine, and when we got back, both dogs were out again. One of my dogs is an Aussie/GP mix, and she has a fierce desire to range when we leave. I've got wire laid out along the fenceline, but only 50% of it is actually attached and buried. Dang dog found a spot and moved UNDER the wire and dug out. Took my full Aussie with her. Lost one hen (a favorite Delaware cross) to the AS/GP mix and the full came back wet - she's obsessed with swimming, so must have gone to the neighbors pond.

 

[Derangedplanet]

What I need to do tomorrow, is to finish burying 2 ft of horse wire along the back yard fence. Had to take my Dad to the Woodlands for his Covid vaccine, and when we got back, both dogs were out again. One of my dogs is an Aussie/GP mix, and she has a fierce desire to range when we leave. I've got wire laid out along the fenceline, but only 50% of it is actually attached and buried. Dang dog found a spot and moved UNDER the wire and dug out. Took my full Aussie with her. Lost one hen (a favorite Delaware cross) to the AS/GP mix and the full came back wet - she's obsessed with swimming, so must have gone to the neighbors pond.

That sucks, I'm sorry.
My fence isn't a fence right now and yet another pannel fell yesterday in the wind storm. Fortunately the area where the coops are going is very healthy. The rest we are ripping off the planks and putting up 12g livestock fencing. Which I plan to use in combination of with chicken wire for my run. I know it's not the most kosher move to forgo any hardware cloth but I've been lookinf around at everyone's coops around here and less than 1/5th have hardware cloth. I actually have yet to see a hardware cloth run in person. But people in my local facebook group have a few. I live in a very dead/dying city 30 miles out of town. So I assume we don't have much in the way for raccoons. Not enough population to support it I'd suspect. But I KNOW we have foxes, coyotes and shitty dog owners all over. So instead of spending the extra money on hardware cloth I figured it would be best to get really good quality thick livestock wire. For the coop tho, I still intend to wrap its openings in hardware.
I plan to put 3 feet of privacy fence around the bottom of the run as well. So hopefully that will deter most smaller critters from trying to put hands though.

 

[Plantingchicks]

Hi! I live in Parker, Texas near Allen and Plano.

 

[oldhen2345]

Hi! I live in Parker, Texas near Allen and Plano.

Welcome to the forum, from here in East Texas, near Tyler

 

[Matejka]

Hi! I live in Parker, Texas near Allen and Plano.

Welcome! Down near Bryan/College Station.

 

[Matejka]

I'm trying to figure out how to comment on this. I've gone from 15 chicks in a Wal-Mart pool brooder in the house, to an 8x8 solid wood walled coop with an 15x20 chicken wired coop (which only the brooder protected against those bastard coons), to 90 hens/turkeys in a 24x24 wood and hardware clothed coop and open run. I've had no predator issues in the coop.

So, on a small scale, if you really want to keep raccoons away from your chicks/pullets. Make a pen sealed with hardware cloth - 1/4 x1/4 inch fencing. Chicken wire is ONLY good enough to keep chickens in. All the predators can just rip it right off and rip apart your chicks/hens. If you're on your back porch, find some way to seal them in with good wire fencing. Even horse fencing, temporarily, will be better than using chicken wire, for anything.

Gonna use a dog kennel, but will wrap or double wrap with chicken wire. I don't think a predator can get INTO kennel, but a coon could reach THROUGH kennel. It will go on picnic table.

 

[Derangedplanet]

Hi! I live in Parker, Texas near Allen and Plano.

Hey! I live in new texas near lubbock. Welcome. I have family near tyler tho.

 

[Derangedplanet]

Gonna use a dog kennel, but will wrap or double wrap with chicken wire. I don't think a predator can get INTO kennel, but a coon could reach THROUGH kennel. It will go on picnic table.View attachment 2576659View attachment 2576660

Yeah my polish pair is in 2 great dane kennels zip tied together and I haven't had issues. However. I have cardboard and tarp zip tied around 80% of the sides. I have read that coons can break threw chicken wire. But we haven't had issues with coons so I'm hoping it'll be alright