Top of my run...Do I need wire?

[dbounds10]

We are almost complete with the coop and run, the top of the run will be the last thing we do. I am planning on running PVC across the top for support and was going to cover that with shade cloth. Is it necessary to have wire on the top of the run? Will the coons and possum climb up to the top? I really really dont want to have to figure out how to cover it with wire not to mention I have already spent a fortune.

Please tell me the shade cloth will be enough...

 

[tberryer]

I'm in the process of researching this right now. I'm going to cover the top with wire since a fox just climbed over their fence and killed four chickens recently during the daylight hours. This will be my third summer with chickens. We sunk $2000 into the coop the first year and $1000 the second. I'm expecting another $1000 this year. I didn't realize to protect them would be so expensive, but I'm not going to continuously deal with the heartbreak of losing chickens either.

 

[Gardengirl 2011]

Better safe than sorry later on. If something wants a chicken so badly, they'll go to every possible weak link to get at them. Sorry, I know it's not what you wanted to hear, lol. I haven't even added all my coop/run receipts and don't really want to for fear of having heart failure.

 

[CrazyCatLady76]

I would wire it over. Coons are remarkably persistent little blighters, even when they're just breaking into a trash can for kitchen scraps. We have one at work who either scales a 15-ft piling or does some serious aerial maneuvers from the other side of the creek to get up on our back deck, climbs/jumps to the top of a waist-high mini-dumpster, shoves a cast-iron garbage can lid off the top, and then pries up the lid while standing on it. If one will do all that for bread crusts, carrot ends, and the occasional scrap of lunch meat...think what it would do for a whole chicken.

It's not just the coons, though; any place you have coons, you almost certainly have hawks.

 

[7L Farm]

Put the hard ware cloth on top & you will sleep better knowing the chickens are safe. Well safer anyway!!!

 

[mariel37]

Quote:
BINGO. We have wire all the way around, and double wire at the bottom all the way around. It's not worth the worry.

 

[elmo]

If you lock your chickens inside a secure coop at night (and do this every night), you could consider putting something not raccoon proof over the top of the run for the daytime. Raccoons sometimes do come out during the day, but that's not very common. Daytime predators are more likely to be hawks, and you can keep those out by putting deer netting or even chicken wire over the top of the run.

 

[georgiagail]

What we did using PVC and hardware cloth. We have owls and hawks in the area and they are active during the day:

Gail

 

[hlf1996]

We have half of the run covered with wood and
the oth half covered with wire so that when it rains
they can go in their run if they want and have shelter
and when it's sunny they can go to the side with wire
for sun or shade under the wood

 

[FiveHens]

We just used chicken wire on the top of our run. I know that it's not supposed to be an effective raccoon deterrent, but we weren't counting on any raccoons getting up there. We've not seen any evidence of attempts, and we're going on a year. We do close the door securely at night, however, to make sure the chickens are safe.

ETA: chicken wire, although not good for raccoons, IS good against hawks.