Trash Panda Mafia (TX)

[mortmunkey]

So my chickens have officially moved into their own house now and I set up a camera to monitor from work, I am a bit paranoid the placement is no bueno. Lo and behold on day one Jill showed up with a bunch of Joeys clutched to her and Jack trailing her like Jaba the Hut. We went to the local Murdoch's (I now realize that's a dangerous place to go for me) got some trapping stuff. Set up shop in the backyard and called it a night. Day 2 I woke up and had Jack and Jill in my traps so I relocated them. And now I have the Trash Panda Mafia cruising my yard, I caught one in the trap and had another visit my yard the same night. While trying to figure out what to do with him, took 2 days, I had a zoo visit my cameras. Now I'm worried that I won't be able to fortify my coop (Sentinel Coop) to withstand these guys if they are rolling in 4-6 deep.
So I guess what I am asking is, does anyone have experience with the Sentinel Coop, and/or Panda proofing it? What about polecats, anyone have issues with them digging under? I can trap and relocate them too, I am extremely limited to what happens with the Pandas.

 

[Evadig]

I'm assuming that Pandas are raccoons and polecats are skunks? The sentinel coop is pretty sturdy, except for the barrel locks on the doors. I put a carabiner on the main door and wire the other two doors close. To be extra sure, you could also use some very high quality outdoor extreme weather zip ties around the corners of the hardware fabric. To prevent digging, I have the coop sitting on a foundation of paving stones with an apron of hardware cloth for extra protection. Hope this helps!

 

[mortmunkey]

I'm assuming that Pandas are raccoons and polecats are skunks? The sentinel coop is pretty sturdy, except for the barrel locks on the doors. I put a carabiner on the main door and wire the other two doors close. To be extra sure, you could also use some very high quality outdoor extreme weather zip ties around the corners of the hardware fabric. To prevent digging, I have the coop sitting on a foundation of paving stones with an apron of hardware cloth for extra protection. Hope this helps!

Awesome!! That’s almost my exact setup. I have the pavers bordering and no hardware cloth apron, I didn’t think of that. It’s good to hear it’s sturdy, seemed solid after assembly. I laid a bead of silicon along the seams and roof screws to cover the oversized holes. Do you have any issues with it?

Pandas = raccoons
Polecat = skunk
Jack/Jill/Joeys = opossum

 

[Evadig]

Awesome!! That’s almost my exact setup. I have the pavers bordering and no hardware cloth apron, I didn’t think of that. It’s good to hear it’s sturdy, seemed solid after assembly. I laid a bead of silicon along the seams and roof screws to cover the oversized holes. Do you have any issues with it?

Pandas = raccoons
Polecat = skunk
Jack/Jill/Joeys = opossum

As far as the holes? I didn’t have any.

Thanks for explaining those terms .