Very very bad night

[Alagirl]

P.S. My DH calls me "The Tool Enabler". I think a small cement mixer and a portable sawmill are the only things I've ever vetoed -- though I did talk him down to a more beginner-oriented item once or twice.

I'm definitely eyeballing a cement mixer!
the saw mill looks more promising as well, alas I have a limited number of trees, all still standing.

The impact driver is definitely a good tool to have, especially if coop building and repairing is something one considers!

 

[Folly's place]

LOVE that impact driver! And we've pounded in a LOT of fence staples; think of it as therapy, or something. Our coop then has wood screwed in over the staples to hold the hardware cloth.
Mary

 

[Russ13]

I’m going to start over with the coop. Clean it all out. Redesign a few things and make it much more predator proof.

 

[Lavender Wraps]

View attachment 3119853I’m not sure how this happened. I have an automatic door so it’s possible the raccoon got trapped inside when the door closed and this was his way out. Or if he came in this way somehow. I’ll save you all from seeing the interior photos. But it was very bad. The stuff just under the opening is feathers. There are feathers everywhere.

You have my sincere symphony. I lost most of my flock to a neighbors hunting dogs (young ones) By the time we realized our free range chickens were being slaughter by them it was mostly too late. My banties were in their enclosure so they were safe but I still lost two due to the stress of the attacks. We are completely fenced but the dogs either jumped the 5 foot fence or found a hole. We now have new fencing that keeps our new hens contained. We do have a lease law and proper containment of dogs. I contacted the owners and they paid for most of the hens and promised to keep their dogs contained. My son saw them running the same fence looking for a way in. They had better not, once was more than enough.

 

[Lavender Wraps]

One more thing for thought. When my husband made new doors for the hens new large fenced yard I noticed there wasn't a block of wood on the outside floor of the door. I could just image a critter getting it's paw or claw under the drop down door, lifting it and getting in with the hens. You should not be able to see any daylight coming under the doors when looking from the inside of coop. He immediately fixed them.

 

[wolfinator]

How awful, sorry about that happening. I couldn't imagine losing my entire flock.

I have a pair of brother dogs kenneled next to my 6 coops/2pens. They deter most every predator except they weren't able to keep an owl from stealing 3 of my Runner ducks over the last year. My pens cover about a 4000sqft. area. I use umbrellas or tall poles to deter larger open areas but my losing them was my own fault. I was turning part of the pen into a garden space like every year, I'd taken the poles down and it rained for several days rendering the pen a big muddy mess. I allowed the flock back in the garden area but forgot to close it back off. I don't lock my flocks up at night, the chickens and guineas go into their own coops at dusk but the ducks stay out most of the time. I've been raising my flock for over 7 years and they've been the only ones I've lost to predators out of over 300 birds.

Here's my setup with garden. My brother dogs are on the left. And no the flock doesn't get into the garden, well maybe once so far.

Another angle

One of my other dogs guarding as some of the flock free ranges.

 

[wolfinator]

View attachment 3119853I’m not sure how this happened. I have an automatic door so it’s possible the raccoon got trapped inside when the door closed and this was his way out. Or if he came in this way somehow. I’ll save you all from seeing the interior photos. But it was very bad. The stuff just under the opening is feathers. There are feathers everywhere.

Definitely reinforce the wire with boards screwed over it. Raccoons are very slick and can even open latches or slide locks. I haven't seen one since 2012 where I live and I'm in a rural mountains area.

 

[Twolinks]

One more thing for thought. When my husband made new doors for the hens new large fenced yard I noticed there wasn't a block of wood on the outside floor of the door. I could just image a critter getting it's paw or claw under the drop down door, lifting it and getting in with the hens. You should not be able to see any daylight coming under the doors when looking from the inside of coop. He immediately fixed them.

This exact thing happened to me many years ago. Raccoon put fingers under automatic door, lifted it, went in and massacred my chicks, then left the same way. Was shocked to find cooped locked up and chicks dead! But a strip of wood covering bottom of door was an easy fix to a vulnerability I never thought about!! Since the installation of that wood barrier, it has never happened again. But a difficult lesson to learn

 

[Magnumchicken]

If a raccoon gets into structures they are more likely to be trapped in a havaheart. Just know after you catch him you shouldnt have a heart because it is illegal to release a trapped raccoon. Must be killed after trapping. Anywhere you release him he will be back to killing someones chickens.