Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[TeePants]

Sounds like a great coop design, and what beautiful chicks you have there.

Thank you! I am a little worried because we opted for 1/4in 23g hardware cloth on the sides - the logic being that I want to also discourage mice, and our yard is fenced, so we mostly end up with mice and rats. We switched to 1/2in for the floor because we couldn’t find 1/4in that was 3ft wide on the cheap - the 1/4in rolls we got were 2ftx50ft for something like $25.

However, there IS at least one raccoon in our neighborhood- I am hoping it’s fine because the coop is extremely secure, and we have an auto door, plus my wife’s office is the shed right next to the coop. During the day when they’re in the run there’s going to be people near enough to come outside if something is messing with the run wall.

I have floated the idea of adding a second layer of either 1/4in HWC or 1/2in 19 gauge to the bottom, but the thought is kind of daunting as we are both so ready to be done, haha. I don’t have a garage so our girls’ brooder pen is on the floor in my office. It’s actually a guinea pig pen I used when I was fostering for the city shelter - it turns out it holds in wood chips just fine.

 

[ValerieJ]

Thank you! I am a little worried because we opted for 1/4in 23g hardware cloth on the sides - the logic being that I want to also discourage mice, and our yard is fenced, so we mostly end up with mice and rats. We switched to 1/2in for the floor because we couldn’t find 1/4in that was 3ft wide on the cheap - the 1/4in rolls we got were 2ftx50ft for something like $25.

However, there IS at least one raccoon in our neighborhood- I am hoping it’s fine because the coop is extremely secure, and we have an auto door, plus my wife’s office is the shed right next to the coop. During the day when they’re in the run there’s going to be people near enough to come outside if something is messing with the run wall.

I have floated the idea of adding a second layer of either 1/4in HWC or 1/2in 19 gauge to the bottom, but the thought is kind of daunting as we are both so ready to be done, haha. I don’t have a garage so our girls’ brooder pen is on the floor in my office. It’s actually a guinea pig pen I used when I was fostering for the city shelter - it turns out it holds in wood chips just fine.

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Looks like a great brooder pen. Gee, I don't know about the HW cloth. I wouldn't think a mouse could get into a 1/2 inch space, but let me just quote my DH. He says, "why would you want to keep the mice from the chicken?? That's free food for them." lol But, take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Hinotori]

Looks like a great brooder pen. Gee, I don't know about the HW cloth. I wouldn't think a mouse could get into a 1/2 inch space, but let me just quote my DH. He says, "why would you want to keep the mice from the chicken?? That's free food for them." lol But, take that with a grain of salt.

Because they spread disease and some chickens wont attack them. My silkies generally will attack rats.

We have shrews here as well that can go through 1/2. They don't go after feed, though. Voles will get caught up in 3/4 because they are dumb as bricks. Rats will chew a way if they can. Only mice I've seen are pacific jumping mice and they try to stay away.

 

[TeePants]

Looks like a great brooder pen. Gee, I don't know about the HW cloth. I wouldn't think a mouse could get into a 1/2 inch space, but let me just quote my DH. He says, "why would you want to keep the mice from the chicken?? That's free food for them." lol But, take that with a grain of salt.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, last time we had chickens in Louisiana my red star sexlink girls would fight over mice and lizards.

But these silked Easter eggers.. I dunno, I’m just worried they’re fragile somehow! They are certainly quite dainty. I have kept pure silkies before and a stiff wind could bowl them over, I am hoping the EE/silkie mix proves to be more hardy.

 

[TeePants]

Because they spread disease and some chickens wont attack them. My silkies generally will attack rats.

We have shrews here as well that can go through 1/2. They don't go after feed, though. Voles will get caught up in 3/4 because they are dumb as bricks. Rats will chew a way if they can. Only mice I've seen are pacific jumping mice and they try to stay away.

Do you think 1/4in is enough to keep out rats and maybe one very fat and lazy raccoon? Mind you, I’ve never seen the raccoon in our yard, but it’s not like I’m watching all night.

Speaking of, if anyone has clever ways to make a hole somewhere to put an extension cord in that won’t act as a rodent egress, that would be great. I completely forgot during construction so now I’m left trying to figure something out. I have an outdoor security camera (mostly for our kids entertainment) for the coop but I also might put some lights out there on a timer.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you think 1/4in is enough to keep out rats and maybe one very fat and lazy raccoon? Mind you, I’ve never seen the raccoon in our yard, but it’s not like I’m watching all night.

1/4 should be fine for rats, with the raccoon it's really a matter of how hard it'll try. If it's lazy and well fed it has no reason to test it at all.

Speaking of, if anyone has clever ways to make a hole somewhere to put an extension cord in that won’t act as a rodent egress, that would be great. I completely forgot during construction so now I’m left trying to figure something out. I have an outdoor security camera (mostly for our kids entertainment) for the coop but I also might put some lights out there on a timer.

Couple ideas on this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-this-raccoon-proof.1674750/page-2#post-28786644

 

[TeePants]

1/4 should be fine for rats, with the raccoon it's really a matter of how hard it'll try. If it's lazy and well fed it has no reason to test it at all.

Couple ideas on this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-this-raccoon-proof.1674750/page-2#post-28786644

That’s what I was thinking, but I didn’t know if they maybe sold something that could do the same thing. No worries, it’s not like we aren’t sawing things and drilling things still at this stage! I’ll probably add a port for it on the wall above the nest box as I put the insulation in but didn’t finish spraying the foam filler.

 

[Hinotori]

Do you think 1/4in is enough to keep out rats and maybe one very fat and lazy raccoon? Mind you, I’ve never seen the raccoon in our yard, but it’s not like I’m watching all night.

Speaking of, if anyone has clever ways to make a hole somewhere to put an extension cord in that won’t act as a rodent egress, that would be great. I completely forgot during construction so now I’m left trying to figure something out. I have an outdoor security camera (mostly for our kids entertainment) for the coop but I also might put some lights out there on a timer.

I have chainlink with 1/4 over. It stops weasels, thankfully or I'd have lost the silkies as well as the large fowl who didn't have the hardware cloth.

The only raccoons we've had have stayed away from the chickens. My german shepherd killed the opossum that killed some of my hens.

Nothing but hot wire stops bears. Proper fencing and locking birds up stops coyotes at night

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have been so fortunate here never lost a bird that way.
Had one episode in all these years.
Mocha has a upset tummy he ate grass then ralph after he came in.

 

[Hinotori]

The black bears we occasionally get have left my pens alone. Dogs, weasels, coyotes, and hawks are my usual problems in that order. Since the neighbors problem dog was hit by a car haven't had the dog issue again. Their current dogs are all kenneled.