What got in my coop

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Leafblade. Raccoons, like most predators, are creatures of opportunity. They will often take the food that is easiest to get and where they don’t have to spend too much energy or take chances on injury. Chicken feed is a real easy target. Sometimes they will eat eggs instead of taking a chicken.

That doesn’t mean that on the next trip it would not get your chickens instead of taking the food or eggs. They are unpredictable.

Your best defense is to build something they can’t get into. I’d suggest you install an apron to stop digging predators. Do you know what I mean by an apron?

Oh really? Because the rooster is around 5 or 7 feet high

Sorry I don't understand that question.

 

[youtubeminer]

Sorry I don't understand that question.

I'm sorry I mean roost

 

[Ridgerunner]

Raccoon and bobcats can climb that high. Coyotes can jump that high. Being on the roost does help but it’s sure no guarantee they are safe.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Why do you want to trap? Just fix your coop up with hardware cloth or something of that manner.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why would you want to trap? I agree the best overall solution is to build the coop and run strong enough and use management techniques that keep your chickens safe. That has to be the primary approach.

However, if you trap an animal that is visiting your coop area, you can remove a specific threat. Yes, there might also be others visiting besides the one that is trapped. But maybe not at this time. Yes, there will almost certainly be more in the future. But that’s not necessarily now. Trapping is not a permanent solution, the threat remains. But it relieves the immediate predator pressure on your flock, at least a little bit.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

All valid points. It's just that the OP says he cannot afford, or for whatever reason cannot buy, a trap, so that option is pretty much off the table unless he/she wants to build a trap, which is more work and time than it's worth...it is so much easier to just block up the hole, using hardware cloth, nailed wood, even a cinder block or something of that sort. You can probably find scrap hardware cloth somewhere, as well as scrap wood, metal, and old cinder blocks to patch up your coop. As ridge runner said, trapping is only a temporary solution, especially in this case, where you have no idea what animal actually got into the coop, whether or not it was after your chooks, etc.. Perhaps it was a rabbit that chewed throug the wire. They can most definitely do it. So why not simply fix your coop? You will have to do it anyway. You can't trap a predator, even if you decided to, and leave the hole open for other predators to use or for your animals to escape or get through. Please save your chickens and give them a safe enclosure instead of going on a wild goose chase, leaving your chooks ready for any predator who comes along. Anyway, good luck, I wish you the best. Please keep us updated.

 

[youtubeminer]

All valid points. It's just that the OP says he cannot afford, or for whatever reason cannot buy, a trap, so that option is pretty much off the table unless he/she wants to build a trap, which is more work and time than it's worth...it is so much easier to just block up the hole, using hardware cloth, nailed wood, even a cinder block or something of that sort. You can probably find scrap hardware cloth somewhere, as well as scrap wood, metal, and old cinder blocks to patch up your coop. As ridge runner said, trapping is only a temporary solution, especially in this case, where you have no idea what animal actually got into the coop, whether or not it was after your chooks, etc.. Perhaps it was a rabbit that chewed throug the wire. They can most definitely do it. So why not simply fix your coop? You will have to do it anyway. You can't trap a predator, even if you decided to, and leave the hole open for other predators to use or for your animals to escape or get through. Please save your chickens and give them a safe enclosure instead of going on a wild goose chase, leaving your chooks ready for any predator who comes along. Anyway, good luck, I wish you the best. Please keep us updated.

Ok I blocked the way to the run and do I keep it like that are just close the run for a week?

 

[LeafBlade12345]

What did you block it with? Definitely leave it there permanently or as long as it will last, why take it off when you don't have to? Anyway, best of luck! Be careful free-ranging your chickens, if you practice this, for a while as well. Hope you don't lose any chickens! Oh, and as for the coyote killing your roo, how did that happen? Are your chickens now safe from the coyote? I'm sorry to bug you, I am just curious.

 

[youtubeminer]

What did you block it with? Definitely leave it there permanently or as long as it will last, why take it off when you don't have to? Anyway, best of luck! Be careful free-ranging your chickens, if you practice this, for a while as well. Hope you don't lose any chickens! Oh, and as for the coyote killing your roo, how did that happen? Are your chickens now safe from the coyote? I'm sorry to bug you, I am just curious.

Well we went shopping and then we saw a bunch of feather and the body around 12 feet from the feathers its a wood door that is nailed to the open area

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Alright, anyway, what do you have blocking off the hole right now? I would suggest hardware cloth for further use, stretched and nailed tightly over the door for maximum resistance. I'd rather put down hot wire if I were you, but sometimes that is not an option.