what is a good way to protect hen house from every critter out there

[hbwbk]

We are building our coop now and would like any info on keeping the girls safe
We have all the predators you name it we have it. we have a pen for the day time and they will be
in the house at night. We both use fire arms and the dogs are ready to help also.
All I seem to see is to build fort nox how do we do it.

 

[bobbi-j]

Yep, lock 'em up tight, that's about all you can do. Don't use chicken wire on your pen or coop. If you want a better chance of keeping *all* the predators away, use 1/4"-1/2" hardware cloth on the coop windows, sides and top of your run. Make sure there are no holes that rats, mice or weasels can get through. Dig some of that hardware cloth underground, too. You can make an "L" shape, or straight down. I'm sure others will chime in with what I've missed.

 

[CMV]

An electric fence is a life saver. I highly recommend you invest in one.

Good luck.

 

[hbwbk]

Thank you both. My next doors dog is great she has caught 2 weasels already she has a electric stay in fence. My two monsters 1 being 135 lbs the other 70 lbs are great with the chicks they have a family protection thing going on. We plan to keep the girls in at night and have a pen already for them.
But I guess putting the wire under ground is a good idea.

 

[baldessariclan]

Strong/tight fencing and coop, covered run, and some form of barrier to keep anything from burrowing under, and you should have no problems. Go w/ hardware cloth fencing or better -- chicken wire isn't secure enough.

 

[FarmerRob]

Ditto on don't use chicken wire. It is only good for one thing--keeping chickens in. It is NO good for keeping most predators out. A racoon, dog, coyote, etc will just rip right through it and then they have a captive group of prey all cornered up for the taking.

Same as the perimeter fencing. 10/48/3 fixed knot woven wire (class 3 galvanized--cheaper in the long run,) with several strands of high tensile smooth offset from the woven wire. I go taller with my posts and have a couple of hot strands above the woven wire. Hook the high tensile smooth wire to a good electric charger. Don't cheap out on the charger--you want to leave an impression.

To really "Fort Knox" the area add a strand of barbed at ground level attached snug to the fence posts. And/Or add some more woven wire dug into the ground a couple of feet or even just laid flat on the ground and covered with dirt a couple of feet out from the base of your fence. This last is to help prevent digging under by a determined dog/coyote, etc.

This is not the cheapest way at the outset, however, good quality fencing like this should last you 20 - 30 years (depending on where you live.) Getting good sleep at night and not worrying about predators while you are away is worth a little investment.

On the perimeter fencing the offsets are inside (to keep livestock from leaning or rubbing against the fence) and outside (to keep predators away) but for a coop and run they only have to be outside. For most critters one really good zap and they will stay clear of your girls. For a coop and run you should also add netting across the top of the run to keep birds of prey away, especially since they have federal protection and you don't want to get caught shooting the hawks, eagles or whatever you have in your area.

I also mount trail cameras in hidden places in case of two legged predators. If someone other than me is opening their gate I want evidence for the officers and judge to see.

 

[JP101010]

We had a massive raccoon who literally peeled up the aluminum on the door of a barn with silkies inside , and we lost our beautiful Silkie Oprah

. because these chickens are our pets it was devastating.. soo we got a pot belly piglet , raised him with the chickens ( they love each other because of it) and when he got a few months old he became very protective of his birdies

around the barn to keep the pig in ,we have an electric fence. during the day when the chickens are out we dont have the fence turned on , but at night we turn it on and hope that we zap him

...

Havent had any intruders who could take on an alert angry pig and electricity so far !!

i would like to point out that all of the fencing and burying of chicken wire wouldnt have done any good in my case because the raccoon simply peeled the aluminum like an orange.. rivets and all... if i hadnt seen him when i chased him off , i would have never guessed raccoon but he was massive- and they have thumbs- which is why they are the worst !

 

[Gray Ghost]

Fencing a whole run with 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth would be very expensive, depending on the size of the run. Consider using instead 14 gauge galvanized welded wire with 2" x 4" openings. This will keep out just about everything except the smallest predators like weasels (which might be impossible to keep out no matter what, because they can slip through such small holes). Then line the bottom 2' of the fence with 1/2" hardware cloth to keep predators from ripping off the heads of chickens who stick their heads through the wire.

 

[sunshineyarns]

Can someone recommend a good place to buy electric fencing online? Or what brand they recommend? I like the barbed wire idea at the base... we have buried hardwire cloth, but I might add barbed wire and electric fencing in the next few days too.

 

[baldessariclan]

One reason people like to go with the hardware cloth, expensive though it may be, is that it prevents raccoons and other pests from reaching through and grabbing your chickens. The fencing with bigger holes in it (even chicken wire) gives them enough room to stick and arm through and grab birds. Chickens aren't always the brightest of creatures, and will sometimes stand close enough to the fence for those raccoons and other critters to reach them, and the results aren't pleasant. Even if they can't get the whole bird through the wire, they can still pull the head off, or otherwise shed parts to small enough size to get them through.

One option to consider might be to wrap the lower portion of your run (where chickens walk around and can be reached) in hardware cloth, while you use the bigger mesh / less expensive stuff higher up and underneath, to keep critters from climbing in or burrowing under.