Would it be wise to start closing up my flock in the coop?

[Trux]

Without even reading past the thread title, YES. Why risk it when you can just lock them up and sleep soundly?[/Q Spot On!

 

[aart]

the lights I use, NiteGuard

I’ll be sure to buy the lights once I get more money

Save your money for a larger coop....these lights are not effective, I have seen videos of predators stalking coop/runs while these light are flashing in the background.

 

[Callender Girl]

Aart, you may be right about the lights. All I know is, I haven't had any killer mink since I put them up. Before, I was sleeping on the couch, with the windows open, hoping any attack would wake me up in time to get outside.

Since the lights, I can get a good night's sleep. I'm okay with that. Of course, it's not all I rely on. Hardware cloth is now my best friend.

 

[PeaPod117]

Save your money for a larger coop....these lights are not effective, I have seen videos of predators stalking coop/runs while these light are flashing in the background.

I’d probably get them just to be safe, and were adding onto our coop so there’s not really a point in saving up for another

 

[Trux]

I

I don’t know if you can see if from the picture (I’ll take a better one when I get home) but I can’t tell if the wire is welded or not?

What you have is Hardware cloth, what you see in the picture aart sent you a link to is welded wire, over hardware cloth.
I have a coop very similar to yours, I use it for an outdoor brooder and a
rooster pen when the little ones are grown enough to go into the big girls camp.
IMO you might want to consider building a bigger coop instead of adding on to the one you have. Those coops are not very well built in the first place And I believe you would be money ahead building a larger, stronger coop.

 

[AZWhiteKnight]

I left my coops open for years (almost a decade) with no issues, until one morning late last year, I came out to find that a pack of coyotes had decimated one of my flocks. I build my own coops - 3 in total. The coyotes dug in under the run, entered the coop and made off with 13 birds. My other runs have a ~8" deep trench of concrete surrounding them and this was the one run that I 'had not gotten around to doing it yet." It won't happen again. Now, all runs are reinforced, all coops get locked up at night, and I installed motion lights as well. I picked some up at Costco and if anything gets too close to the runs at night, I am hoping some bright light helps to scare them off.

 

[333113]

If you had read past the title you would’ve also seen that I wanted advice for how to predator proof it better. If you have any it would be welcome

My dad used to tell new chicken owners to remember that the fence is not to keep the chickens in, it's to keep the predators out.

I will add, if the predator can't see them when the chickens are asleep, then they won't seem to be a reachable target. Likewise, clean up any eggs before nightfall. Eggs are a predator draw. A predator looking for eggs may weaken a fence enough that a later predator can reach the birds.

 

[aart]

I will add, if the predator can't see them when the chickens are asleep, then they won't seem to be a reachable target.

Ehhh...not sure I buy that, smell is more powerful than sight.
Plenty of coops have been fatally breached without chickens waving from a window.

 

[333113]

Ehhh...not sure I buy that, smell is more powerful than sight.
Plenty of coops have been fatally breached without chickens waving from a window.

I agree... smell, especially wet chicken, is very attractive to a predator. And if the barrier is easy to breach, making chickens invisible won't deter the predator. However, being out of sight and behind a good barrier is a valuable defense combo. A hungry raccoon is looking for quick rewards. If the doors to the coop look closed and the door to the trap is open, with a tasty can of catfood clearly within reach, I think the raccoon won't have much trouble deciding.

 

[PattyNH]

I’d probably get them just to be safe, and were adding onto our coop so there’s not really a point in saving up for another

Your best bet, cost-wise, may be to build onto your existing coop. Although store-bought coops are not built to withstand predators, or even weather sometimes, you can still make modifications to it to make it safer. Building a good, solid run around it is one. You can use scrap lumber or even PVC gotten off Craigslist (often free) to build a frame. You need 1/2" hardware cloth to cover the entire thing - even the bottom if you don't want to bother with the skirt. If you can do even that you have a huge advantage! Adding some locks simple gate locks you can slip a caribiner through to lock it - priceless. Make sure your coop and run do not have any holes or areas a presator can breach. A rat or weasel (mink, ermine) can squeeze through a hole 1" in diameter.

I find a TON of free or cheap stuff on FB Marketplace or CL. I don't want to admit how much time I spend looking though LOL You can DEFINITELY do this and keep your girls safe