Would this be predator proof?

[nbelval]

Hello,
We have 4 week old chicks that will eventually be introduced to out current flock...
When they are in the transition period after brooder and before going in with the big girls, I was planning on keeping them in our mobile chicken tractor. It is built out of PVC, wood base and chicken wire. The bottom "floor" of the tractor has 2 x 3 " thicker gauge wire.
There is no nest box or coop attached. I was planning on putting our very large plastic (airline type) dog crate inside the tractor for them to sleep in at night. This would be for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Do you think a predator would be persistent enough or capable of tearing through the chicken wire and then breaking into a dog crate?
I was thinking of putting bells on the tractor too as an alarm in case something started messing with them at night.
Would this work or am I asking for trouble?
Thanks!!
Nicole

 

[foreverlearning]

It depends mostly on your area and predators. Yes, predators of all kinds can get into that tractor. I have raccoons, stray cats, and snakes as my most common land predators here. Make sure the chicken wire is tight to the frame so the larger snakes can't get in between them. Smaller snakes will still be able to get threw the wire. I coexist with my raccoons and have not suffered a loss from them yet. They will go for the treats that my chickens left behind in the yard and leave my chicks alone. They are quite lazy and will go for the easiest food to get to. The dog crate is a great idea for a coop and works well for me. This is something only people that live in your area will know for sure if it will work or not. If you feel unsafe then you can always put the chicks in the dog crate then lock the crate in the coop at night. Day time runs do not need to be as secure as night time runs if there are no dogs or cats around. By locking them in the crate then putting it in the coop it also protects the chicks from the adult birds.

 

[nbelval]

Thanks!
The dog crate won't fit in our coop though. The crate is too big and the coop is narrow
The crate also has to be taken apart to fit into our tractor so once it's in I'd like to leave it otherwise I'd have to disassemble and reassemble it every night.
We don't have snakes big enough to go after our chicks. I'm in southern NH so we have raccoons, possums, weasels, fishers, coyotes, foxes, bears, and dogs!
I might have to figure something else out. I'm hoping with noisemakers on it that would at least startle a predator long enough for me to get to the chicks!

 

[4 the Birds]

Hello,
We have 4 week old chicks that will eventually be introduced to out current flock...
When they are in the transition period after brooder and before going in with the big girls, I was planning on keeping them in our mobile chicken tractor. It is built out of PVC, wood base and chicken wire. The bottom "floor" of the tractor has 2 x 3 " thicker gauge wire.
There is no nest box or coop attached. I was planning on putting our very large plastic (airline type) dog crate inside the tractor for them to sleep in at night. This would be for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Do you think a predator would be persistent enough or capable of tearing through the chicken wire and then breaking into a dog crate?
I was thinking of putting bells on the tractor too as an alarm in case something started messing with them at night.
Would this work or am I asking for trouble?
Thanks!!
Nicole

4 weeks seems a bit young to go from the brooder to outside. Do you have an area in the garage or tool shed that can serve as a transition place for the chicks until they are 6 to 8 weeks old? Does the coop have a predator proof run that can be sectioned off for the chicks? Not sure if the dog create will be large enough or free of drafts/rain. A draft free and warm place for pullets is best until they get fully feathered and get large enough to join the flock.

We keep our chicks in a temperature controlled garage brooder (plenty large enough) until they are at least 5 to 6 weeks old. They then transition outside in a segregated coop area for another few weeks before they join the flock.

 

[nbelval]

Sorry! Didn't mean to give the impression that they were going out now. I'm just getting things ready for when they are old enough. I like to have everything set up ahead if time. They are in a brooder in the basement right now.
The dog crate is plastic with a metal grid front and side vents up high. And the chicken tractor is half covered with a tarp and the crate will be on the side of the tractor.
Hope that helps clarify things!!