YO GEORGIANS! :)

[katsdar]

I'm wrapping up my coop (ok, wrapping up may be wishful thinking, but I do feel like I'm getting there) and am trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything - does anyone keeping chickens inside the Atlanta city limits have any input on what predators they've seen and that I should be especially paying attention to doing something specific to keep them out?

I don't know what you have to look out for but as long as any critter can't dig under or go over or through you should be fine.

 

[bsherman3]

Definitely possums and raccoons

 

[GAMarans]

Definitely possums and raccoons

Yep. And depending on what part of the city, coyotes, stray dogs, snakes (eggs and chicks, mostly), hawks, owls ...


Coop looks good ... do you have chicken wire over the top, too? (under the roofing)

 

[ShadesofSable]

I'm wrapping up my coop (ok, wrapping up may be wishful thinking, but I do feel like I'm getting there) and am trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything - does anyone keeping chickens inside the Atlanta city limits have any input on what predators they've seen and that I should be especially paying attention to doing something specific to keep them out?

Hey there, fellow Atlantian! So far I've had the most trouble with rats. We did see one possum once, but other than that nothing else. We see hawks once in a while as there's a pair living in the park near us, but we don't free-range unsupervised so they haven't been a problem. I hear that there are raccoons around, but I haven't seen them either. We do have big dogs though, so that might be playing more of a part in keeping our chickens safe than any predator proofing we've done yet. What part of Atlanta are you in?

 

[JoshFig]

I'm wrapping up my coop (ok, wrapping up may be wishful thinking, but I do feel like I'm getting there) and am trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything - does anyone keeping chickens inside the Atlanta city limits have any input on what predators they've seen and that I should be especially paying attention to doing something specific to keep them out?

 

[choonook]

I'm wrapping up my coop (ok, wrapping up may be wishful thinking, but I do feel like I'm getting there) and am trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything - does anyone keeping chickens inside the Atlanta city limits have any input on what predators they've seen and that I should be especially paying attention to doing something specific to keep them out?

LOVE the colors! Looks like the coop itself has a roof, but I agree with GAM. If it doesn't, you should have some chicken wire or hardware cloth over it at least. Most predators, except dogs and hawks, will mainly attack at night and can squeeze into some tight places. I'm OTP west and haven't had any rat problems, but I imagine they're more prevalent in your area.

 

[Flowerbh]

I'm wrapping up my coop (ok, wrapping up may be wishful thinking, but I do feel like I'm getting there) and am trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything - does anyone keeping chickens inside the Atlanta city limits have any input on what predators they've seen and that I should be especially paying attention to doing something specific to keep them out?

Is there a completely covering roof over the main housing unit? Can't tell from the photos. There should be an area that is covered and protect the chickens from rain and sun.

 

[choonook]

If anyone gets stained by Blu-Kote or Red-Kote...try baby wipes. They work exceptionally well on most skin and fairly well on hands.

 

[kellyjeanne]

Hey all - thanks for replies - I have roofing over the whole set-up and then hardware cloth under the roofing. Those of you who mentioned rats - how do you mostly see them impacting your coop? If you're wrapped up tightly in HW cloth, can you keep a food source in the run, or do you take yours in/cover it up at night?

 

[kellyjeanne]

@ShadesofSable - we're in Lakewood Heights - which is just a bit south of Grant Park - it's kind of wild down here - I've been listening to intermittent gunshots for the past 10 minutes - but it also means I don't really have to worry about "what my neighbors will think." I know there's another chicken keeper in my neighborhood - I can hear their rooster at times. One of these days, I'm going to figure out who it is, so we can become acquainted!