So, this comes from an in-depth conversation with a Georgia Tech Engineer: Which would necessitate the greater level of chicken coop construction, Zombies or Bears? How would attack and defense strategies differ between Zombies and Bears? Which one wins, Zombies or Bears? Please discuss your poultry protection ideas....
I believe the bears would be the greater threat, by sheer brute strength. We are recovering from a bear attack that shredded one of our coops. We're talking 3/4 OSB and 3 inch screws for construction, the bear simply pulled it apart. And anyway, I don't think the zombies would bother the chickens. Not enough brains for the effort. LOL Em
hmmmm interesting argument mangled but I think bears would be the trickier predator since they have some capacity to think and reason whereas zombies do not. Both possess great strength but the bear may try other ways of getting around a strongly built coop such as working out locks and digging into it. I don't know much about zombies but I imagine they would just attack head on/full force so you would just need to have a very strong coop like made out of ibeams and sheet metal but not much in the way of locks etc.
That's impressive! 3/4 inch osb board and 3 inch screws ought to hold out zombies (for example, the crackheads from the trailer park). So what DOES hold back a bear? Cinderblock and concrete? Electric hot wires? wow. Got photos of the damage? the Ga Tech Engineer wants proof before he gives up his zombie theory.
Bears definitely!!! A zombie would just keep walking into the coop and knocking itself back only to moan some nonscense and bounce into the coop again. It might scare the chicken to death but any halfway decently made coop would be able to stand up to zombie bumping.
My husband has pictures on his phone, I don't have them on the computer. We had a 4'x8' coop 4' high at the peak, constructed out of salvaged wood flooring from an old house we had taken down. The old 1/2 thick tongue and groove stuff? The walls were 3/4" OSB, re-enforced with 2x4 framing and held together with 3 in deck screws. The roof had a 2x6 beam, with 2x4 rafters, with 3/4" OSB covered with asphalt shingles. When the bear couldn't get in the side muck out door, he simply knocked the coop off the cinder block foundation and ripped the OSB off the frame. The hardware cloth and chain link didn't even phase him. We think he got his claws into one of the vent holes up under the eave and started prying from there. He even ripped the roosting boards out, which were 2x4's connected in with 3" decking screws. When he did push the muck out door off, the latch held, but the 3 in strap hinges bent and snapped. No way zombies could do all that. Your friend is mistaken. Em
Bears can still think and reason. Zombies, may not be able to for QUITE a while. Since zombies will have no nerve sensations, they will not be able to tell when their brute strength is injuring them and will soon rip their own arms off, thereby ruining their own efforts. Bears will be the bigger issue with predator proofing....they can THINK. Plus, I'm pretty sure that animals will be safe from zombies...unless we're dealing with flesh-eating zombies instead of the brain-eating zombies...
.. depends.. does the zombie have a cell phone with him and can he call his vampire and werewolf friends to help?
Hey, thanks moderator! I didn't think this merited "predators and pests" . . . cool! So far, bears beat zombies hands down. Hee hee hee. So if I bear-proof the coop, it will also, by these arguments, be zombie proof as well. Good to know. Thanks everyone! Now I'll go look up bear proofing for the future discussion of how to zombie proof the home
What about contamination via zombie juice that will inevitably fly through the wire fencing as they claw at you? Might have to think this one through.
