Standalone coops should have solid wooden floors to prevent predators from gaining access from below, and be elevated to keep the wood from rotting. The mesh can be used for the walls, windows, vents, and doors, and should be attached to the wood framing with washers and screws, or heavy-duty fencing staples. Not to mention, mice and rats can easily squeeze through chicken wire in search of spilled feed and food scraps.Ī better choice for enclosing coops and runs is 1/2-inch heavy-gauge hardware cloth or 1/2-inch welded wire mesh (typically used for livestock fencing). It’s a relatively weak mesh that can be ripped apart or gnawed open, and the openings are large enough for raccoon hands or bobcat paws to reach through and snag chickens. But chicken wire (a hexagonal-shaped welded wire that’s also called poultry netting) is not a secure material for enclosing coops and runs. Many new chicken-keepers mistakenly buy chicken wire when building their coops because, well, it’s right there in the name and it seems to make sense. But there are several security measures chicken-keepers can take to outsmart them, and they should all be considered if you plan to raise a flock or upgrade your chickens’ housing.īuilding (or Reinforcing) a Bomber Chicken Coop Though we may not like it, predators are a fact of homesteading life. In our current home in a semi-rural neighborhood, we’ve found suspicious animal prints around our coop in the morning, and seen owls roosting in our neighbor’s tree. (Some of you may remember the heartbreak of one of our original hens being killed by a raccoon another was injured in a separate incident but luckily survived.) In our previous home in the city, we frequently dealt with raccoons, skunks, and opossums passing through our yard. I’ve raised chickens for seven years and learned a lot in that time, the most important lesson being security for chicken coops. Raccoons, foxes, coyotes, weasels, owls, hawks, and even neighborhood dogs have been known to attack chickens at night or in plain daylight, especially if they free-range and you’re not nearby to deter unwanted visitors.īy their domestic nature, hens are easy prey: They have few survival skills, rarely take flight, and tend to flock together so they’re easier to target in one fell swoop. Whether you live in the city or out in the country, predators are always a concern if you have a flock of backyard chickens. This post is in partnership with 3-IN-ONE® Lock Dry Lube.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |