Predator Proof Chicken Coop Door – There is nothing scarier than waking chickens. Chickens are so adorable, sometimes it seems like every creature wants to eat your chickens. If it’s time for the old layer stew pot, chances are you don’t want to eat them! Build predator-proof coops when designing a home for your birds to protect your ladies.
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Predator Proof Chicken Coop Door
There are countless animals that think chickens are a good snack, but the most common in urban environments are raccoons, rodents, and dogs. Luckily, 1/4 inch hardware cloth will hold them both. Make sure there are no holes larger than 1/4 inch in the coop to keep mice and rats out.
Chicken Coop Necessities
Staple your hardware cloth over the vents and windows and drill strips of wood over the edges. I have raccoons moving concrete blocks to get to my chickens. These things are strong and can tear paper clips!
Raccoons are also smart. Basic locks will not hold them. If you can put a padlock on our chicken door that should protect it, but at least use a latch that requires several different movements to open. Here are the types of locks we use on subcontractor doors.
To discourage rodents, it’s best to raise your coachman off the ground, but be careful not to make the space underneath a cozy home. There seems to be a delicate balance of height. I think the perfect chicken coop for me would have a concrete floor, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Perfect predator proof chicken coops only work if you remember to close the door! I forgot to close the door to our coop one night and was suddenly awakened by the chickens screaming in panic. My husband went out in the dark and inside. It was too dark to see, and I ran for a light and passed it to him.
Build A Predator Proof Chicken Run
He turned on the light inside and was face to face with the sheep. I think it was the scariest moment of his life. There was actually a whole family of chickens in our backyard, but miraculously, we didn’t lose a single chicken that night.
Daytime predators are most likely hawks or dogs. Fence around your property (or at least your chicken coop) to deter dogs. Placing bird netting over the top of your run will protect your chickens from hawks.
If you can’t do this for the whole area, have a safer inner yard where the flock can spend time when you’re not available to watch, and let them move on with supervision. Also, if they have trees or bushes to hide under, they can avoid being grabbed by a hawk.
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I just have one question—we live in the city and a raccoon has attacked our coop twice. We had 4 younger girls (bought as chicks) and only one survived (as a bunny, we got them at Easter) and the next year our 2nd round of 4 attacked, same as last time but my husband killed the raccoon and saved 1 girls. She was badly injured and very close to death, but we nursed her and are happy to say that Noodle (her name because I’m the cook) is doing just fine! We also had them for Easter, but still no sign of the eggs. Can this attack keep you from ever getting laid??? She is ISA Brown & Bonnie, her older sister is Rhode Island Red. BTV, she stopped lying too! I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’d love your input! Thanks!
Stress can cause chickens to stop laying temporarily. I’ve never heard of it stopping permanently. Maybe they hide their eggs really well?
Good article. I live in PA, we have all kinds of raptors minus cougars, bears and wolves. Trial and error led to runs and co-operators that are resistant to predators. 6 x 12 chain track, metal fabric for 2.5 feet for the bottom half around the entire perimeter, and chicken wire top and bottom casings. Being a chicken tractor, it moves so fresh grass for 5 Australops.
Another tip I’ve gotten over the years is to bury a pile of chicken wire six inches below and twelve to twenty-four inches around the pile. This prevents critters like weasels and dogs from digging under your coop. And my grandma swears by crystallized predator urine to keep cats, raccoons, and (depending on the brand of crystal) coyotes away. Act as if a predator has marked its territory, and some animals will avoid the area. She uses wolf crystals, but there are different ones that will repel different pests, so you might want to research a few before you buy.
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I’m sure a concrete floor would be fine. My retired hobby carpenter says another option for a solid floor is to use brick. You can usually get them pretty cheap, sometimes you can find surplus new bricks through local contractors. He says you can lay a good brick floor by packing them tightly, without the need for mortar.
Snakes can get into small spaces, so try to fill any gaps that are less than 1/4 inch. Hardware cloth will work, but yes, it is expensive. Here are some more ideas on how to discourage snakes: http://vvv.fresheggsdaili.com/2013/08/snake-in-duck-house-6-tips-to-repelling.html 19 measures .5 x .5 inches Hardware black PVC coated fabric (welded wire) or black PVC coated 19 inch (chicken wire)
We use black PVC coated products solely for the durability and added protection it provides to the galvanized product it covers. Over time, an exposed galvanized product will rust and deteriorate. The PVC coating on our products will protect the actual metal, so it lasts longer! This product is more expensive, but it will save you time and money in the long run, you don’t have to replace the drain every few years, and it looks great!
The staples are pneumatic (air splicing gun) to attach our coated wire to your coop. Extra long outdoor quality staples are far superior to the smaller and only galvanized product. Ensure safety in your herd from terrorizing predators.
How To Predator Proof The Chicken Coop
It is used to secure all doors on the chicken coop. This allows for passive safety with a lockable option. If you don’t need or want to lock your coop like Fort Bragg, latches will just keep your door securely closed. If you have nosy kids, nosy neighbors, menacing raccoons or other predators, the lock has a block lock, combination lock or simply a carabiner clip or pin to keep out the “unwanted”! (We install a “release cable” with a moving latch to ensure you don’t lock yourself out!)
Available at all our co-ops to help with safety measures when your herd is out at night. Most common in our trackless coops, the door can be closed and locked at night after your flock has roosted, then opened again in the morning to roam. * We also offer automatic chicken doors.
Carolina Coops suggests and offers ** what is called the Predator Apron. We use a green PVC coated 16 gauge steel welded wire fence that is 2 feet wide with a 2″ x 3″ rectangular mesh opening. We pneumatically attach it with our 1.25 inch stainless steel coop base staples around the perimeter of the coop. If a burrowing creature wants to get in, it will start digging at the base of the coop. (They will not retreat to 2 feet and start digging.) This prevents diggers from entering.
** This can only be done by the Carolina Coops pneumatic team if we are doing a turnkey service for the client. This can easily be done as a DIY project, even if you don’t have air tools.
Smartcoop Chicken Door
Notify you when the product is available We will notify you when the product is in stock. Please leave your email address below. Whether you live in the city or the countryside, predators are always a concern if you have a flock of chickens in your backyard.
Raccoons, foxes, coyotes, weasels, owls, hawks, and even neighborhood dogs have been known to attack chickens at night or in broad daylight, especially if they are free-range and you are not around to deter unwanted visitors.
By their domestic nature, chickens are easy prey: they have few survival skills, rarely fly, and tend to flock together so they are easier to one-shot.
I raised chickens for seven years and learned a lot during that time, the most important lesson being chicken coop safety. In our previous home in the city, we often traded sheep, goats and possums that passed through our yard.
Chicken Coop Roof, Floor, And Other Design Ideas/options
(Some of you may remember the heartbreak of one
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