This has been the year of the critters at Happy-Days-Farm. So far, we have caught five opossum, and one raccoon. We live in the country, so when we originally built our chicken coop, we immediately began preparing to predator proof our coop.
Besides the fact that we have a brick patio all around the coop, we poured twelve inches of concrete around the entire foundation and the runs. Plus, we used 1/2 inch, vinyl coated wire for the all the exposed wire leading into the coop. The ventilation holes in the roosting box are also backed with this same wire.
After we had the coop finished, we began construction on the surrounding fence. We used the same 1/2 inch vinyl coated wire and surrounded the coop with approximately 2,200 square feet of fencing. There is also buried wire around the outside of the fence to prevent something from being able to dig under the fence.
No, Sugar does not live outside. This was a day I let him have a field trip inside the new fence.
Now, don’t underestimate predators. We use a double lock on all doors that lead into the coop. This way it is impossible for them to get into the coop through the doors.
As you see in the above picture, the latch is a good secure latch. However, a raccoon could easily climb the screen and manipulate it. Because of the hole that is made into the latch, though, you can add a small padlock. Once latched and locked, unless the raccoon can find the key and figure that out, you should be safe.
One more trick though. This type of latch is very good at keeping things inside the coop; like me! I did manage to get myself locked in, and had to make an emergency call to the house for assistance. If you look at the pictures, you can see the remedy for this! I drilled a hole through the coop to the inside of the run, and ran a piece of twine through, attaching it to the top of latch on the outside. This way, when I go in, and the door closes behind me, all I have to do is pull on the twine to release the latch on the outside. A padlock, keyed entry is also good to keep out another type of predator- a human. While it is not perfect, and someone could easily break this lock, it is a deterrent. Right after we got the coop, somebody, we assume kids or teenagers, invited themselves into the coop, terrorized the hens, and stole the carabiners we originally used to secure the doors. Everything was okay, and it could have been alot worse, but a simple padlock has stopped this from ever happening again.
Is it possible to think of everything, no? We are constantly adding new items and measures to try to keep our flock safer.
