Coop Safety from Raccoons

[Bubblesunrise]

Hello!
I lost three of my 4 hens. It’s completely devastated me. I live in town and my birds were free range in my yard. They had been totally okay till a few days ago. After this I am choosing to do a completely new setup.l where they will be in a very large run so they aren’t restricted to a small area but they will be safe from raccoons. I am considering putting their coop in a large walk in cage like the photo attached. But this cage has a wire that is thinner than I was hoping. Do you guys think this would keep out raccoons?

If there were a way to keep my girls free range and safe from raccoons I would. If anyone has advice I’d appreciate it!

 

[DobieLover]

Can you post pictures of your coop?
Were they taken during the day or at night when they were in their coop?
Raccoons, being nocturnal, typically attack at night in a less than predator proof coop.
Where in general do you live? You can and should update your profile with that information.
You would get more bang for your buck by installing a 164'x40" high poultry netting with a good punchy charger. It would cost about the same (maybe a little more for installing a human gate) and would provide 2,132 sq ft instead of the 87 sq ft provided by the pen you show.
The only negative for the poultry netting would be no protection from aerial predation but you already were doing that.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

If there were a way to keep my girls free range and safe from raccoons I would. If anyone has advice I’d appreciate it!

Sorry for your loss.

For night time protection.. locked coop doors and 1/2 inch hardware cloth on all opening is very sufficient.

If you mean they were" free range" even at night then it's just a matter of time before something comes along for chicken dinner.

My location.. I think the "trash panda" population is even more dense in town than out in the country.. not usually seen plainly in broad daylight hours.. but also not uncommon.

A raccoon can still reach through that wire you posted and usually rips heads off. So putting the 1/2 inch hardware cloth around the bottom where the birds might be sitting up against the fence (or anywhere roosts are attached closely higher up) would still be recommended.. especially if your issue is during the daytime or if you let them overnight completely in that.

Also adding a skirt to prevent digging as anything can dig under easily.. including opossum, skunk, raccoon, domestic dogs (a number one predator of backyard chickens)

I wonder are you sure it was coons.. I mean did it happen all at once or over time that you lost 3/4?

But this cage has a wire that is thinner than I was hoping.

The gauge of the wire itself is very likely fine.. it's the opening size that creates the concerns stated earlier.. for your consideration.

Hope you get more answers!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hello!
I lost three of my 4 hens. It’s completely devastated me. I live in town and my birds were free range in my yard. They had been totally okay till a few days ago. After this I am choosing to do a completely new setup.l where they will be in a very large run so they aren’t restricted to a small area but they will be safe from raccoons. I am considering putting their coop in a large walk in cage like the photo attached. But this cage has a wire that is thinner than I was hoping. Do you guys think this would keep out raccoons?

If there were a way to keep my girls free range and safe from raccoons I would. If anyone has advice I’d appreciate it!

View attachment 3296420

I am so terribly sorry for your loss! My heart breaks for you. (((hugs)))

I agree with @DobieLover. Electric netting is great - super easy to set up and can be moved if needed. I use mibe

The gauge of the wire itself is very likely fine.. it's the opening size that creates the concerns stated earlier.

This! The kennel you're looking at would need hardware cloth around it to prevent raccoons from reaching in. But I like that the kennel protects from hawks.

 

[Sono]

Buy an electric fence charger ( plug in on amazon $10 ) or solar about $100. A large roll of poly fence cord is $20 and a couple bags of isolators $20 should make it safe. I had to electrify my new coop and hope it holds once the birds move in next month.

 

[Bubblesunrise]

So I love in Central Washington and I’m in a suburb with lots of stray cats and a raccoon family that lives a few houses away. I don’t know when they died but they were killed in the middle of my yard all at once which makes me think it wasn’t in the middle of the night. However they were not intact which doesn’t make me think cats as most of their bodies were missing (except one)
I will attach a photo of the type of coop I have. It is in my backyard just past my porch!
One of my biggest worries about electric fence is neighborhood cats as I don’t want to seriously injure them, especially if it’s someone’s pet.

Note: this is a photo example of my coop, I don’t actually have a photo of my coop currently and am not home to take a photo.

 

[Aunt Angus]

So I love in Central Washington and I’m in a suburb with lots of stray cats and a raccoon family that lives a few houses away. I don’t know when they died but they were killed in the middle of my yard all at once which makes me think it wasn’t in the middle of the night. However they were not intact which doesn’t make me think cats as most of their bodies were missing (except one)
I will attach a photo of the type of coop I have. It is in my backyard just past my porch!
One of my biggest worries about electric fence is neighborhood cats as I don’t want to seriously injure them, especially if it’s someone’s pet.

Note: this is a photo example of my coop, I don’t actually have a photo of my coop currently and am not home to take a photo.

Electric won't injure anything. It's a quick, alarming shock. The only thing I would worry about is if you have small children, but it won't injure them, either. Just hurt for a sec.

 

[Bubblesunrise]

Electric won't injure anything. It's a quick, alarming shock. The only thing I would worry about is if you have small children, but it won't injure them, either. Just hurt for a sec.

I was reading into our city laws on electric fencing and I’m not 100% sure I can do electricity. But I am considering building a run. My parents built one for themselves before and are offering their hand.
My thoughts were to do a 5x8ft run with hardware cloth enclosing it. Would this be enough or should I look into extra measures at the base of the run?

 

[perkolator]

My thoughts were to do a 5x8ft run with hardware cloth enclosing it. Would this be enough or should I look into extra measures at the base of the run?

Add an anti-dig skirt around the bottom in addition to the walls. To me, investing in another roll of mesh to do this is worth it to not go through this heartache again.

 

[Sono]

Electric won't injure anything. It's a quick, alarming shock. The only thing I would worry about is if you have small children, but it won't injure them, either. Just hurt for a sec.

The electric fences are sized to the animal you want to control. The small ones like I have for chickens and other small animals feel like a warm burn sensation to us but to smaller animals its unpleasant. Now the difference is.... you dont want to touch an electric horse or cattle fence !