Chicken Proof Run-- Have We Made a Mistake??????

[ejtalbert]

So we have been working on a nice 84 sq feet chicken run for our 5 hens. Right now we are using those wimpy green posts and fencing with strawberry netting over the top to keep out a hawk that has taken to perching on the top of our coop once and a while. (we actually had a near loss, I was outside with the girls, letting them out of the coop to take a romp around our yard. We live in a suburban area so we cannot free range. When a small hawk swooped down on a pullet. She survived without a scratch. anyways) We have built a wood frame and used like a thousand staples to keep some chicken wire in place. It is the 1 inch wire shown in picture one. We will put a wooden roof on to keep Mr. (or mrs.) hawk out, and hardware cloth underground to keep the diggers out. We have some coons and skunks around, we have noticed some evidence in our yard. BUT. we have just recently seen posts of people saying that chicken wire is a horrible choice for protection. Coons can really chew through this stuff!?
Uhg. We have worked on this for so long only to find out it might not be safe. Could we just add another layer of chicken wire to make it safer?? We are not big on buying so much hardware cloth after spending so much on all this chicken wire...
Picture two and three images of our run so far.
Any input will help. Thank you!

pic1

pic2,3

 

[mowin]

Chicken wire is great to keep chickens out of areas you don't want them in, but not a good choice to keep predators out. Coons will rip that apart easily.

A secure coop that you can lock them up at night is important. Your run might work well in the daytime, but you really never know when a predator is going to show up.

 

[ejtalbert]

Chicken wire is great to keep chickens out of areas you don't want them in, but not a good choice to keep predators out. Coons will rip that apart easily.

A secure coop that you can lock them up at night is important. Your run might work well in the daytime, but you really never know when a predator is going to show up.

Awesome. Thank you. Do you have any suggestions of a good automatic locking chicken door?

 

[mowin]

Thank you for the response! Do you (or any other readers) know if a weasel is big enough to trigger a trail cam or spotlight/security light?

Awesome. Thank you. Do you have any suggestions of a good automatic locking chicken door?

That's one area I have zero experience with. Do a search for auto doors, I'm sure you'll find plenty of reading material.

 

[Big Doggie]

Awesome. Thank you. Do you have any suggestions of a good automatic locking chicken door?

I bought the Omlet door. So far so good. It has either a timer or adjustable photocell activator.

 

[Gooseface]

I bought the Omlet door. So far so good. It has either a timer or adjustable photocell activator.

X2. I love my omlet door. It’s safe, secure, can be programmed for light sensor or timer, and has a resistance sensor so if one of the girls gets caught it backs off and tries to claw again. No complaints.

 

[Gooseface]

Close not claw...hahaha

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We have hardwarcloth 2 feet up and then chickenwire. Has worked for us for over a decade, but we don't have determined predators, just opportunistic ones

 

[rosemarythyme]

We are not big on buying so much hardware cloth after spending so much on all this chicken wire...

You can pay for it now or potentially pay for it later.

It can also make a difference where the run is located... mine is just outside the living room, and I am at home almost all the time. I can hear and see if anything's going on outside, which helps mitigate the fact that my run isn't fully secure. So if that's how you're set up, that might be a calculated risk you're willing to take.

That said, I still wouldn't do chicken wire. I use it for gardening so I can see just how flimsy it is in comparison to hardware cloth, welded wire, etc.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Chicken wire will get chewed through but a secure coop is FAR more important. We only seem to lose birds at night here.