Help, need advice on poultry net fencing against raccoons!

[beckymom3]

After a terrible series of massacres 5 months ago, (mostly coon) I am finally ready to replenish my flock. I am very anxious about preventing further raids and am considering poultry net fencing for use with my mobile coop, plus electric supplementation to my permanent yard. My coops are very tough and impenetrable, but the yards are the weak spot. The attacks happened when we didn't lock up the chickens and turkeys early enough in the evenings, and the coons actually got so bold as to raid before dark a few times. I must have supplementation to the permanent fence but am very new at keeping poultry and have no clue as to how to put up an electric fence, how to best set it up for coons especially.

For the yard and garden, I want the mobility of the poultry netting, but wonder if it's worth the investment and where to get the best set up for the buck.

Another question, how about those motion sensors that set off lights or sounds? Like the owl that moves it's head and hoots when movement is detected? They are cheaper and seem easier than electrifying my fence, but I don't want to get something that won't help.

Thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

Poultry netting, also called chicken wire or hex netting, is a mistake. Any coon can chew through it; well, any predator can get through it! Use hardware cloth/wire with 1/2" openings. The fake owls don't really do much. Birds roost on top of mine.

Now, if you mean electric netting, that may be a different story, but if the power is off for any reason, they are vulnerable.

 

[beckymom3]

Sorry, I meant the electric net fencing such as that sold by Premier 1, that comes ready to set up and is supposedly very mobile and easy to work with. I see these adds for it, with a couple dozen happy chickens free ranging around their mobile coop! Looks great, but I wonder about the hassles of grass maintenance, how easy is it to move, keeping it electrified (solar vs battery) and so forth. I want the least hassle for the cost, but with the best protection as well!

I know chicken wire/mesh is useless. I have welded apron fencing for the permanent yard but coons get in and out via trees. I'm not sure electrifying the fence will help with the issue of coons climbing trees. I need a better option. Maybe aviary netting strung up through the trees?

Motion sensors with flood lights?

Thanks.

 

[robbdebbie]

I think you are looking at a situation where the only true safe situation is a covered run with hardware cloth. The poultry netting will not help if there are trees for them to climb. How about livestock guard dog?

 

[LizShaughnessy]

Here come my dumb question of the day, ready?

Can you put the wire mesh on top of the run to keep the coons out?

 

[beckymom3]

Is the electric netting good for the free ranging mobile coop, though? I've seen mostly positives here on BYC, but wanted more opinions.

What do you mean by hardware cloth? I'm new to farming in general, not savvy on all the terms!

 

[speckledhen]

This is hardware cloth. Also, comes plastic coated for a higher price.

The broody cage below in one of my coops has some of the green plastic coated hardware cloth on it:

 

[Penturner]

There are a couple of ways to go about this.
1. build a pen that is only strong enough to keep you flock in but not keep predators in. Example Poultry netting. And rely on guarding it. The problem is that the attack always comes when you are not looking. Why? because predators are not stupid.
2. build pen like above but protect with technology. Example poultry netting with electric fence, noise makers etc. The problem here is if technology fails (power outages, broken wiring etc). Must be installed in such a way that predators cannot figure out a way around it, Remember they are not stupid. Many are not effective and even if they are they are effective only for a short time. Predators are not afraid of wet, cold or noises. Remember they are the ones that make all those scary noises in the dark of night.
3. build a pen that when the attack comes is strong enough to stand up to it. The problem with this one is that it is expensive and requires good building skills.

Finally, I constantly see people that want the "Cheapest" but then wonder why they loose their entire flock for one reason or another. In a nut shell, Cheap is Cheap. Safe is not necessarily cheap, good is not necessarily cheap, and quality nearly never is.

 

[beckymom3]

I know exactly what this is-- my mobile coop is made of this! Duh!

Thanks! I like knowing the terms.

Hmmmm.... I would have to figure out how to get it through/around the trees. The yard is 30'x 30' square, the coop occupying 1/3 or so of one of the sides. I would need to be able to get around in there without too much stooping.

I'll try to get pics up so you can see what I mean. This might take some fancy problem solving!

I have Australian shepherds, which do keep the predators away while they are allowed to run loose. The problem is when I have to keep them fenced while I'm away at work (I work back to back shifts at the hospital and can be gone for 2 days at a time). I hate to keep the chickens locked up while I'm gone, but if that's the only way to guarantee safety, so be it.

I'd love a Great Pyrennes. I've heard great things about them. Many of the local goat and sheep farmers use Great Pyrs and they just happily live with the herd. Maybe if I could find one grown and trained? That's a thought. Might help with the geese and turkeys I'm getting soon, too.

Thanks.

 

[arch_cpj]

I wouldnt overthink this first predators like most animals are lookin for an easy meal they want no hassle just like us if you make your place harder to get into youd be better off I would not trust straight chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep out coons besides chickens I also raise sweet corn and coons like sweet corn more than chicken!!!! I went out and bought the fiberglass step in posts from TSC and i bought the cheapest little fencer was called a superbee at the time but it was not low impedance it was not the tick tick tick type... It always has juice in the line... I ran 3 lines one about 3 inches off the ground it cannot be gone under and two more to a height of 3 or so feet... I surrounded my coop with this and the chickens go over it but dogs cats coons etc do not if you want to get the point across take some tin foin and before the birds are moved to the coop fold the foil into the 4x4 squares hook them to the fence wire and smear them with some Peanut butter or honey etc turn the fence on and leave her for a few nights every coon etc around will investigate that fence and will grab hold or lick that foil zing you can some times hear the cats or coons squeal when they get ahold of it most of the time by time you get the birds to the coop the peremiter will be predator free and the chickens learn inside the fence is sancuary and will run there if there is say a dog etc after em... Very inexpensive and economical... If the coop is off the ground and you want a 2nd line of defense a few wires against the coop are insurance...