What Animal Can Chew Through Chicken Wire

20180527_124108 Predators are probably the number one cause of chicken death in backyard flocks. I hear stories almost daily from people who lost their favorite bird due to animals that dig, climb or wing into their coop. Predators are afterwards chickens, eggs or both. Common craven predators are birds of prey such equally hawks, eagles or owls. Others include climbers such as raccoons, opossum, snakes, rats, mink, and weasel. Diggers are skunk, pull a fast one on, coyote and badger. Larger predators include, bears, fisher cats, and bob cats. Neighborhood pets such as cats and dogs tin as well become predators.

The best matter that you can do to protect your chickens is to provide them with a strong, sturdy coop. If your coop has a wooden floor, you are going to need to elevate it off of the ground. Wood will rot if it sits on the wet ground, creating entry for digging animals such equally weasels, mink and rats. If you lot have a clay floor in your coop, you lot will need to bury fencing well below the ground level. Cover all windows with hardware textile. Avert chicken wire every bit many animals can chew through it or rip information technology apart. Chicken wire is great for keeping chickens in simply non for keeping predators out. E'er use half inch to ane fourth inch hardware textile for the sides, top and brim of your coop and run. For runs with clay floors, bury hardware cloth two feet downward and place a skirt two feet out. Utilize plastic coated hardware cloth secret. Fifty-fifty galvanized wire somewhen wears down.

Pocket-size holes can be a trouble. They permit in rats, weasels, mink and snakes. Repair whatever modest opening that you see. Make sure that you staple downward your hardware cloth across vents and windows. Then drill strips of wood across the border so the wire can non be pulled upwards by raccoon. Employ padlocks on you large doors to continue out both humans and animals. On pop doors where the chickens come in and out, utilize a type of lock that raccoons cannot figure out. If a three year old can disengage the lock then a raccoon can too. A swivel lock works well.

Confine your chickens to a predator proof space at night. Do not go out them out in the run even if you call back that you take a secure run. You should be putting them into their coop earlier dusk. Predators are most active at sunset and dawn. Don't wait for them to come up in on their ain. Call them in before sundown and don't let them out until afterwards sunrise. If you lot are often gone y'all may desire to invest in an automatic door opener .

Your run should be as secure as your coop. Placing a roof over the run is the best way to keep predators from landing or climbing into the run. Use 1/2 to 1/4 inch hardware textile up the sides of the run, under the dirt floor and out equally a skirting. Every day yous should be observing effectually the outside of your run for signs of burrowing or chewing. Flim-flam take several days to burrow under a run and yous should be seeing signs of it. A game cam will help y'all get an idea of what type of predators are visiting you at dark and what their typical behavior is.

If y'all do non have a roof over your run, embrace it with an asylum net for added protection against birds of prey merely recollect that climbing predators will not exist stopped by it. Place objects that brand dissonance or reverberate light to deter birds of prey. Hanging CDs or disco assurance that reflect low-cal affright birds away. Bird scare tape also works as practice decoy animals or eye scare balls. Hawk stopper netting is also effective.

Keep the area around your coop neat and clean. Brush and long grass provide hiding places for predators. Store feed in tightly covered metal barrels. Keep feeders in the coop or run even if your chickens complimentary range during the day. Open feeders attract wild birds and other small animals. If your hens free range, consider getting a rooster. He will exist watchful and give the alarm to take cover if anything attacks. Other proficient guard animals include Great Pyrenees dogs, any other domestic dog, donkeys, llamas, geese or republic of guinea hens.

Electric poultry fencing can be set upward as boundaries for your chicken'due south gratuitous ranging. It volition deter smaller animals. If you alive in comport country, you may desire some electric fencing around your coop. You will need a charger, some wire and insulators.

Install motion activated lights which volition surprise and scare off predators. Night Baby-sit or The Wikomo uses light and sound to deter pests. Even well placed predator urine can scare away animals yous don't want effectually.

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Victoria J. Peterson