My cousin called my coop a 'predator buffet' and he was right

Honestly, I thought my setup was fine. I had a simple wooden coop with a small run in my Phoenix backyard, and I just locked the girls up at night. My cousin came over last spring, took one look, and said, 'Ivan, this is a predator buffet. A raccoon will have that door open in ten seconds.' He pointed out the flimsy latch, the chicken wire instead of hardware cloth, and the lack of a dig guard. I was annoyed at first, but I changed it all. I spent about $150 on proper hardware cloth, buried it a foot deep, and got a serious locking bolt. Two weeks later, I found clear raccoon paw prints right outside the new fence. They tried and failed. Has anyone else had a close call that made them totally redo their security?

3 comments

3 Comments

reed.eva29d ago

So your cousin basically saved your chickens' lives, huh?

price.jake29d ago

Nah, he just got lucky with the timing. I was already on my way out there with the heat lamp when he called.

wade_hall15d ago

Come on, that's not fair to Jake. If his cousin hadn't called right then, Jake would've found the busted heater himself two minutes later. He was literally walking out there. The call just saved him a trip in the cold, not the chickens.