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Unpopular opinion: New chicken setups in my town are getting kinda careless
I've been watching more people in my neighborhood start keeping chickens lately. It's cool to see, but I'm noticing a pattern with how they set things up. Like, my next-door neighbor just bought a prefab coop and didn't even check for weak spots. I mean, her run has holes that a small dog could squeeze through, which seems risky. Maybe it's just me but I think everyone should double-check their gear before letting hens move in. I've heard similar stories from a friend a few streets over. We all want happy chickens, so taking a little extra time feels worth it to me.
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campbell.logan3mo ago
You mentioning the prefab coop with weak spots reminds me of a story in our local paper last spring. A family a few towns over lost their whole flock because the wire mesh on a store-bought run was too flimsy. A raccoon just ripped right through it overnight. Another one had a plywood roof that soaked through and collapsed under heavy wet snow. It's not just dogs, it's weather and other wildlife too. Those quick-setup kits can look good but often need a real once-over.
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seanh913mo ago
16 gauge hardware cloth is what many chicken owners use for runs, not just any wire mesh. Raccoons can't bite through that if it's attached properly. The issue might be that store-bought kits often use chicken wire, which is too weak for predators. My neighbor found out the hard way when a fox got through his chicken wire last fall. It's less about the kit being bad and more about knowing what materials to look for. Have you seen many coops using hardware cloth around you?
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