TIL hardware cloth isn't optional after a raccoon got in last Tuesday

I always thought chicken wire was fine for keeping predators out, but a raccoon proved me wrong. It tore through a section of my run near the latch in about 20 minutes Tuesday night. I lost two hens and the rest were terrified. I spent Wednesday replacing the whole run perimeter with 1/2 inch hardware cloth and buried it a foot deep. Cost me about $80 for the roll and some extra stakes. Anyone else have a wake-up call about their coop's weak spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

masondixon1mo ago

Buried the wire too. That's the part people skip. They think above ground is enough. Raccoons dig like crazy.

paulb981mo ago

Learned that lesson the hard way myself, cost me two birds and a lot of swearing.