How to Protect Your Backyard Chickens
Basic information about necessities for building a chicken coop includes choosing the best type of coop and choosing the correct materials while keeping costs down, as you already know. Building a chicken coop that will last for years is something that is important when you have backyard chickens.
You don’t want to spend any more money than you have to, so these are vital items to consider when building your chicken coop.
Now it’s time to move on and take a look at what you must do in order to keep your chickens protected. Again this is a key element that must be taken care of if you want to keep your chickens for the long term because without protection, there is a very high chance that at some point or another, a predator is going to come around.
Assessing the potential predators in your area is the first thing you need to do. Coyotes, foxes, larger dogs, or rodents are known predators of chickens and chances are they may try and dig underneath the fence of your chicken area and get to your chicken coop.
You may want to consult neighbors to see if they’re familiar with the predators in your area, if you are not aware of any. It’s important to know exactly what you’re dealing with so that proper measures can be taken to protect your chickens.
Site Placement
The best location for your coop needs to be determined for safety reasons. We’ve discussed is partially determined by land layout, but close proximity or within eye’s range helps ensure the chickens are safer than out of visual range.
A mobile chicken coop comes in handy for this purpose because it can easily be moved to an area where you can keep an eye on them while doing other things, or they can be moved to a safely enclosed area.
Fencing Types
It’s also vital that you factor in the type of fence that would be best to build with your chicken coop. Consider the type of predator you’re looking at and then research the different types of fences that are available to choose the best fit.
Digging animals are something to consider as we previously mentioned, so it is important the house is protected by placement into the ground to make it more difficult for predators to burrow their way in.
Larger predatory animals are a possibility you may need to consider, and a fence that’s incredibly sturdy may become a necessity, as well. A good guide to follow is to pair your needs for predator protection with the appropriate type of fencing. If you don’t, decorating your chicken coop is all you will have accomplished and protecting your chickens will be left undone.
So be sure you’re keeping fencing and protection in mind. You could build the most perfect chicken coop ever, but if another animal decides to venture in, that perfect chicken coop could be no more.
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