# Coops and weather



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I live in the high mountains and receive a lot o electrically active rainstorms. I am curious if anyone ever worries about lightning hitting the coops. Would all the metal poultry fence attract lightning.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Also, one of my roost bars sits a little closer to the open window then I had intended. There is still plenty of places for the birds to get away if any rain gets blown in, but is that a major concern as well? 
Until this last week I have has the windows installed, it got pretty hot so I took the south ya ing windows off. Now there is just 2x4 window sill, it has chicken wire attached to the outside.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

No worries...lightning striking the coop is a very rare occurrence. A little rain never hurt a chicken and they will love the fresh air on their roosting place. 

Chicken wire won't really be a good, long term choice...it's not strong enough to withstand a determined predator, so you might want to reinforce it or replace it with some sturdier type wire fencing. Something higher gauged and with smaller squares so that a **** can't reach through it or grasp it to pull it apart.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Thanks for the encouragement bee! The chicken wire over the window is doubled up, so there are 2 pieces over the window staggered, the holes are not large enough for my big finger to fit through, if that's not sufficient can you suggest a better material?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

You can try it...but if you live in the mountains and don't have a nice dog that lives outdoors all the time, it may be risky. Do me a favor...take your fingers and pull on a single square of your chicken wire..can you widen that hole with oppositional tugging?

If you can, so can a ****. Some folks have access to a higher gauge chicken wire than I've ever seen locally since the 80s. Back then they had some really good quality chicken wire that was sturdy enough for preds but for many years now all I can find on the market is pretty flimsy...a dog can lunge on it and totally destroy it in short order. 

The reason I ask is this..if the roosts are near the window and it only has chicken wire on it, if the ***** can reach that window they will certainly try to nab a chicken. Chickens on the roost are vulnerable because they cannot see in the dark, so they just sit there and let themselves be eaten alive. If that window is high and cannot be reached, it should be just fine. 

My folks had that happen many years ago with a big possum...found chickens still roosting on the roosts with their whole breasts eaten out. Low roosting and a vulnerable flock in an insecure coop....one learns the hard way with chickens.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Very valid argument. I took the time to see the pieces together but still the answer is yes I can widen the spaces. The window in question is high enough to no have issues, however my next box gives a predator a platform from which to access the window. I will look around and see what I can find, as I don't want to loose any more hens.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Here is the window in question. I had some scrap chicken wire so I made a few extra layers near the roost. Hope it's enough.


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## apdeb (Jul 9, 2013)

You need to put hardware cloth


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I thoroughly that the hardware cloth would be as flimsy as the poultry wire. But I guess it looks a bit tougher. 1/2 " hex is about all I can find locally, will this work for securing the window from would be marauders.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

It will sure help! And you can also keep it in place better if you place strips of wood over where you attached the wire. This insures a paw cannot be applied under the edge and pull on the wire. 

It also gives a neat, framed out appearance to your window on which to attach plastic ~or frames of plastic~for the winter months to block out the wind and snow from blowing in.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

Lightening strikes have never crossed my mind. But the window would . Chicken wire, welded wire, ect is no match for a hungry predator. Personally I just have ventilation at the peak of my coop and no windows.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I've had huge windows in my wooden coops...the more and bigger, the better. The natural light and good airflow are essential to a good coop environment, IMO. 

My current coop is ALL wire...formed from cattle panels. I like it best of all due to the enormous amount of ventilation and the shelter is sturdy but still allows the elements to enter into the bedding and the birds. 

Of course, I don't have to worry about predators either due to having the dog outdoors at all times and living by the coops, so this changes things for me...but I'd still have the very open cooping without him...just with very sturdy wire at the open areas and also I'd juice up the coop perimeter where preds were most likely to enter...a good solar or electric charger, wire and insulators can make trying to breach a window a very surprising and painful experience for predators.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I was thinking about that last night. I have a solar motion detector that quit working. I'm going to try to run it to a motorcycle battery then to the cage. The chicken wire goes completely around and over my run, and so if I did put a charge the entire coop exterior and anywhere a would be chicken thief could enter would be hot. 
I may just do this.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

And I worry abou lightning as I live above 9200 feet above sea level in the Rockies and we get some very serious electrical storms in this canyon. 50+ strikes in a few hour window, it can be awesome if your home, or terrifying if your in the field.


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

I bought 1/4 inch hardware cloth from Murdochs


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## bkenright (May 7, 2013)

I bought some hardware cloth that is very sturdy at a farm and home store called Orschlen's. (I thought I got the same kind my husband had gotten, but I didn't. ) It is welded and has tiny square openings. It came in different gauges and widths, but the kind I got was maybe 3 feet wide and so strong my husband had a really hard time trying to unroll the roll and get it straight to install it. Even the heavy duty professional tin snips had trouble cutting it. I imagine it would protect from most small predators.


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