My neighbor's rooster taught me a lesson about predator proofing

Last month I was out in my backyard in Phoenix and heard my neighbor's chickens going crazy around 2 AM. I figured it was just a raccoon or something passing through. Next morning I saw feathers everywhere and their big Rhode Island Red was missing from the coop. Turns out they had just been using a basic latch on the door instead of a locking mechanism. I went right home and added a carabiner clip to my own coop door, plus some hardware cloth buried about 6 inches into the ground around the run. Has anyone else had trouble with predators getting smarter about opening simple latches?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera24d ago

Agree with @adams.taylor, overcomplicating coop security just wastes time when that latch worked fine for years.

adams.taylor24d ago

Two AM in Phoenix, that's prime time for coyotes and bobcats, I swear they watch us like we're running a buffet. It's funny how we always think the simplest fix is good enough until something outsmarts it, kind of like how people still use the same password for everything until they get hacked.