PSA: My neighbor's comment about his coop setup made me pause

I was helping him patch a hole in his run fence last weekend. He pointed at his simple, open coop and said, 'I stopped trying to make it predator-proof everywhere. I focus on the run being a fortress instead.' He explained that after a raccoon got into his old, fancy coop two years ago, he switched to this method. It hit different because I've been stressing over making my own coop door automatic and heavy-duty. Now I'm wondering if I'm overcomplicating the wrong part. How many of you put most of your security work into the run area?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliag1925d ago

Respectfully, I have to go the other way on this one. In my experience, a strong run is good, but the coop is their last safe room for the night. I've seen a weasel slip through a tiny gap in a coop wall that a fortress run wouldn't have stopped. My peace of mind comes from knowing their sleeping space is totally sealed tight. I focus on making both areas strong, but the coop gets my best work.

the_grant26d ago

Yeah, that "fortress" run idea is solid. My heavy-duty run fence has saved my birds way more than my coop ever did.

jordan64726d ago

Honestly that's a huge thing with so much stuff, we over-engineer the wrong part. We put all our effort into the fancy coop door when the real weak spot is the run fence. It's like putting a vault door on a shed with cardboard walls. Makes you step back and look at your whole setup again.