Chicken Cage - The Best Way to Protect Your Flock From Predators and the Elements
If you love fresh eggs or your own home-raised chicken, then you'll want to invest in a secure chicken cage for your hens and broilers.
Even if you live in town, there are dangers that can attack your chickens.
Skunks, hawks, owls, snakes, opossum, raccoon, weasels, coyotes, fox, and neighborhood cats and dogs are natural predators of chickens.
A strong chicken cage or pen can mean the difference between a meal for you or a meal for an intruder! How Necessary is a Secure Chicken Cage? Safety and security for your flock is paramount if you want to reap the harvest of healthy eggs or meat.
Chickens are naturally heedless.
They know how to eat and drink and sleep, but they aren't generally aware of their surroundings or impending danger.
Predators can sneak up on them while they're awake, or literally walk up to them while the flock is asleep and help themselves to a chicken dinner.
A strong chicken cage or pen can make all the difference.
Opossum, raccoon, snakes, owls and others have no problem taking advantage of a flimsy shelter.
Raccoons in particular are strong enough to rip nailed chicken wire off a wood frame.
Other predators have the determination and ingenuity to find holes or openings in your chicken pen, or even reach underneath a cage to reach their prize.
I once had a skunk reach through chicken wire and pull a young hen's leg through the wire, eating the meat and flesh off the chicken's leg bone right through the wire! Even if you live in town and are not typically troubled by many predators, be aware that your local cat and dog population also enjoys chicken dinners.
Skunks, raccoon and opossum are also comfortable in town settings and will make regular visits if they find food.
What Type of Chicken Cage is Best? You'll want to consider the common predators in your area.
Chicken wire is usually sufficient to protect against most intruders, but if you have larger predators like bears (who love fresh eggs) to contend with, you may want to consider something stronger.
An elevated chicken cage or pen may be helpful, since skunks, coyotes and dogs can't climb.
An elevated pen may discourage many other predators as well since most animals don't like to work too hard.
It's a good idea to completely enclose part of your pen, and train your chickens to move into that area when they're ready to sleep.
Chickens are totally oblivious when they sleep, and intruders can walk right up to them without fear of discovery.
Most chickens follow the light.
When the sun rises in the morning, they rise as well, and when the sun sets, chickens will turn in for the night.
One of our chicken cages that was most successful against predators was a small, older recreational trailer about 14 feet long.
We gutted the trailer, removed all the cabinets and other furnishings and replaced them with nest boxes for our egg laying hens.
When the young hens were fully feathered and had reached 3 months of age, we placed them inside their rolling hen house for a few days to make sure they became familiar with "home.
" Then one morning we opened the hen house door and allowed the chickens out to explore.
When evening came, most of the hens had returned to the hen house and we simply closed the door, locking them in for the night.
We searched for the few that had not returned and helped them return home as well.
In the morning, we opened our chicken cage door and let the girls out.
That night, every hen had returned for the night and we could lock them in.
It is especially important to lock your chickens in at night, because most predators are nocturnal and like the cover of night to prowl.
Since our hen house was on wheels, we could roll it to anywhere on the farm.
Since this chicken cage was "home," the hens always returned to it as night was falling.
Make Sure to Weather-Proof Your Chicken Cage Against the Elements Remember that your chickens are going to be outside in all types of weather, and it is an excellent idea to weather-proof your chicken cage.
Of course, you will need to take your climate into consideration.
If you live where it never snows, then you won't need as much insulation and protection as a hen house that will have to deal regularly with snow and -20 degrees.
Many people will build a chicken cage with insulation in the roof and walls, with a wire floor to allow dirt and droppings to fall through.
In the cold season, they may line the bottom of the chicken cage with straw bales, since straw is insulating.
You'll want to roof your chicken cage with a material that allows rain and snow to shed, keeping your chickens warm and dry.
Chickens are well-insulated with their feathers and can withstand very low temperatures with ease.
Wet chickens are prime candidates for pneumonia, which can kill them within a few hours.
Some people will also place a light bulb or heat lamp bulb inside the hen house, but you'll want to make sure that water can't get inside if you do this.
If you're planning on fresh meat or eggs from your chickens, you'll want to make sure your chicken cage is both weather and predator-proof!
Even if you live in town, there are dangers that can attack your chickens.
Skunks, hawks, owls, snakes, opossum, raccoon, weasels, coyotes, fox, and neighborhood cats and dogs are natural predators of chickens.
A strong chicken cage or pen can mean the difference between a meal for you or a meal for an intruder! How Necessary is a Secure Chicken Cage? Safety and security for your flock is paramount if you want to reap the harvest of healthy eggs or meat.
Chickens are naturally heedless.
They know how to eat and drink and sleep, but they aren't generally aware of their surroundings or impending danger.
Predators can sneak up on them while they're awake, or literally walk up to them while the flock is asleep and help themselves to a chicken dinner.
A strong chicken cage or pen can make all the difference.
Opossum, raccoon, snakes, owls and others have no problem taking advantage of a flimsy shelter.
Raccoons in particular are strong enough to rip nailed chicken wire off a wood frame.
Other predators have the determination and ingenuity to find holes or openings in your chicken pen, or even reach underneath a cage to reach their prize.
I once had a skunk reach through chicken wire and pull a young hen's leg through the wire, eating the meat and flesh off the chicken's leg bone right through the wire! Even if you live in town and are not typically troubled by many predators, be aware that your local cat and dog population also enjoys chicken dinners.
Skunks, raccoon and opossum are also comfortable in town settings and will make regular visits if they find food.
What Type of Chicken Cage is Best? You'll want to consider the common predators in your area.
Chicken wire is usually sufficient to protect against most intruders, but if you have larger predators like bears (who love fresh eggs) to contend with, you may want to consider something stronger.
An elevated chicken cage or pen may be helpful, since skunks, coyotes and dogs can't climb.
An elevated pen may discourage many other predators as well since most animals don't like to work too hard.
It's a good idea to completely enclose part of your pen, and train your chickens to move into that area when they're ready to sleep.
Chickens are totally oblivious when they sleep, and intruders can walk right up to them without fear of discovery.
Most chickens follow the light.
When the sun rises in the morning, they rise as well, and when the sun sets, chickens will turn in for the night.
One of our chicken cages that was most successful against predators was a small, older recreational trailer about 14 feet long.
We gutted the trailer, removed all the cabinets and other furnishings and replaced them with nest boxes for our egg laying hens.
When the young hens were fully feathered and had reached 3 months of age, we placed them inside their rolling hen house for a few days to make sure they became familiar with "home.
" Then one morning we opened the hen house door and allowed the chickens out to explore.
When evening came, most of the hens had returned to the hen house and we simply closed the door, locking them in for the night.
We searched for the few that had not returned and helped them return home as well.
In the morning, we opened our chicken cage door and let the girls out.
That night, every hen had returned for the night and we could lock them in.
It is especially important to lock your chickens in at night, because most predators are nocturnal and like the cover of night to prowl.
Since our hen house was on wheels, we could roll it to anywhere on the farm.
Since this chicken cage was "home," the hens always returned to it as night was falling.
Make Sure to Weather-Proof Your Chicken Cage Against the Elements Remember that your chickens are going to be outside in all types of weather, and it is an excellent idea to weather-proof your chicken cage.
Of course, you will need to take your climate into consideration.
If you live where it never snows, then you won't need as much insulation and protection as a hen house that will have to deal regularly with snow and -20 degrees.
Many people will build a chicken cage with insulation in the roof and walls, with a wire floor to allow dirt and droppings to fall through.
In the cold season, they may line the bottom of the chicken cage with straw bales, since straw is insulating.
You'll want to roof your chicken cage with a material that allows rain and snow to shed, keeping your chickens warm and dry.
Chickens are well-insulated with their feathers and can withstand very low temperatures with ease.
Wet chickens are prime candidates for pneumonia, which can kill them within a few hours.
Some people will also place a light bulb or heat lamp bulb inside the hen house, but you'll want to make sure that water can't get inside if you do this.
If you're planning on fresh meat or eggs from your chickens, you'll want to make sure your chicken cage is both weather and predator-proof!