 Predators are a real threat to your chickens. They come on the ground and they come from the air. Both can attack in daylight or during the night. Even if you have never seen a predator on your property, have no doubt that they are there or will be soon. Chickens and their feed can be an irresistible lure for many ground predators. Commonly found ground predators include canines, including domestic dogs, coyotes, and foxes, raccoons, possums, skunks, weasels, rats, bobcats, badgers, and bears. Common flying or aerial predators include hawks, eagles, black vultures, and owls. Ground predators often dig under poorly constructed coops. Wire for a chicken coop should be buried 18 to 24 inches into the soil or bent away from the bottom of the coop so it extends out 18 to 24 inches. Some predators like raccoons prefer to climb into coops. It takes no effort at all for a raccoon to tear open regular chicken wire and they can get the job done in just about 30 minutes. Raccoons are known for climbing all over coops in order to search and test for weak points. Using stronger, sturdier wire will help keep nearly everything but bears out. Once a predator is satisfied that they cannot break into a coop, they then search for areas where they can reach in and grab your chickens. They will grab any part of the bird and pull it through the wire. This includes pulling legs through the bottom of wire cages or pulling birds through the wire until they have eaten enough of the bird that their hunger is satisfied. If ground predators are unable to gain access, they will move on unless they are there for more than just a meal. Some predators just enjoy running the chickens and they find it fun as is the case with domesticated dogs. That is not to say that such dogs will not kill a chicken if they caught it, but they find getting the chickens to react fulfills a need that they have to hunt. Lastly, you may not think of them as predators, but snakes often steal eggs. If given the opportunity, they will also take chicks, brood your chicks in a secure surrounding to avoid this problem. Place a quarter inch wire mesh at least four feet up the sides of your coop to keep out almost all snakes. Nobody likes to reach into the nest box and wrap their fingers around a snake instead of an egg. Aerial predators are often not noticed by flock owners, new and old, until too late. Take notice of your surroundings before getting your chickens. What flies overhead is important for the safety of your flock. Your chicken coop should have a covered run to not only keep out wild birds but also to protect your flock from flying predators. Rewranging your chickens is a scary prospect with regard to your biosecurity but also for the safety of your flock from a hawk or eagle attacks during the day. At night, you need to worry about owls. Birds of prey such as black vultures have been known to take young or small chickens or chicks but not adult chickens. Crows are not birds of prey, but on occasion have been known to take chicks and eggs. In pastured poultry operations, panic shelter is often provided as an area of refuge that chickens can run to during an attack. Low shelters not only provide shade but provide a small measure of protection against flying predators. Smart birds of prey, however, are fully capable of figuring out how to get into coops and underpanic shelters by watching and learning. All wild birds, including birds of prey, are protected under the Micratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal for you to harm wild birds. Pay attention to trees or habitats in your area that might house nests for birds of prey and respect these birds need to hunt. Keep your chickens in a secure coop will ensure that they remain safe. If you have had chickens for a while, then you know what normal behavior looks like in your flock. If you have not been keeping chickens for long, then you should take the time to learn what normal looks like for your flock in the daily routine. It is when you come out to care for your chickens and the behavior or attitude of your flock are different that you need to start paying attention. If something has freaked your chickens out, then start looking for the source. Are your chickens all huddled in a corner to get away from a predator that visited in the night? Or is the predator still there and you need to be careful too? Is your flock much more scared, jumpy or flighty because something like a neighborhood dog has been harassing them during the day? If a predator has been visiting your coop on a regular basis, regardless of their level of success, then your flock may avoid certain areas of the coop where the predator has been focusing their efforts. This may include perches. So if your flock's droppings under the purchase start to decrease in number or move to another spot in the coop altogether, then you may have just received your first sign of a visit from a predator. On a daily basis, you will need to walk around your coop and search for signs that a predator has visited your flock. Look for scratch or bite marks both high and low around your coop. If it has rained recently, then you may be able to see tracks. You may even see animal scat or droppings, which may aid you in identifying which predator passed through your yard. You can also listen to the sounds your chickens make to help you identify which type of predator is visiting your flock. A ground predator will cause your chickens to make rapid alarming clucking sounds while a large bird silhouette overhead will initiate a high pitched call. For example, this is the sound of a chicken when a ground predator is nearby. And this is the example of a sound that a chicken makes when a large bird such as a hawk flies overhead. If you hear your flock making any of these sounds, then you know you need to take action on their behalf by herding them into a safe location. Lastly, sometimes you can walk into your coop and you will detect an off odor. If an opossum has visited very recently, then you may smell a musty odor. Skunks have a distinctive odor that may linger for a short period of time after their departure. If you detect the signs that a predator has visited, then you may need to plan to capture and relocate these problem animals. An ideal predator proof coop such as this one has features that you will need to consider carefully. The run for this coop is covered. The wire that came with this coop was originally one by two inch PVC coated wire. Once it arrived, we place four foot tall quarter inch wire mesh all around to protect against snakes. A two foot deep trench was dug all around the coop and one by two inch PVC coated wire that was two feet tall was placed in the trench and attached to the bottom board all the way around. The dirt was filled back in and then a three foot border of rock was placed all the way around this coop. The rock border is not only to help with weed control and rodent control, but also acts as a first layer of defense against digging predators. This coop also has locks on both the coop door and also the door to the run. There is also the same one by two inch coated wire over both windows as well as the ventilation opening. Inside the run, there is no way for climbing predators to gain entry up high, nor can wild birds gain access to eat the chicken feed. All around this coop is suitable for four chickens to live in comfortably given the size of the outdoor run space and no free ranging. In summary, your coop needs to be built out of strong high quality materials that will stand up against hungry and persistent predators. Bury the wire around the bottom of the coop at least 18 to 24 inches or lay wire perpendicular to the ground for 18 to 24 inches. In either case, don't forget your three foot rock border. Cover the run to keep out wild birds including birds of prey. Lastly, walk around the outside of your coop daily to look for attempts at entry or to see tracks. Peace of mind is valuable and knowing that nothing can get to your chickens will allow you to sleep well at night.