Red Pile Chickens

How large of a live trap are you using?? If it big enough to put a whole chicken in, the wire spacing may be large enough for a weasel to get through (they can squeak through some mighty small holes).

Hmm, it may be.. I guess I'll have an idea though if the trap gets set or I could reinforce it with some of my on wire. I didn't have time exactly to build a wooden gum that in my opinion works better than anything, thanks for the heads up!

Actually it was already 1" mesh, that should be small enough unless its rats I guess?

The trap was set, but no bait had been taken. I assume the chickens did it this morning.

Well the remaining two are still alive, but I've caught nothing. My dog has had two rats in the yard, but I don't think it was them; I would expect rats to make quite a mess with the chickens. I am thinking about keep my chickens in cages now though. Can you keep them on mesh? If so what size mesh? I got some new hens and threw them in with the survivors and both survivors started fighting with the new ones. Do you think that my survivors actually killed the others? I would think it would be obvious by looking at them, so I don't think that is it.

I forgot to ask, do I need to be keeping my rooster's spurs from getting to long? If I haven't is there any harm done? Could not doing it be related to him not being a good breeder?

In the case of spurs as related to breeding, size really doesn't matter, lol....

I have only trimmed spurs if they have already been damaged somehow and leaving them could cause injury, or in the case of one particularly nasty rooster I used to have, for self defense so I didn't get an injury.

I assume you don't know about the mesh?

Anyway here is the caging plan. The individual cages will be supposed to house constantly one hen each with roosters rotating. They will be lined up inside the chicken pin to protect them from having predators nip at their feet. They will be 42"Lx18"Wx18"Tall, included in this will be a 12"x18"x12" nest raised 6" higher than the wire in the front 2/3's. I am probably going to put a roost in the middle of the front 2/3's about 9" high. I'll have self watering bowls and feed bowls in the front. There will be a front door and a nest door (either on the side or the top). The frame will be 2x4's. The nest will be plywood with a step/roost a couple inches in front of it. The front door and sides will be chicken wire. The bottom will be 1"x1/2" mesh and the roof will be either a sheet of plastic, tin, etc.

Does anyone see any problems in this design?

I assume you don't know about the mesh?

Huh?

I was wondering if they can live on it?