Going To Need A Better Fastener

Recently I went out for my morning chores and I saw some of our chickens out and about. This is odd because I normally do a head count when I put them away in the Super-Max for the evening. How these four hens were overlooked was beyond me. I later released all the other chickens to go about their day and life was normal.

That evening when it was time to put them away I noticed something was wonky. Some of the hardware cloth on their Super-Max enclosure was missing. On inspection the hardware cloth was pealed back away from the wooden frame. This was major. I used one-inch quarter, crown staples to fasten the hardware cloth to the wooden frame. It had been ripped back by a brute force I had never seen before. I seriously doubt I could have unfastened it with tools.

Here is my summation, though strong animals I doubt a raccoon could have done this. They would have worked at unfastening it from ground level. I suspect ti was a beat or a cougar because it was at the three foot level. The screening had large holes punctured in the mesh like a large claw had done the job. Also no chickens were harmed. The entrance into the coop is too small for a bear or a cougar to get in so the chickens were safe.

I've now fastened the hardware cloth back with roofing nails, though I'm sure this would be quick work for a bear or a cougar to get through.