It's all about the chickens

Spring time should be about the garden, but thanks to a very determined raccoon it's all about the chickens.
20+ years ago we got chicks hatched in my daughter's kindergarten class, and we have had them since. My father-in-law built us a coop he welded out of old pipe. It's 53" wide by 21 feet long and 7 feet high.  we wired chicken wire to the frame, used an old door and there you go. Up until about 5 years ago Nothing changed. About 5 years ago my son and I added a 7X7X7 chick wing onto the back side. Now it's the shape of an L. Along the way I added some corrugated steel panels to the South side to give shade and shelter from the rain when they were on. they're in roosting bars.
For 20+ Years Besides rats and mice I have never had anything dig under the coop. Once dogs broke through the chicken wire. Racoons have taken advantage of I forgot to close the door. We have had our share of problems like most.
In very early spring Just before I put my new chicks in the chick wing. I decided I was tired of dealing with the rodents digging into that area. I removed everything, removed  the cement chunks I had been using the fill the holes, leveled it back to ground level (thanks to my son who did most of the digging). I cut 2 pieces of hardware cloth sewed it together with stainless steel wire. We secured it to the corrugated steel walls we had in the ground, and solved the rodent's digging in.
Then one morning a chicken was dead in the coop with the door shut. We found a spot the wire had broken away from the frame.   The chicken wire has held up very well, especially for that many years. The bottom where it's in contact with the ground is starting to rust making it easy to brake. We have solved this problem in other areas by putting hardware cloth under the frame and sandwiching the chicken wire above the compromised chicken wire. This area doesn't have the access for that kind of fix. My son and I screwed corrugated steel panels to the frame. We did about half the coop before it got to late. This worked for a couple of days. Then you guessed it , another chicken died. A hole father down. We put panels on the rest of the back, and thought that should do the trick.  It did for a few days. Now the rooster is dead and there's a hole dug under the coop. Now not only am I extremely frustrated, but I'm confused because the racoons are pretty big, and the hole isn't very big.  I put up a trial cam, and it's a raccoon for sure. Now I have to remove everything from the coop, again tons of concrete and brick that I've shoved in the rodent holes, and level the floor (it's amazing how much soil we've built over the years) Sew together 5 5' a 1 18" piece of hardware cloth ( my hardware cloth is 4', and I didn't know if I had enough to do a 21' and another to cut to 1' plus I didn't want to hang onto the off cut.) During this process I jammed the wire between my toe and toenail, I now understand why this made a good way to torture someone. Rolled it into place screwed it with washers to the pipe because With the corrugated steel back. there's no access to run wire. I can tell you screwing self tappers into pipe is a total pain! Thank goodness my son's helped with this part because it would have taken me for ever to do it by myself.
I bet you think my long winded story is over, but sadly no. The next day I decided the chicks should come out of the chick wing while I'm working in the coop and can keep an eye on them. Then I start to see a lot of little spots on the old barn side of the chicken yard they can probably get out.  I get it all patched up. The chickens aren't bullying the chicks, and the chicks go into the main coop instead of the chick wing.  So in the morning they are let out into the chicken yard with the hens.  For 3 days in a row I have a chick getting out of the yard. I find a spot in a corner that might be the spot.  I squeeze in and use chicken wire to secure it.
Now no escaping chicks, but I get home from work, and my son tells me we have to add another corrugated steel panel next to the roosting bars because he saw a raccoon reaching in trying to get the chicken through the wire. the chicken wasn't harmed but I'm sure it's stressful so another panel went up. I do know it's working because the other day there was a spot dug out about  a foot under.  I filled the empty space with soil, and covered it back up with wood chips.
At this point I can finally concentrate on my very late garden. As soon as the garden is cleared and planted I will have to get back to the chicken yard. It's a disaster. I hate the nesting boxes I made, so since it's out I may as well make a new one. I also want to make new roosting bars. No to mention all the chunks of concrete and brick that need a home. Plus I have started moringa and sweet potato malware spinach to. plant in the yard so it's not so bare, but all that has to be protected from the chickens at least for a while.
I'm sure it will be worth the time and effort, but wow it's all about the chickens.
The garden is now planted and seems to be growing faster than ever, so maybe everything will work out.
On an unfortunate side note now the racoons are eating all the apricots before they are ripe. I live in the middle of an almond orchard and a walnut orchard, I'm never going to get rid of the critters. Anyone have any tips on how to discourage them from my yard?