Maybe your little southern coon, Our western coon would be eating quail in 2 minutes!

Will it be off the ground?

Nope sits and slides on the ground

Wisconsin coon rip hardware cloth of if you leave them an edge to grab.

Start the trapping early and often

You have to check the birds every day check the traps also

just stake a dog next to the tractor and the critters will stay away. make sure it aint a sissy dog.

You can beef hardware cloth up a bit by using something like an external grade drywall screw and washers put in outside corners. A lot of people use chicken wire and that is a no go. Lots of predators can rip thru chicken wire. That only works as a crowd control divider inside a barn or chicken house.

Another improvement to this tractor would be a fold up panel (dig apron) on all four sides. About 1 foot wide. Once the sun goes down, all manner of varmints will be on it, around it and trying to dig into it.

Here the coon would be going underneath.