North Carolina

[Tikkijane]

Ok everybody, I really need some advice. We are getting serious here lol. I have ordered my girls :yiipchick (8 hens) from a breeder, she keeps them til they are pullet stage. So I will be picking them up in September. Need some advice on the run floor. I live in the Piedmont Triad region just west of Winston-Salem. Our lot has a gentle slope where we are planning the coop, just enough for good drainage. However our lot is really rocky. I mean REAAAAAALy rocky . DH is not going to do any digging, it is impossible, so we are building up with cinder blocks over either welded wire fencing or hardware cloth to prevent predators. My question is what to fill the run with? Our dirt as you can see (pics below) is red, and gets really muddy. We are situating the coop back in the woods as far as possible to eliminate the red mud factor. I had thought sand, but read that if you have a lot of humidity it doesn't work so well. We thought about filling a bit with crushed run gravel then topping off with mulch or straw, want (as I am sure everyone does) what will work best at keeping the run as dry and odor free as possible. Our situation does not allow for full time free ranging, may be able to let them out a little when we are there with them but not much. Any suggestions appreciated, here are a couple of pics of our site, Nothing whatsoever grows on the mud on the side as you can see

I would not use hay/straw at all, ever. Not only will you have a slippery, mucky mess, but both those harbor aspergillus, which is toxic to chickens. I'd do a deep layer {at least 3 inches deep} of construction sand- it's got small rocks in it. You want it to drain the water down, which the sand will do if it's deep enough. You can add some sweet PDZ to it for the smell if you need to; no idea how long it would actually help being exposed to the elements.

 

[ramirezframing]

new flockers

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Welcome new folks!!

The hawks decided that the smorgasbord is at our place. The chicken house behind the barn where the migrating hawks were feeding is once again the target. I've never had hawks take birds during this season before. It's always been the migrators. They started during the week of 100+ temps. I'm thinking the rabbits and squirrels were laying up out of the heat when the hawks were hunting, so the chickens were what was available. Then they decided to stick with the easy meal.

We had put distractors up in the corner the winter hawks were trapping birds, and they worked nicely. But then these started catching birds all down the pasture, herding them into the fence line. This pen had my pullets in it...about 100 of them, although I never had a proper count. I put out visual distractors down the fence line...and they took one in the open pasture. So first, I switched all the pullets with the remaining cockerels. If they are going to get birds, I'd rather they got cockerels! It's a bit crowded for the pullets, but that's okay for a temporary measure. Then hubby put T-posts in the pasture...not pounding deeply, just enough to hold. We ran line zig-zagging from post to post, and I hung more visual distrators from them.

We haven't lost a cockerel yet. We'll see how it goes.

The original corner had some bird netting and flapping plastic bags added. The rest are spinning, sparkly CDs. I was hating putting those out, thinking how tacky it was going to be, but I actually like it! The slightest breeze sets them all spinning, flashing light and rainbows! I had a non-chicken guest out yesterday, and she thought it was gorgeous! Hopefully, it will make the hawks nuts. They are very visual hunters, so distractions to their vision usually makes them go hunt elsewhere. Hope it works here! I want to move my layers into that pen. Fingers and toes crossed!

 

[Katieboosmama]

Happy Monday, everybody! Hope y'all have a good day!

 

[threescompany]

Happy Monday, everybody! Hope y'all have a good day!

You too!

 

[Tikkijane]

Welcome new folks!!

The hawks decided that the smorgasbord is at our place. The chicken house behind the barn where the migrating hawks were feeding is once again the target. I've never had hawks take birds during this season before. It's always been the migrators. They started during the week of 100+ temps. I'm thinking the rabbits and squirrels were laying up out of the heat when the hawks were hunting, so the chickens were what was available. Then they decided to stick with the easy meal.

We had put distractors up in the corner the winter hawks were trapping birds, and they worked nicely. But then these started catching birds all down the pasture, herding them into the fence line. This pen had my pullets in it...about 100 of them, although I never had a proper count. I put out visual distractors down the fence line...and they took one in the open pasture. So first, I switched all the pullets with the remaining cockerels. If they are going to get birds, I'd rather they got cockerels! It's a bit crowded for the pullets, but that's okay for a temporary measure. Then hubby put T-posts in the pasture...not pounding deeply, just enough to hold. We ran line zig-zagging from post to post, and I hung more visual distrators from them.

We haven't lost a cockerel yet. We'll see how it goes.

The original corner had some bird netting and flapping plastic bags added. The rest are spinning, sparkly CDs. I was hating putting those out, thinking how tacky it was going to be, but I actually like it! The slightest breeze sets them all spinning, flashing light and rainbows! I had a non-chicken guest out yesterday, and she thought it was gorgeous! Hopefully, it will make the hawks nuts. They are very visual hunters, so distractions to their vision usually makes them go hunt elsewhere. Hope it works here! I want to move my layers into that pen. Fingers and toes crossed!

!!!!!

I sure hope you fend them off. I am NOT a fan of hawks, even though I can admire them as long as they are not after my chooks.

I am iso ducks. The heat got my two khaki campbells and my only females, which leaves me with two male mallards. I am not picky. Anyone know anyone? I am in the Rocky Mount general area.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Well, the "fending off" is not going well. The next day (yesterday) one of the cockerels got taken down in one of the few empty spaces in the pasture. Today, we left the cockerels shut in, to give us time to think.

I was just out a bit ago getting a head start on evening chores. I noticed a LOT of feathers around one of the chain link breeding pens, and wondered if the cockerels in there (Ones leaving tomorrow) had been fighting. I walked over...and Glory Be. She got in, but couldn't get out! We treated her to some non-damaging harassment and released her. Harassment included letting all the dogs get a sniff, which had to terrify her. Carrying her around in the catch net for a bit. Touching her! OMG! She did NOT like that! Hopefully, she'll look elsewhere for a while.

She was in the pen long enough to eat part of a cockerel. But she was Very stressed when I found her. The rest of the cockerels had gotten complacent about her presence, so I'd guess it was several hours, at least.

On investigation, I'm thinking she landed on the top, which is simply bird netting. She must have landed on one side of the overlap, and made a gap that she dropped through. But once her weight was off, the gap was gone! We'll do some more work to prevent a gap forming again!

I

 

[scottcaddy]

LOL!! She don't look like a happy camper!
Scott

 

[Katieboosmama]

Oh man! I worry about this happening when I get my girls. We have tons of hawks a few eagles around here. (as well as any other predator known to man lol) I hope she will be deterred from any further attacks!

 

[scottcaddy]

Congrats Coop Scoop Boogie! nice badge you got!
Scott