Questions about the run

[Oakville Shooter]

I hate to start a new thread with every question. But I don't want to hijack other threads.

Anyway, I have a dozen RIR chicks that are about 2 1/2 weeks old. As soon as the weather breaks, I will be building a coop first and then an attached run. I was figuring on having to close the top of the run to keep the girls (and guys) from flying out. Either that or clip their wings, which I would rather not do if I don't have to.

While reading some books, I get the impression that I will not have to worry about them flying out of the run as long as the wire is around 6' tall. If I close the top, I was going to make it at least a bit over 6' so that I can walk in it for cleaning.

So what do you think? Do I need to worry about them flying out if the top is left open?

I may end up closing the top later on anyway, I am just trying to see what has to be done at first and what can wait awhile.

As far as I know, we don't have any problems with hawks. I may be wrong though. Obviously, if I find out that I am wrong, I will be closing it asap.

Is metal wire required for the top, of will the newer plastic netting be sufficient? I plan on running a strand of electric fence a few inches off the ground and a few inches below the top of the wife, so it would be just for keeping the girls in and hawks out, if needed.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

I may end up closing the top later on anyway, I am just trying to see what has to be done at first and what can wait awhile.

Why wait and find out from a loss to you I say do it now not later.


Is metal wire required for the top, of will the newer plastic netting be sufficient? I plan on running a strand of electric fence a few inches off the ground and a few inches below the top of the wife, so it would be just for keeping the girls in and hawks out, if needed.

It is your choice metal or plastic but if you go with metal use chicken wire small holed it is cheaper and easy to work with over your head but if you ask me and can afford it I would use plastic if you don't get alot of snow in your area if you do go with metal for sure.

I hope this helped

 

[Eagle2026]

It's your run, make it just to fit your needs.
That's the good thing about making them a run, it's up to the person who is getting it and how they incorporate it to fit.
The chickens will love it no matter what!

Mike

 

[gsim]

Quote:
They will likely not escape from a 6 ft pen. I have not had one of my 23 pullets escape yet since last Aug. I have a lot of resident crows so I did not do my pen overhead. It is 2000 sq ft, and an odd trapezoid shape so it would be a real problem to do.

Metal (2x4 welded wire) top is more durable an more expensive. Chicken wire will keep hawks out, but not coons, foxes, bobcats, etc. Plastic is cheaper and more lightweight, but UV rays will degrade it over time.

Do not omit electrifying it. Ah loves ma fence charger!

 

[newchicksnducks]

Will your birds fly over the 6 ft fence? Most likely not. We had our girls in a 6 foot high run for 6 months, and never had a problem. We even had sawhorse style perches for them in the run, and they still never flew over. We too never had a hawk problem. All summer and fall we would let the girls use the run when we were gone from home, and free range in the yard (2 1/2 acres, partially wooded) when we were home. They were always locked up at dark. Then two days before Christmas while locking them up at 6pm (yeah, a little after dark in NE Ohio) we found one had been attacked by a fox...it climbed right over the fence and killed one of the hens. The other 14 were safe in the coop, totally unconcerned they were missing one of their flock. We went out Christmas Eve day and purchased an electric fencer to put around the run to deter any more foxes or coons from coming into the run. Two days after Christmas, we took a 2 hour trip away from home and left the girls in the run...and came home to see a small hawk feasting on a much larger chicken in the run!

The chickens are now on lockdown in the coop until spring thaw when we can put up a chicken wire roof (a bit longer lasting than deer/aviation netting) to keep the hawks out and the installation of the purchased fencer to deter other predators. The girls don't really like it outside in the snow anyways, and we have a base of 2-3 feet now.

You should figure out now where you may want posts to support a roof you will place inside in the future to hold the roof in the middle of the coop....it's easier to preplan than scramble to retrofit!

 

[patandchickens]

Chickens will most certainly fly over a 6' fence if they have a reason to, e.g. if they are squabbling or scared (or, for some breeds, if they are bored or hungry). I've had a Sussex cockerel of fairly heavy weight and basically a sedentary personality *repeatedly* go over a 6' high chainlink panel when challenged by other chickens.

So whether you want to trust a topless pen to keep your chickens in depends on how you feel about the possibility of the occasional escapee.

There are LOTS of hawks in Virginia. If your run is very small and narrow, its fence will protect the chickens to some extent, but otherwise, expect the occasional hawk 'visit'.

Netting will keep chickens in and hawks out. However it will more than likely come down in a heavy snow, even if fairly stoutly supported. Chickenwire will collapse in snow just about as readily as netting will. The safest thing is a properly-engineered Real Roof, or supports/rafters that are engineered *as if* to support a real roof with snowload but with only 2x4" mesh instead of actual roofing. Even 2x4" mesh will catch a certain amount of snow, can even accumulate a solid snowpack in some very icy wet heavy snowfalls, but that's why you want it supported "as if it were a solid roof".

So you just have to figure out what your priorities are and how much money/effort you want to spend pursuing them.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[captainmoose]

I agree with Pat

I have an EE that flys over an 8ft wall to get to a bale of straw above my feed storage area to lay her eggs.


Oakville shooter said:

I plan on running a strand of electric fence a few inches off the ground and a few inches below the top of the wife,

Won't your wife mind this???

 

[Oakville Shooter]

Thanks for the replies. It looks as if I will need to enclose the top sooner rather than later. No big deal. I was just hoping to defer the expense a bit. However, better safe than sorry.

 

[sben451]

I have some mutt hens and some Welsummer hens who have no trouble flying out of their run which has a six foot fence. We finally put a chicken wire top on the run. We have also had a hawk problem when the chickens were free ranging, so to be safe, we elected to put a wire top on the run.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

We put plastic chicken wire over the top of our run and it works great. In the winter, we put heavy-duty construction grade plastic over the top of the run to keep the snow out of the run (ya, they're spoiled). I had NO idea we had so many hawks around here until we got chickens. Despite the fact that we dug the run into the ground 12 inches as recommended, a hawk, foiled by the avian netting on top of the run, reached his talons THROUGH the chicken wire and pulled one of our young Silkies half way through the chicken wire. Gruesome. We reinforced with hardware cloth all the way around the run after that and have had no predator problems since. We can't let them free-range though b/c the hawks are everywhere!

We were taking these pictures, marveling at the success of our covered run. Only later did we realize that this hawk had "taken" one of our 6 wk old Silkies.