16 X 16 Run

[Kmath]

I put welded wire rabbit fence along the bottom then chicken wire over that. I am hoping it will keep racoons out.

I'm thinking of trying chicken wire too!

 

[Kmath]

Have


You had a raccoon that snuck past 3 livestock guardian dogs?

I had 2 dogs at the time. My husky wolf and my husky malamute. In my acre yard. It attacked my cat and my dogs came to rescue it. They had no clue it was there. Then it attacked my malamute. I had a bigggg vet bill. Dogs aren't flawless and they can't be everywhere at once. You mustn't forget racoons are incredible hunters.

 

[ameliadanielle]

I know how clever raccoons are. We had one as a pet when I was little. That's why I put more faith in the dog keeping them away than anything I can build onto the chicken run to keep them out (I'm a terrible builder, I'm just going to pray it stays standing.) Great Pyrenees are bred to guard. That's what they do. She's alert all night. My dad has 3 that patrol his entire unfenced property and they keep things under control. She's only got 1/3rd of an acre to watch. She guards her pig fiercely. Great Pyrenees will kill raccoons, opossums, coyotes, foxes, snakes, anything that comes into their protected space that they think isn't supposed to be there. They were bred to guard sheep and kill wolves. You don't train them, they just are and they think for themselves. We haven't had an instance of anything coming into our yard since we got her. Months before we got her, we had an opossum in the garage getting in our trash. Since we've had her, we haven't even seen one and she has no access to the side of the house the garage is on. They give very loud warning barks. The neighbors have problems with critters now though, and they have 6 dogs unfenced just running around. Not guard dogs though. Luna knows it's her job. Look up Great Pyrenees, or any of the designated livestock guardian dogs (LGDs). They do a really good job once they are grown and experienced and know what they are supposed to do. As long as they have been raised right.

 

[Kmath]

I know how clever raccoons are. We had one as a pet when I was little. That's why I put more faith in the dog keeping them away than anything I can build onto the chicken run to keep them out (I'm a terrible builder, I'm just going to pray it stays standing.) Great Pyrenees are bred to guard. That's what they do. She's alert all night. My dad has 3 that patrol his entire unfenced property and they keep things under control. She's only got 1/3rd of an acre to watch. She guards her pig fiercely. Great Pyrenees will kill raccoons, opossums, coyotes, foxes, snakes, anything that comes into their protected space that they think isn't supposed to be there. They were bred to guard sheep and kill wolves. You don't train them, they just are and they think for themselves. We haven't had an instance of anything coming into our yard since we got her. Months before we got her, we had an opossum in the garage getting in our trash. Since we've had her, we haven't even seen one and she has no access to the side of the house the garage is on. They give very loud warning barks. The neighbors have problems with critters now though, and they have 6 dogs unfenced just running around. Not guard dogs though. Luna knows it's her job. Look up Great Pyrenees, or any of the designated livestock guardian dogs (LGDs). They do a really good job once they are grown and experienced and know what they are supposed to do. As long as they have been raised right.

Lol! Not laughing at you but that was awesome considering this was a chicken convo. I am educated on those dogs. A nice breed. I have a rottweiler, also guardians and I'd like to think nothing gets past him but my wolf cross is more aware. I have 10 acres so they can't watch it all the time but if your property is only1/3 acre then your dog will keep all critters out for sure.!

 

[ameliadanielle]

My dad breeds them and keeps them at his farm to guard his mostly completely free roaming chickens. He has 159 acres, but the chickens and dogs and cats mostly stay right around the house, within about 10 acres. They all just run free except the ones he's breeding or collecting eggs from. When they get older and stop laying dependably, he just turns them out to run free. He has babies raised in the yard.

This was not long after we got her and she was guarding our pig and we were still feeding her outside. We had to stop that once the pig could reach to eat out of her bowl. Now she's even bigger and the pig is nearly 200 pounds.


For years we just had cats and a little poodle mix dog. My daughter decided she wanted a pig and a big dog. So we picked out a puppy from my dad, fenced the back yard, and got her a pig. Then she wanted ducks, rabbits, and a cow. To which we said no. Then she wanted chickens. I thought I could do that because I grew up around chickens. Then we went and bought 6, then two more, then four more. So the run and coops we were going to build have just kept getting bigger and bigger. The shelter the dog and the pig share was our first attempt at building something... it's not pretty. Soon we'll be having to build another one. I just got 10 pieces of 7ftX3ft sheets of plywood for free. So, we're going to attempt to build a coop out of that and see how sturdy it is. It will be 7X7X3. We're not great at DIY. Maybe the chickens will be gentle with it. Lol.

 

[ameliadanielle]

We also have to build a stand for a 225 gallon 8ft drilled acrylic fish tank. I don't know if that's going to happen. Lol.

 

[Kmath]

We also have to build a stand for a 225 gallon 8ft drilled acrylic fish tank. I don't know if that's going to happen. Lol.

That's a big fish tank. The chickens roam a distance of 10 acres? Is it completely flat lol? My 10 acres in undeveloped mountain backing onto crown. There's no way my dogs can protect my whole property! And these chickens when roam move about 70 feet lol. Not 10 acres...

 

[ameliadanielle]

That's a big fish tank. The chickens roam a distance of 10 acres? Is it completely flat lol? My 10 acres in undeveloped mountain backing onto crown. There's no way my dogs can protect my whole property! And these chickens when roam move about 70 feet lol. Not 10 acres...

No, the yard chickens stay within about two acres between the barn and the house but they have roamed as far as the deer stand where we feed corn. I got some great pictures of two flocks of chickens one morning when I crawled out of bed at 4am to go out there to hunt deer. Then there are three different places for chicken pens and coops. I was sort of counting the entire area between the houses and barns, chicken coops and dog houses. There are multiple flocks out in the open and they don't crowd each other. They all roost at the house and the barn, but during the day they are everywhere. Because of that I wonder how cramped they will feel in my backyard.

 

[Kmath]

They should adjust fine. Chickens are quick learners