Arkansas folks speak up.........

[verycherry]

Oh! Duh, I just noticed you said "...and soon Red Wattle Hogs." Sorry, lol!

 

[luvarabhorses]

Since we are talking about coops I will show you our latest, and it is ready for winter.

It is a conestoga wagon celebrating those brave pioneer chickens that travelled west so many years ago. If you look closely you can see a tear in the roof and some less than perfect siding where flaming hostile native american arrows tried to stop them!

One side is an old tarp and the other is dog food, sunflower seed bags turned inside out.

Oops paint ($5) for the exterior

Mangled fenced, scrap lumber

Lisa

 

[verycherry]

Nice little coop Lisa. I've also used the heavy paper feed bags as extra insulation in places. They work well to stop drafts.

For anyone who hasn't seen this, it's VERY interesting, and this is where I learned that ariel preditor call, lol!

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache...chicken+intelligence&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

[urban dreamer]

The only things I have left on the new coop is paint and wire. The wire is driving me nuts!!! Everyone is telling me not to use regular chicken wire and to use hardware cloth instead. Sound ok except I have about 50 square feet to cover and the wire runs at 50$ for 25 feet. Thats alot of money. Quite frankly, Im broke. Dose anyone have any suggestions weather it is ok to use chicken wire or where I can find the hardware cloth for cheeper? I need to get this done asap because we had two coons out by the coop last night fighting over 2 week old pot roast in the compost pile. I hate to think they were so close to the girls. The new coop will better protect them from other animals and the elements.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Welcome Laura!! I guess I will google red wattle hog. Wondering what attracted you to them?


I don't know if you have a scrap yard near you or a friend with horses, but the horse safe fence is much cheaper and then just cover it like I did with inside out plastic bags or a tarp and staple. If you over lay it it is fine for the floor. Don't forget those nylon ties, they work well for making the wire behave.

Very Cherry, thanks! they are plastic bags though, like Pedigree etc... the paper feed bags I use as weed killer and layer over with mulch for various spots.


LIsa

 

[verycherry]

Very Cherry, thanks! they are plastic bags though, like Pedigree etc... the paper feed bags I use as weed killer and layer over with mulch for various spots.

Good idea! I've used newspapers for that. We have LOTS since I help my Dad with the paper route. I think I could probably build a whole coop out of the unused bundles, lol!

I also use the paper feed bags for putting on tops of some of my cages, because some of the chickens perch up there, and they can poop on the bags and NOT on the chickens below! After they're pretty soiled, they get layered into the compost and new bags go up. My neighbor also uses them to start fires. They never just get thrown away.​

 

[verycherry]

Everyone is telling me not to use regular chicken wire and to use hardware cloth instead. Sound ok except I have about 50 square feet to cover and the wire runs at 50$ for 25 feet. Thats alot of money. Quite frankly, Im broke. Dose anyone have any suggestions weather it is ok to use chicken wire or where I can find the hardware cloth for cheeper?

I wish I could tell you chicken wire was ok, but the only two predator deaths I've had in a year and a half were from something reaching in and grabbing bigger chicks by the neck and biting off the back of their heads. This happened in the only spot I had chicken wire and not hardware cloth. I think you'd save money and tears in the long run, but I know! It's high! I wish I knew a cheaper source, for you and me. I need some for the front part of my pen area, that I wasn't using before because the roof was damaged. I had the roof fixed so I now need to put up the hardward cloth so that I can keep some bantams in there. I need the room, but won't risk it until the hardware cloth is in place.​

 

[Jarhead]

Nikki,
You are in a neighborhood in Sherwood, right? Do you have a privacy fence? Do you see coons, foxes or stray dogs in your yard where the coop is? If not you would probably be OK with regular chicken wire. If your yard is open and you see these predators then that is when you really need to worry and do the 1/2" hardware cloth. Those predators can break chicken wire and get in given the opportunity. Cats are not strong enough to break chicken wire.

Just for reference we have an 8' privacy fence that encloses our backyard, we live in a neighborhood. I have a large run with just chicken wire to keep chicks, quail and other critters in. Never once have we had an issue with a predator getting in there. However our yard is really secure and we have a couple of dogs.

You have to look at your yard situation and then you can decide which would be best.

 

[jenjscott]

Hi Laura, welcome to BYCArkansas. Glad you have joined us.

 

[Tala]

We're probably going to be OK, but

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A FLOOD
WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN ARKANSAS...

SALINE RIVER AT BENTON AFFECTING SALINE COUNTY

....
* AT 8:30 AM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 7.6 FEET AND RISING.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 18.0 FEET.
* FORECAST...RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE TO
RISE TO NEAR 22.0 FEET BY FRIDAY EVENING.
* IMPACTS...AT A STAGE OF 22.0 FEET...COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES IN THE
FLOOD PLAIN ALONG THE LEFT BANK MAY BE AFFECTED. WATER MAY BECOME DEEP IN THE
PASTURES ALONG THE WEST BANK.

\\

Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

I think maybe I should have built an ARK instead of a chicken coop!​