Consolidated Kansas

[Grain Gypsy]

@chicken danz ,I must have missed that you are a landscape designer! Cool. I was a landscape architecture student in college for 3 years. Loved it, but I decided I wanted to focus more on a family as a "career" and switched my major and graduated in public relations. I still love landscape design, though. I see big-picture plans, but I am not as good as my mom at the details of the plants. I love designing with trees, as well. I call myself a tree-hugger, but that just means that I love trees. Mom has no choice but to xeriscape and plant natives there in southwest Kansas.

@Trish44 , I will have to keep catmint and lantana in mind. I do want to eventually do some landscaping in and around the run, but I'm unfamiliar with what chickens won't destroy. I'm guessing if they don't like smelly things, they probably hate marigolds. I don't even like the smell of marigolds!

I have a question. I need to know what the best kind of netting is to get to put a cover on our run. We are just getting around to this because, until this last week, it was keeping predators OUT and the chickens IN. There always have to be those ornery ones that ruin it for everyone, though. I've got a couple youngin's (an EE and PBR, to be exact), that like to fly up, roost on the fence top, then escape to the outside of the run. They don't go far. In fact, it's like they want to get back in, but can't figure it out. Crazy birds! Is there a specific material this should be (cloth, metal, plastic) that the netting should be made of? What is it called (chicken netting, aviary netting, something else)? Any specific brand I should lean toward buying? I just need something that will keep the chickens IN. My husband put up a simple pole/roof today for me to drape netting over. Below are pictures of the run and coop. They are definitely one big, continuous experiment! Any advice on the netting would be appreciated. It will be better and cheaper for me to have to plan twice and buy once!

 

[Trish44]

Here is a better shot of pepper.


Bella


Goldie


Gandolf

Pepper looks like a roo because I think I can see saddle feathers forming. Bella & Goldie look like pullets to me. Gandolf I can't see from that angle whether he has saddle feathers or not. The Easter Eggers can sometimes fool you till they start getting saddle feathers & crow. With the type of comb they have it makes it harder.

@chicken danz ,I must have missed that you are a landscape designer! Cool. I was a landscape architecture student in college for 3 years. Loved it, but I decided I wanted to focus more on a family as a "career" and switched my major and graduated in public relations. I still love landscape design, though. I see big-picture plans, but I am not as good as my mom at the details of the plants. I love designing with trees, as well. I call myself a tree-hugger, but that just means that I love trees. Mom has no choice but to xeriscape and plant natives there in southwest Kansas.

@Trish44 , I will have to keep catmint and lantana in mind. I do want to eventually do some landscaping in and around the run, but I'm unfamiliar with what chickens won't destroy. I'm guessing if they don't like smelly things, they probably hate marigolds. I don't even like the smell of marigolds!

I have a question. I need to know what the best kind of netting is to get to put a cover on our run. We are just getting around to this because, until this last week, it was keeping predators OUT and the chickens IN. There always have to be those ornery ones that ruin it for everyone, though. I've got a couple youngin's (an EE and PBR, to be exact), that like to fly up, roost on the fence top, then escape to the outside of the run. They don't go far. In fact, it's like they want to get back in, but can't figure it out. Crazy birds! Is there a specific material this should be (cloth, metal, plastic) that the netting should be made of? What is it called (chicken netting, aviary netting, something else)? Any specific brand I should lean toward buying? I just need something that will keep the chickens IN. My husband put up a simple pole/roof today for me to drape netting over. Below are pictures of the run and coop. They are definitely one big, continuous experiment! Any advice on the netting would be appreciated. It will be better and cheaper for me to have to plan twice and buy once!

danz could probably tell you more about the netting, it hasn't really worked out for me to use netting on any of my pens. What I have liked though is the shade cloth, but for your big area it would be expensive. I use a variety of things on the tops of my pens & runs. My main coop has a big wood frame like framing for a wall & across the top too, so I use a big tarp on that & just replace it about every two to three years. I have fencing on top of my runs outside of the breeder coop. On some outside pens I have board bracing & tin on top. I like those the best but I got free tin to do them. I guess I just use whatever I have at the time or can get easily. I have a friend that has done some replacing of roofs & sheds & I got some building materials free from her & some fencing as well at times as she replaces what she has. It's great & I love getting freebies!

Today I moved a few young pullets out to the pens where they belong. There was some fussing in the Ameraucana pen over the two new ones in there. They seemed to be settling down some by bedtime so I hope they do better tomorrow. I moved one little Jubilee pullet in with my hen & rooster & they didn't even pay that much attention to her, a big difference in breeds. The Orps are just a lot calmer birds than Ameraucanas. I also moved a lavender Orp in with the others yesterday & she seems to be fitting in fine as well. I was looking today & it looks like I may have some more roosters to get rid of later on in my growout pen. I always end up with way more roosters than I need. Speaking of that, someone was looking for a Black Copper Marans roo I think & I do have a young one in my pen. I can't remember who it was who was looking for one.

 

[chicken danz]

@chicken danz ,I must have missed that you are a landscape designer! Cool. I was a landscape architecture student in college for 3 years. Loved it, but I decided I wanted to focus more on a family as a "career" and switched my major and graduated in public relations. I still love landscape design, though. I see big-picture plans, but I am not as good as my mom at the details of the plants. I love designing with trees, as well. I call myself a tree-hugger, but that just means that I love trees. Mom has no choice but to xeriscape and plant natives there in southwest Kansas.
LOL one of my many pasts. I was a police officer, then moved back to Kansas and went to work in the nuclear plant, changed from law enforcement later to a more technical job. In the meantime (1993) I started a landscape design business that I did on the side. My big thing was putting in water gardens. My house in town was nicknamed "the flower house" by the locals. I used to call working out in the garden , flower therapy. I did a big design project for the nuclear plant as a matter of fact. Outside of the gate where their lighted sign is I designed a large area, then within the gates, beds near the entry of the buildings. There was no water available so native plants and xeriscaping was a must. It was also filled in with annuals. I had an unlimited budget so it looked really awesome. No one maintained the beds after I left even though the Green Team group still existed. I think it's completely gone now. After I started having back problems I just sold products and plants and drew up designs for people. Here where I live now the flowers are ignored or eaten by birds and trampled by dogs.
@Trish44 , I will have to keep catmint and lantana in mind. I do want to eventually do some landscaping in and around the run, but I'm unfamiliar with what chickens won't destroy. I'm guessing if they don't like smelly things, they probably hate marigolds. I don't even like the smell of marigolds!
Catmint can be pretty invasive.. just a caution. Many herbs are attractive and the birds tend to leave them alone. The only one I had problems with was lavender. My ducks loved eating it and alas they killed it out this spring. Basil, Oregano, chives, sage, thyme etc all do well around chickens. They also seem to leave iris, day lilies, asian lilies, liriope, and hosta periwinkle and hosta alone. but whether they like a plant or not.. if you have loose soil they will dig in it. I had several tropicals I would put out in the summer and they are always getting in the pots digging them up. Once they are established they leave them alone though.
I have a question. I need to know what the best kind of netting is to get to put a cover on our run. We are just getting around to this because, until this last week, it was keeping predators OUT and the chickens IN. There always have to be those ornery ones that ruin it for everyone, though. I've got a couple youngin's (an EE and PBR, to be exact), that like to fly up, roost on the fence top, then escape to the outside of the run. They don't go far. In fact, it's like they want to get back in, but can't figure it out. Crazy birds! Is there a specific material this should be (cloth, metal, plastic) that the netting should be made of? What is it called (chicken netting, aviary netting, something else)? Any specific brand I should lean toward buying? I just need something that will keep the chickens IN. My husband put up a simple pole/roof today for me to drape netting over. Below are pictures of the run and coop. They are definitely one big, continuous experiment! Any advice on the netting would be appreciated. It will be better and cheaper for me to have to plan twice and buy once!

I recommend buying netting from https://3tproducts.com/shop/pc/home.asp
They have the best selection and lower prices than any others I have found. You can expect to pay plenty for good netting but this stuff will last a life time. Look under aviary netting for choices. I would buy the heavy grade in whatever you buy. You want not only something to keep the birds in, but something you wont have to replace, and that is strong enough it won't break from an overhead attack like from an owl. You can buy either 1 inch or 2 inch. 2 inch works well for chickens and is slightly less expensive. 1 inch works best for game birds. I prefer 1" simply because it keeps some of the wild birds from getting in.
There are two kinds I recommend. One is knitted netting. It isn't going to last forever but if it gets a rip you can either weave in a scrap or use a wire tie to cinch up the hole. It is very easy to put on so it's not a major headache. You can expect 20 years use out of it. I use wire ties to attach it to your run which you can also purchase from there which seem to be better quality than what I can find in the stores. Not so UV sensitive or cold sensitive.
The other is knotted netting. This is the strongest and longest lasting netting you can buy. It's made of different material and will last forever. Putting it up is a nightmare though. It works like a chinese finger trap in a way. If you pull one way it will cause the other way to be too short.
Whichever you buy be sure to buy netting wide enough that you have plenty of extra cause you are going to need at least a couple feet on each side to allow for over lap and fastening. With the knotted netting you will need more.
I use the knitted netting on the kennels where I know I will take it down eventually to move a kennel or something. It's much faster to deal with. I use the knitted netting for permanent pens that are set with wood posts into the ground that I don't intend to ever remove. They no longer list the specs on their website but the heavy grades of netting have like a 60 pound breaking force per square foot. I also use my scraps to restring poultry nets, cover hoop coops, etc. It can also be used to make a temporary divider in one pen if you want to split into two groups temporarily.
I buy shade cloth from them too. But I have shade cloth over a lot of pens in the summer. I take it down in the winter because it doesn't allow snow to fall through. That is one reason not to use shade cloth as a permanent top netting. Plus it isn't made of as strong material as the netting is.
DO NOT buy the crap they sell on Ebay unless it lists a non plastic product and a breaking strength, or the bird netting that is plastic for like covering trees or plants. That stuff is worthless. It's a waste of money. The nicest thing about the netting is that it doesn't have wires that poke you and make you bleed!!!!
Oh and @Grain Gypsy it wouldn't take any more framing than what you have in these pictures.

 

[Trish44]

Well danz if catmint is about all you can grow that the chickens won't eat or dig up then it's not a bad thing for it to spread, lol. It actually looks really pretty on the side of my hill by the driveway with it's lavender flowers all summer. I have had absolutely no luck growing hostas because the chickens eat them to the ground every time. I had some really pretty ones before I got chickens here. I'm wondering about Zinnias for an annual because they are kind of strong scented too & the leaves are tougher. It might be something to try next year, I'll have to remember that. I did plant a couple of marigolds & I guess the plant itself doesn't smell bad enough because the chickens ate them. If anyone comes up with any other suggestions for flowers the chickens won't eat let me know.

I'm going to get the last of the priming done today on my Veg Trug & then it's supposed to rain the next two days so I won't get any painting done on it till after that. I really want to get that thing painted.

 

[chicken danz]

Trish I wasn't saying catmint was a bad thing. I just remember putting it in my herb garden and had to move it elsewhere cause it tried to take over everything. As a lone filler plant it's lovely. I think your gardens that remained were very pretty. I can imagine how nice it was before birds and all. Especially around your pond. I think I would have to fence that off and get it operating again. Basil is another one of those herbs that seem to spread unmercifully. I quit growing it because of that.
I have a lot of pond liner here I was going to put a big pond in with but until I can fence off the yard from birds and dogs there is no point. I love water features but so do the ducks, geese, and dogs!!!
I have such awful clay here that lots of things just won't grow. I had roses I had moved for 30 years that died when I planted them here. My son bought me a new rose for mothers day that was putting on new leaves and such and then died within a few days of putting it in the ground. Maybe I should have a soil analysis done to see why they can't thrive here. I think there is so much clay that the soil compacts and either the moisture can't get through or it sits on top and drowns things. I've done lots of amendments of peat and sand but they seem to wash away after a couple years.

 

[Grain Gypsy]

@chicken danz , thank you so much for the detailed recommendation. I ordered the 1" heavy knitted 3T brand netting for our run. I am sure glad you recommended, because I would have ended up with some gardener's netting off amazon! I find many deals on Amazon, but they didn't have the brand you specified, or anything that looked comparable in specs. The shipping was a little steep, but I don't expect them to ship that heavy of a package for nothing. I only needed one of the modest sizes, so that kept the price doable.

@Trish44 , I actually love catmint and all of the "flavors" of regular mint herb. I have found that if I grow it in a place where I need "invasive" the plant and I are both happier for it.

I had several huge mounds of it at my home in Illinois around our pond out back. It thrived there, and I rarely had to trim it back. It filled in bare spots beautifully and prevented the weeds from growing. You should've seen my lantana at my Louisiana home. I planted these tiny little lantana plants and they grew into HUGE shrubs. Lantana was invasive in Louisiana and was a perennial there that never died. Who am I kidding? Everything was a perennial there that never died! Ah. I miss gardening there, because I could do it all year round.

 

[chicken danz]

@Grain Gypsy the box is big and heavy. That is one reason I buy from them because comparable shipping elsewhere is even worse. Believe me I save money every way I can. I think you'll be really happy with this. Once I ordered knitted netting in two inch and they wouldn't have it in stock for a couple of weeks. They offered knotted netting at the same price. Because I was using this for portable pens I asked if they would substitute 1 inch for 2 inch and they did at no additional cost. It's customer service like that that keeps me recommending them.
I figure if you can get a quality product that you won't have to replace for many many years it's worth the expense.

 

[Trish44]

@Trish44 , I actually love catmint and all of the "flavors" of regular mint herb. I have found that if I grow it in a place where I need "invasive" the plant and I are both happier for it.

I had several huge mounds of it at my home in Illinois around our pond out back. It thrived there, and I rarely had to trim it back. It filled in bare spots beautifully and prevented the weeds from growing. You should've seen my lantana at my Louisiana home. I planted these tiny little lantana plants and they grew into HUGE shrubs. Lantana was invasive in Louisiana and was a perennial there that never died. Who am I kidding? Everything was a perennial there that never died! Ah. I miss gardening there, because I could do it all year round.

I actually like the mints too. There was spearmint here when I came & there is still some of it after 16 years. I have peppermint, chocolate mint, & pineapple mint as well as catmint. The chocolate & pineapple mint need more water than the others & this year the chocolate mint has gone crazy over by my old pond. There is a kind of bog in there now but it keeps pretty moist in there. I have the pineapple mint in a pot & it's doing well there. I have it in places I really don't care if it spreads. I'll bet you did have big plants in Louisianna with the kind of weather there & humidity. I love Lantana, but it's an annual here. I really like putting the yellow one with the lavender catmint. I went to California years ago & was just stunned at how big the plants were there compared to here. They had geranium "bushes" there that were just huge. Those plants never get a chance here to grow that big.

 

[chicken danz]

It's "cold" 59 degrees here with a strong north wind. I know that doesn't sound so cold but when you are used to 90's and high humidity it sure feels that way. It's supposed to get up to the lower 70s today which should be nice for a change. But tonight it is supposed to be in the lower 50's. Short lived I am sure. It would be nice if the chickens could get acclimated to the cooler temps little by little instead of blasting from super heat to cold cold this fall. It's way too early to even think about that now though.
We've got to buy some more lumber for our pens and projects so we can hopefully make some more progress this week.
I've got to get things done at least so I can do head count and get the rest of my extra juveniles sold around here.
I sitll have a few trays of peafowl, turkeys and a few chicks that I have to deal with when they hatch as well. Most of the chicks are for me to add to breeders with or one of my projects. A few for some other people. I really will be glad when this all comes to an end this year.

 

[Trish44]

It's "cold" 59 degrees here with a strong north wind. I know that doesn't sound so cold but when you are used to 90's and high humidity it sure feels that way. It's supposed to get up to the lower 70s today which should be nice for a change. But tonight it is supposed to be in the lower 50's. Short lived I am sure. It would be nice if the chickens could get acclimated to the cooler temps little by little instead of blasting from super heat to cold cold this fall. It's way too early to even think about that now though.
We've got to buy some more lumber for our pens and projects so we can hopefully make some more progress this week.
I've got to get things done at least so I can do head count and get the rest of my extra juveniles sold around here.
I sitll have a few trays of peafowl, turkeys and a few chicks that I have to deal with when they hatch as well. Most of the chicks are for me to add to breeders with or one of my projects. A few for some other people. I really will be glad when this all comes to an end this year.

It's supposed to be a high of 76 with a low of 55 today. I will welcome the break from the heat myself. I'm not ready for 55 degrees yet but I guess it's better than 90 or 100. I'm so sick of sweating in the heat. It's a good time to get some things done outside.

I've been done hatching chicks for awhile now but my silly hens have different ideas. I found one hen I had been missing hiding behind a rabbit hutch in a really good hiding place sitting on eggs again. I also have two hens in my breeder coop sitting on eggs. I really didn't want more chicks now, ugh.

I got my other new Mini Lop doe rabbit yesterday afternoon, I guess for my birthday since that's what day it was. She is the cutest, most cuddly rabbit. I will have to try to get some pics of her when she settles in a bit.