Well, my family is not that interested in talking about chickens, so I thought I'd share a few pictures of my work-in-progress with you all. Unfortunately, building my own coop and run is not an option at this time so I had to make do with what I could purchase already made or have built for me.
The coop is 12 ft x 7 ft (not counting nest boxes) and came from a shed company in Nashville. I put black-jack 57 on the floor to protect it, and will attach hardware cloth over the windows pronto. I'm also going to add a 2nd chicken door that is automatic (so the chickens can stay outside later in the evenings. I work nights and often leave before sunset). With a second door I could also split the coop/run. I don't need that now, but who knows when that might become useful.
The run is 22 feet long from the left side of the coop, and 32 feet coming off the right side and 20 feet wide. I wanted to find someone to build a run for us that was walk-in height, predator-proof and at least partially roofed but out of the two-dozen plus contractors, handymen and fence companies I contacted only one actually showed up to look at the location, and the quote for his labor alone (not counting material) was more than we could justify paying.
So, I went with chain link fencing. The front and left sides are 6 ft tall and join up with our pre-existing fence (on the back and right) that is 5 ft tall. I put in 7 ft tall T-posts to make the 5 ft sections higher and put netting over the entire top to dissuade hawks (at the moment, they're the predator I'm most worried about because I know they like to fly over our fields). I tied thin nylon cables across the top for the netting to rest on in the hopes that will prevent sagging, and put some 2 x 4's in the gaps by posts and gates. The netting is hard to see in photos. I need to cut off the ends of my zip ties before I take any close up pictures.
I need to put some diversions in the run so it's not so barren. My mom is going to bring over some small pallets -- so I'll set those set up for perches/ladders, and I'll set up a dust-bath area for them.
I know that the chain link and roofless run isn't 100% predator proof, but I'm not too worried about daytime predators. The coop/run is right in our backyard where our German Shepherds come and go all day long, which would hopefully be a deterrent to our local predators. At night, the flock will be in the coop which I believe will be about as secure as possible once I fix the windows.
Here's my three year old helping to the chickens come out.
And here they are peeking out for the first time.
The coop is 12 ft x 7 ft (not counting nest boxes) and came from a shed company in Nashville. I put black-jack 57 on the floor to protect it, and will attach hardware cloth over the windows pronto. I'm also going to add a 2nd chicken door that is automatic (so the chickens can stay outside later in the evenings. I work nights and often leave before sunset). With a second door I could also split the coop/run. I don't need that now, but who knows when that might become useful.
The run is 22 feet long from the left side of the coop, and 32 feet coming off the right side and 20 feet wide. I wanted to find someone to build a run for us that was walk-in height, predator-proof and at least partially roofed but out of the two-dozen plus contractors, handymen and fence companies I contacted only one actually showed up to look at the location, and the quote for his labor alone (not counting material) was more than we could justify paying.
So, I went with chain link fencing. The front and left sides are 6 ft tall and join up with our pre-existing fence (on the back and right) that is 5 ft tall. I put in 7 ft tall T-posts to make the 5 ft sections higher and put netting over the entire top to dissuade hawks (at the moment, they're the predator I'm most worried about because I know they like to fly over our fields). I tied thin nylon cables across the top for the netting to rest on in the hopes that will prevent sagging, and put some 2 x 4's in the gaps by posts and gates. The netting is hard to see in photos. I need to cut off the ends of my zip ties before I take any close up pictures.
I need to put some diversions in the run so it's not so barren. My mom is going to bring over some small pallets -- so I'll set those set up for perches/ladders, and I'll set up a dust-bath area for them.
I know that the chain link and roofless run isn't 100% predator proof, but I'm not too worried about daytime predators. The coop/run is right in our backyard where our German Shepherds come and go all day long, which would hopefully be a deterrent to our local predators. At night, the flock will be in the coop which I believe will be about as secure as possible once I fix the windows.
Here's my three year old helping to the chickens come out.
And here they are peeking out for the first time.
Hubby definitely thinks that I have spent enough on my "chicken compound" for this year. I'd love for them to have a trellis or a roof for shade and rain protection, but I may have to see if I can find some cheap, fast growing trees to plant on the other side of the fence instead??
