coop done. need run ideas...

[mathewmarie]

Hello all! I am new here. I made a coop that looks adaquate so far. I need to tend to a few details during the summer, but I'm close and at least clear on what I need going forward.

I am stumped on the run. I have scraps of fencing. I have about 70 ft of chain link fence. I have a pile of fence posts. And I am planning to pick up a 10 x 10 dog kennel. I gather from reading here that none of this will be good enough to keep predators out. And hardware cloth is expensive! I got 15 chicks. Do I have anything useful? Do I need to charge some special fencing material here?

 

[mathewmarie]

I'm just practicing uploading pics....

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think all we can do is to do our best to keep them safe. Chain link will keep most out. It cannot keep out the odd raccoon that will reach in and grab a snoozing hen or snakes or anything small for that matter.
I have had hawks and fox in my yard. I have 2x4 welded wire fencing. The holes in mine are larger than chain link. We do have raccoons here but I have not seen evidence of any attempts.
I did put chicken wire along the bottom of my run along with the welded wire and bent it so it lays along the ground coming out from the run about a foot. The grass grew up well into it and you would not know it was there unless you went to digging.
Personally I don't think any fencing is predator proof only predator resistant.

What is your most common predator visitor?
I would protect against the most common ones and hope the others stay away.
For certain a top will be needed since the flying predators come and go everywhere.
Even chicken wire is better than nothing.

 

[mathewmarie]

I know there is an adult female raccoon in the tree between my house and my coop. I may borrow a trap and try to "thin out the predator population before my flock moves outside...

And it is really a predator paradise here. I'm in an ocean of cornfield and hay. There are lots of foxes and raccoons and hawks... I'm a good shot, but I work all the time... maybe time to teach the kids some more...

 

[21hens-incharge]

That is a tough spot to be in for sure.
Fox can jump and climb very well. They dig through almost anything too.
What are your options for materials for the top of the run?
How big do you plan on making the run?
Craigs list sometimes has people getting rid of useful material for free or very cheap.

Do you plan on having a rooster? They make good early warning sounders for the hens and will sacrifice themselves to protect the ladies. Sometimes it only delays the intruder but it can give them a chance to get away or hide. NOT that I am for having a sacrificial animal.
You may end up needing to add hardware cloth to the bottom 3 feet of the run and perhaps even a hot wire.

 

[mathewmarie]

In my dreams, my run is 12 ft wide and @25 feet long. The 10 by 10 chain link kennel will help. I picture poles from the coop roof to the top of the kennel. Chain link roof. Affordable or free scraps connect kennel to coop. Chain link "roof" secured with mechanics wire. I figured I'll buy some cheap rolled fence And some not so cheap hardware cloth and see what can be made.

I take some pride in finding cheap alternatives to all sorts of things I "need". Maybe inspiration will come.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

We are predator inundated here too. I've got coyotes, fox, raccoons, possums, hawks/osprey, stray dogs and cats, and most worrisome to me----lots of mink. I'm probably going to use the barrier method, with leaving a 1' lip of the hardware cloth (DH bought 1/2") and dump sod over top so that when something digs, it'll hit that first, and hopefully it'll deter it. My neighbors lost an entire coop of 20+ birds in one night due to a mink slipping in through the vents on the roof. Vents that were so tiny they didn't even think to cover them with mesh. DH and I are both hunters and decent shots---I personally just haven't reconciled myself to the thought of shooting something that I'm not planning to eat (DH has hunted since he was a boy, and I've only been hunting for a handful of years). But I guess when it comes to protecting my property/family/critters I'm going to have to be okay with it. Good luck with your run/predator proofing!

 

[magdalene74]

We are predator inundated here too. I've got coyotes, fox, raccoons, possums, hawks/osprey, stray dogs and cats, and most worrisome to me----lots of mink. I'm probably going to use the barrier method, with leaving a 1' lip of the hardware cloth (DH bought 1/2") and dump sod over top so that when something digs, it'll hit that first, and hopefully it'll deter it. My neighbors lost an entire coop of 20+ birds in one night due to a mink slipping in through the vents on the roof. Vents that were so tiny they didn't even think to cover them with mesh. DH and I are both hunters and decent shots---I personally just haven't reconciled myself to the thought of shooting something that I'm not planning to eat (DH has hunted since he was a boy, and I've only been hunting for a handful of years). But I guess when it comes to protecting my property/family/critters I'm going to have to be okay with it. Good luck with your run/predator proofing!

perhaps you could learn to skin and tan and get Some use out of the animal to make up for the necessary taking of its life..? make a hatband or something heh. or dog food?

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Magdalene---I think that's exactly what I would have to do! I always wanted to live like Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Little House on the Prairie books....and if life presents itself with opportunity I suppose I ought to look for the positive parts of the hard parts.