Coop & Run update

[Norma_Lorp]

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[Wee Farmer Sarah]

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Last photo is most recent.

I’ve been successful with keeping my 4 girls safe so I thought I’d share! They do not range the yard as I have predators and close neighbors.

The lean-to was already there, with a broken tractor and junk underneath it when we bought the house. Got rid of that stuff, cleaned up the dirt, added dirt from a fill pile we have. Added crappy door and attached wire and locks. My hub made their coop from leftover flooring plywood. It’s attached to side of shed with space underneath. Inside the coop they have two roosting bars in one corner made of 2x4s . One on top one on bottom but far enough apart so that the top birds don’t drop bombs on the bottom birds (had to fix that at one point ). The other side of coop there’s 4 nesting boxes. Triangle vent holes on two sides of coop, one circular one on top. I used hole at top for a lamp when they were chicks. It seems well ventilated to me. I always stick my head in there when I open them up in the morning to check how it feels. I don’t keep food or water in coop, only in the run. They only stay in coop at night and are out in run everyday no matter the weather .

I love having the roof as rain or snow is never an issue! I live in northern New England and the roof is essential with the snow. Never a wet floor. Only gets wet around fencing if it rains or snows but they have majority of run to walk around on. They get plenty of sun from the front. I dug about a ft down around run and buried wire. Got rid of that board in middle of run in first pics so they can run around freely. They have a roosting bar in corner of run and a little ladder to hangout on. They seem very happy and with giving them treats to forage in the run I don’t feel as bad for not letting them roam about in the yard. I’d rather have safe chickens than dead ones!!


Not sure if any of this is helpful but I thought why not share?!

It looks good, however, chicken wire is best used to keep chickens in. In my experience, hardware cloth is more reliable for protection from predators. The holes on the chicken wire can allow rodents to enter the run and eventually the coop. Also, I used chicken wire beneath my raised garden beds and a groundhog ripped right through it like butter. The better option is 19 or 15 gauge HC. It's not cheap but it is effective. A less expensive alternative would be to use the 2" x 4" dog wire fencing around the coop and run. You did good with your coop and run, but with the predators in New England you need to out smart them as well. Best of luck with your wee ones this winter.

 

[Norma_Lorp]

It looks good, however, chicken wire is best used to keep chickens in. In my experience, hardware cloth is more reliable for protection from predators. The holes on the chicken wire can allow rodents to enter the run and eventually the coop. Also, I used chicken wire beneath my raised garden beds and a groundhog ripped right through it like butter. The better option is 19 or 15 gauge HC. It's not cheap but it is effective. A less expensive alternative would be to use the 2" x 4" dog wire fencing around the coop and run. You did good with your coop and run, but with the predators in New England you need to out smart them as well. Best of luck with your wee ones this winter.

I agree with the stronger fencing. At the time I made the area I only had chicken wire on hand.

Thanks!

 

[aart]

What happened to the first post and pics?