We are planning on having our chickies in a coop by early summer (they will be arriving as day old chicks in the next few weeks) and our first thought was a chicken tractor. After realizing that for 15 birds we would need either a very large tractor or many separate ones, we scratched that idea. We want something that a person can move themselves without a tractor or 4wheeler.
So now our plans are a largish coop (8x12 floor space, 6ft height) with an outside run. We were thinking of ideas for our run, and read up on electrical fencing 5" off the ground. We will have goats, etc. in the same pasture area so we think a few hot wires would be better to keep them out.
Does this sound like a deal that might work? The chicks would go in at night, so nocturnal predators should not be too big of a deal. We thought about covering the run with some sort of bird netting to discourage hawks.
We had also considered getting a couple of igloo style dog crates to set out in the pasture with a single strand of hot wire 5" off the ground so we could move the flock (or part of) to that on nice days.
We would love love love to have fully pastured chickens, free to roam, but are worried about predators and such. Instead, we want to allow them as much diversity of food as possible. They will be mostly layers, but next summer we will grow several eating chickens. Those we will probably raise in a seperate, less elaborate coop with a long run of some sorts, since they'll only be around for a few months. We won't do too many at once (maybe 15 max) of those, since we'd rather have a few to last all year than a whole bunch all at once - it's going to be for us and a large extended family.
We are getting Dominiques, so you know how big our birdies are
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The benefit of the electric fencing run is the mud won't wash it out as easy as fencing posts for like a chainlink fence, the rain won't rot any wood fence posts, and we can use a solar fence charger. It can be picked up and moved, and added onto very very easily.
So now our plans are a largish coop (8x12 floor space, 6ft height) with an outside run. We were thinking of ideas for our run, and read up on electrical fencing 5" off the ground. We will have goats, etc. in the same pasture area so we think a few hot wires would be better to keep them out.
Does this sound like a deal that might work? The chicks would go in at night, so nocturnal predators should not be too big of a deal. We thought about covering the run with some sort of bird netting to discourage hawks.
We had also considered getting a couple of igloo style dog crates to set out in the pasture with a single strand of hot wire 5" off the ground so we could move the flock (or part of) to that on nice days.
We would love love love to have fully pastured chickens, free to roam, but are worried about predators and such. Instead, we want to allow them as much diversity of food as possible. They will be mostly layers, but next summer we will grow several eating chickens. Those we will probably raise in a seperate, less elaborate coop with a long run of some sorts, since they'll only be around for a few months. We won't do too many at once (maybe 15 max) of those, since we'd rather have a few to last all year than a whole bunch all at once - it's going to be for us and a large extended family.
We are getting Dominiques, so you know how big our birdies are
The benefit of the electric fencing run is the mud won't wash it out as easy as fencing posts for like a chainlink fence, the rain won't rot any wood fence posts, and we can use a solar fence charger. It can be picked up and moved, and added onto very very easily.
