covered over garden for run

[florida lee]

This is the third year my garden has been destroyed by birds. So I decided to use my garden as a run and then in the spring to plant in the same place. But I need to cover garden to keep chickens in, hawks out. garden is 12 x45.
I put in a row of 4x4 posts and a ridge board all the way down , then just hung bird netting across the top and secured to the fence boards. then fixed an entrance for the coop and for pedestrian door. htis is not a secure run , so girls are not allowed to stay out at night. My dogs patrol yard day and night.
the garden already had a chain link fence around it and chicken wire to keep rabbits out.

 

[Wifezilla]

I need something like that to keep the squirrels from destroying mine

So you are going to let the chickens in there now to weed for you then plant in the spring?

 

[bryan99705]

Very nice run, are you going to build a second one so the birds have a run while you garden the first one? Or are you planning to cut off the posts at ground level and run a frame around them so you can skid it out of the way for the garden?

 

[florida lee]

Yes, will plant in the spring after chickens have de-bugged, de-weeded, and fertilized.
the new coop has two doors on different walls, I plan on building another run, with coop in the middle, so i can rotate garden and runs. The new coop is about 75% complete. Hoping to get it in place before my girls start laying,,,they are 14 wks old now. I'm retired so I have to build as money will allow.
they are outgrowing their tractor ( and I thought it was too big) really fast. So new coop can handle 20, but only planning on 2 to 4 more ( have 8 now).

 

[bryan99705]

Sounds great, you don't even need to clean up the garden after harvest because the birds will do it for you