Does anyone use a portable run for ranging?

[debid]

Looking for ideas because I'm sure my future hens will turn their permanent run into bare dirt in no time. Our predator load here is, well, heavy. We have a red tail hawk pair nesting nearby (I see them EVERY DAY), coyotes den in our forest (they used to bring the pups into our yard until we got a dog), I've seen a red fox several times, and the neighbors let their dogs run. Oh, and I've seen what was either a juvenile bald eagle or a golden around. And these are just the daytime concerns.

I'd love to let the chickens out to free range during a chunk of the day but I'm very worried they'll be eaten by the assorted predators. I'd also prefer they not destroy my garden and I don't think my 3' lattice rabbit fence is going to do much to stop them.

SO, I was tossing around ideas like a PVC frame covered in plastic fencing with a tarp over part of it for shade on the days it's positioned in a sunny location. They'd only be in it for daytime ranging and I'd (of course) include water, food, and a plastic crate with nesting materials in case they want to lay mid-day. I'm planning on 10 hens.

We have acres of lightly treed pasture so there's plenty of room to rotate the setup as often as needed so they'll have fresh greens and I'm sure I can train them to follow the pied piper with treats to their daytime playpen.

Thoughts?

 

[Sinfonian]

I have no such daytime predators in my area, though I'm going with a 2x2 triangular frame with welded hardwire cloth covering it to pen my chickens in my yard. You may want to consider going all out considering the load of predators you've got. Maybe even go so far as purchase an electric fence solution. They're fairly reasonable and can be purchased with battery power. Of course whatever you do needs a top to keep out the hawks. You defintely have a difficult situation that calls for drastic measures, and folks here wouldn't consider electric fencing drastic.

Best of luck to you, and you're dead on with wanting to pen them vs. a static run, not much lives in them after a while, so I understand.

 

[brandislee]

I'm interested in this too, as we're in the same situation PLUS I live right on a major highway. I have almost 3 acres that my chickens can forage and it would be a shame for them to be in a static run all the time, even though I tend to build them one of those also so they can get as much outside time as possible.

 

[farmer_lew]

We are fortunate in that we do not have predator concerns like you do. We let the girls roam the backyard freely all day. The portable tractor is a good idea, though. Depending on the number in your flock, it would need to be a good size, or maybe multiple?

 

[Country Heart]

A portable tractor sounds like a great idea (given your situation) to me.

 

[edgroger]

Wow!

That area is sure a hot bed for all kinds of chicken predators. I second the idea of using a chicken tractor

You can transfer them in to any grass filled area on any point of the day with less of a hassle.

 

[debid]

Yes, well, this is what happens when you build a house in the middle of ideal wildlife habitat. It's beautiful, but... We're in a clearing between two patches of forest so we see LOTS of animals passing through. There is an ample food supply for the predators -- they haven't eaten our cat, after all. I just worry that the smell of chicken and the ease of grabbing one and dashing back into the woods will be too tempting.

When I think of a chicken tractor, I think of a coop on wheels and a little run attached. I was thinking more of a day-use run to complement the permanent fortress... light enough that I can move it around without hooking up the tractor.

 

[chuckzoo]

I am offering this as a concept only perhaps to help spark ideas because mine is not predator proof. I bring mine out into their "Range Rover" as I call it in the garden because I don't want them destroying my garden. They have another larger run that they are in most of the time.

Perhaps you could make some adaptations to suit your needs. Mine is hinged so it folds up.

 

[elmo]

Here's my favorite model:

It's built from metal crop cover hoops attached to a wooden baseboard and covered with 19 gauge, 1/2" by 1/2" vinyl coated hardware cloth. There's a hinged hardware cloth apron attached to the base to deter dig ins. I use four bricks to weight down the corners of the apron after I move the tractor.

What can I say? I'm paranoid about safety. Our yard is fenced so we don't have neighborhood dogs to contend with, only hawk and the occasional cat. I suppose it's possible a racccoon might wander in during the daytime and I don't consider this set up raccoon proof (the door is a vulnerability because it's only latched by a bungee cord at the bottom), but we only use the tractor in the daytime when we are at home. I hope I'd hear a ruckus and come out to the rescue.

That's a shade tarp at one end. It's good to provide some "cover" so that the chickens don't feel nervous and exposed.

I would be careful about using PVC because of its lightness. You want something heavy enough so that it's not going to blow over in a gust of wind or get knocked over by a dog or other critter. And I would definitely not use plastic fencing because anything with teeth will get through that in less time than it takes to say "bye, bye, chickens."

 

[debid]

OH, I love the hoop structure! It looks like it's about 8'x16'? Can one person move it?