Don't Do This!

[Mahonri]

Mine could still get through that wire at 5 weeks, but not at 6.

I can't wait to put my chicks in a bigger brooder with that type of wire!

At present the 12 are in a 3 X 5 dog crate and it's getting crowded.

 

[Spotted Owl]

What are the wire dimensions? Is that 2X4 weld wire or bigger? I may have to do something a bit different than what I have now.


Owl

 

[olinr]

Quote:
I do have the 2X4 welded wire set into the ground to prevent digging. It is now backed with chicken wire. The little ones have been out today to stretch.

FYI, my coop and run are inside my courtyard which has a six foot fence around it. Then, I have an electric fence around our property attached to a chain link fence. We have coyotes in the area! The only other predators are Ravens and snakes (garden types and rattlers). I've been told the snakes are not a problem since we have Kangaroo Rats. They would not be here since they are food for snakes. Also, it is too dry for anything else.

Dick.
Phelan, CA

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some good information in here. I'm glad you posted so we can learn. I was not aware that banty chicks can get through 1" chicken wire. I don't have banties, but that is still good to know. Who knows what lies in the future.

Not that I expect you to have a big problem, but snakes will eat eggs and chicks. I'd think having the Kangaroo Rats there would attract the snakes, not keep them away. Snakes, like any predator, will go where their food is.

I do not know if snakes require water to survive or do they get enough from their prey? If is is as dry as you say it is, they may even be attractedby your water.

Anyway, great post and good thread!

 

[olinr]

Quote:
Thank you for your comments. I must expand on our setup.

Our property is "protected" by railroad tracks that buffer us from the mountain range. This is the track for rattlers, including Mojave Greens. We are not near a wash which would be a path for snakes. We have seen some garden snakes and trapped several in nursery netting. That is the hazard of living in the desert (at 3,700 feet). But, we do not have fleas, mosquitoes, mold or high humidity. We do have California Quail, Cotton-tail rabbits, Dove, Ravens, Grey Squirrels and Antelope Squirrels (they look like chipmunks). Besides we have a female Short Hair German Pointer, who loves to catch squirrels, and a male Cairn Terrier raised to catch rats. Training our Pointer to ignore our chickens is a task!

I have raised the coop with concrete decking pillars and treated wood. The coop is insulated from bottom to top and covered with plywood or T1-11. The nests will be inside as is the food and water. So, conditions are not good for snakes or other predators. Cold winters and hot summers are my problem. I have planned the best I can and I have selected a breed of chicken to survive the conditions; just like us!

We have become "Desert Rats" removed from the third world of the Los Angeles basin. We are protected by NRA devices and remote surroundings. There are better "Red Necks" than I in the area.

Oh yes, in April 2009, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will have an episode from our area. They have built new facilities for a wild life sanctuary and family. They are very deserving! That will give you an idea of our surroundings.

Also, I must thank all of you interested in chickens and from all parts of this great country. I dream and live each place listed. You are what this country is all about. Keep enjoying this hobby and continue to ask questions. Life causes us to either be a teacher, or student, as the situation occurs; it never ends!

Dick.
Phelan, CA