Finally!!

[Somshine]

After getting quite behind from hand surgery we finally got everybody in the new run! Still a few more details for play and enrichment to come. But the older girls, the April hatch and Raven and her babies are all together in one place! No more finding the older girls eggs stashes laying around because I can keep them in here, get them back laying where they're supposed to in their boxes and let them free range a little later in the day without them picking at each other out of boredom.

 

[DobieLover]

That's a nice sized space and I'm glad to read you plan to enrich it.

BUT... it is not predator proof. The only thing chicken wire does is keep chickens in and make cute farmhouse decorations.

The bottom 4 feet of the run should be secured with 1/2" hardware cloth and you need to install a predator apron to keep digging predators out.

The roof is not predator proof from racoons or other climbing predators. Is there any chance you could install a hot wire around it after you put up the 1/2" HC barrier and apron? That would stop climbers.

 

[Somshine]

That's a nice sized space and I'm glad to read you plan to enrich it.

BUT... it is not predator proof. The only thing chicken wire does is keep chickens in and make cute farmhouse decorations.

The bottom 4 feet of the run should be secured with 1/2" hardware cloth and you need to install a predator apron to keep digging predators out.

The roof is not predator proof from racoons or other climbing predators. Is there any chance you could install a hot wire around it after you put up the 1/2" HC barrier and apron? That would stop climbers.

We have motion sensor lights the chickens do not trip when they're roosting but it lights up like a Christmas tree even if our cat walks by. We haven't had a single predator in the three acres around our house ever because this 175 lb beast is loose and sleeps about 15 yd away from it. Those lights go on and he's right there checking it out. They'd have to be able to get in in under 20 seconds. All of this is below our bedroom window too.

 

[Somshine]

They're out there in our wooded acres. But in all these years we've never had one step foot in the yard. We even have a couple mama deer that hang around the edge of the yard yearly and leave their little spotted babies in the bushes behind the chicken coop taking advantage of his preditor control. We did lose one to a hawk though because having to let them out so early when they were in the smaller runs was causing them to range too far into the woods. As long as we can keep them in the yard most of the day, they lay in their boxes and they stay close when we let them out. But I didn't like keeping them in a hundred square foot run until 4:00 everyday. Now they've got 257 ft² and we are still working on the jungle gym and have toys coming in. That should keep 20 chickens happy till 4:00 everyday.