Free range chickens

[oldchickenlady]

I have 12 chicks that are a little over 2 weeks old now, 6 RIR and 6 Buff O's. I am going to start building an outdoor run for them tomorrow which will be 12 x10 feet. I live in middle TN in the country and I know there are possums, coyotes, bobcats, and coons in my area. I had planned on letting the chickens free range once they are grown (I have several neighbors who do this successfully). Once I complete the run, then I will start on a coop for them to roost in at night. My question is this: is poultry wire strong enough to keep out predators? I plan on completely enclosing it (top and bottom), they wouldn't be able to dig under and get in, but could they possibly just rip through it? Thanks for any input on this subject...I don't want to have to build it twice!

 

[AtholCoop]

Nope, just about anything that would be able to kill a chicken can get right through poultry netting.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Well, that is what I was afraid of...but if it isn't strong enough to keep out predators, why even call it poultry wire? Why not call it something else...like, I don't know, tree wrap, arbor wrap, or something? So they don't confuse us newbies that just want to keep our chickens alive! Any economical suggestions as to what I should use? I guess I could use welded wire but I would have to buy a whole roll that would probably be way more than I needed. I am not sure how hardware cloth is sold, guess I will find out tomorrow. Any input here would be welcome!

 

[nancy1zak]

There is a big selection from Wireman.com. I am building a bigger run because the one I got with the coop (which was the biggest) 11x4 size run is not big enough for our 8 chickens. We put a roost in the run area, which the chickens enjoy, but they need more room to roam around when they are in the pen. Anyway, I could only find larger mesh hardware wire, or poultry netting in my area. They were the least expensive. They deliver UPS...even with the $20 delivery fee...they were the least expensive.

 

[SallyF]

I hate to refer to someone as "Oldchickenlady" (too personal, since I'm one also!!), but welcome to BYC. Where in middle Tenn are you? I'm in Van Buren county, about halfway between Sparta & McMinnville.

When I was in SC, I had a hen who hatched some chicks (she was a wild, free-ranging neighborhood chicken) so I built a chicken-wire pen around her to protect her and the babies from neighborhood critters. Went out one night to find a raccoon crouched next to the cage. The chicks would come up to the wire to satisfy their curiosity and the raccoon would reach in, grab one, and satisfy his appetite. Our chickens here are in a chain-link dog pen, and the raccoons reach through that, too. We lost two grown hens and a rooster that way. Now we've wrapped the chain link with poultry mesh, and the combination seems to be stopping them so far. Good luck finding a solution.

 

[oldchickenlady]

I have the farmer's co-op, Tractor Supply, Lowes, and Home Depot to choose from. Surely I can find something from one of them that won't require me buying way more than I need. I have to figure out how tall I want to make it before I can figure out how much I will have to buy. Off to town tomorrow with my design and measuring tape in hand! I am going to use 2x4's and pvc pipe bent into a half circle and stuck into holes drilled into the 2x4's. I don't know how long the pvc pipe is yet so I don't know how tall it will be. I don't want to have to stoop over much to go in the run, so I may have to buy extra pvc pipe to cut and splice to get extra height. I will post some pics when I get the thing started. I have been cruising the pictures of all the coops and runs on here for over a week, trying to decide what type of coop and run to build, and have really enjoyed the pictures and stories to go with them! I know the pvc pipe is cheap and light weight and I could move the run if I needed. Until I get my coop finished (which will be raised off the ground) I will cover part of the run with a tarp to protect them and their feed from the weather. I plan on fastening the wire to the pvc pipe with plastic zip ties or maybe wire. I would like a people size door too, but it will have to be light weight, maybe made out of 2x2...need to think on that some more, and see what the store has to offer. I wonder if I could fashion one out of pvc pipe? This is gonna be an adventure!

 

[nancy1zak]

Also, for the run we used 1 inch x 2 inch mesh. I think it is 16 guage. So, it is pretty strong. On the coop vent and windows we used 1 inch x 1 inch hardware mesh of a heavy guage. Also, at the bottom of the run about a foot you need to put the 1 inch x 1 inch mesh, and then bury about 12 inches for any diggers.

 

[nancy1zak]

I checked out Lowes, HD, and TSC...and could not find the 1 inch x 2 inch. You might have better luck. But, just in case you have another resource with Wireman.com. They have different widths and lengths. We got 4' wide and 50 ft galvanized mesh. It was $76. Make your people door to open into the run so that when you go in the chickens don't get past you.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Hey SallyF...I live in the country outside of Franklin in Williamson county, which is about 15 miles SW of Nashville. I have been here since October 2001 and I love it, love it, love it! I don't mind being called 'old' because I have earned every year I survived! Between the stupid stuff I did in my teens and 20's and the 3 boys I had since then (2 of them a set of twins born when I was in my 30's!) it is a miracle I got to this age (54) with my sanity and all my hair!

Anyway, I have wanted to raise some Buff Orpingtons since I saw some at a man's house 3 years ago when I bought a horse from him. All my boys are graduated now and pretty much don't need me anymore, so I thought this would be a good time to start. I already have a 15 year old dog (who is completely fascinated by the chicks) and 2 horses that my husband and I trail ride. I convinced him it would be good to have chickens to eat all the ticks we have, since we basically live in the woods. Not to mention all the other creepy crawlies out here. So...here I am designing my own coop and run and having a blast...so far!

 

[oldchickenlady]

Hey Nancy, is the 1x2 wire you mentioned welded wire or is it hardware cloth? I had thought about the Habitat for Humanity home store and also there is a store in Nashville that is a type of overstock/salvage place...you never know what you will find there. If I can't find what I want I will try those places. I tried craigslist, but no luck...lots of people on there looking for lumber, wire, etc all the time, so I would be very lucky to get any there. I will check out the wire web site too. Thanks!