Hello another newbie

[mlatil]

My name is Michael, I live in NC Sandhills, I have some chicks ordered for July delivery. Been reading and will continue to do so before asking many? I have a
Fenced in area approximately 20' x 80' with an 8x16 ft plywood shed at one end. I plan to use this area for approx 30 chickens. I can provide more shelter if or as required I can also add additional fencing to accommodate more protected roaming space if need be. Time will tell. I have raised a few chicks and guineas in the past in a different shed but dogs and varmints got to them all eventually.
I'm hoping and planning to keep this next bunch more secure with the newer space.
Anyway I'll be happy to get into some more on that later as I learn more from reading the info here and else where. Cheers to all thank you
for being here.

 

[gatorshark75]

welcome to BYC as far as protecting you flock from predators i got ya covered on that i live in an area where we have all the possible varmits that try to kill my chickens all the time so far i haven't lost any so when and if you need varmit advice PM me

 

[drumstick diva]

Please check out the threads on predators, coops/runs. One of the main things is chicken wire is useless against predators. It keeps chickens IN, but doesn't keep predators OUT. It is too flimsy, any predator worth his salt can tear through it and keep going.

The best wire is 1/2" hardware cloth - securely attached to framing. Chicken folks should buy stock of whatever company makes it. It is the best they can use , unless you have lots of money to burn., then I would say go for 1/4" hardware cloth.

Beyond that you can run electric fencing and cover the run area to prevent hawk attack. A concrete base for coop would keep diggers out.

Game cams are good to see what kind of predators are checking out your birds, and in case one breaches the security, you can see how it got in.

Be sure to have secure locks - because you may find human predators as well.

 

[mlatil]

Thanks to both for your hellos and comments

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! drumstick diva gave you some good advice, hardware cloth is definitely the way to go, you might want to check out the predator forum for ideas on predator proofing https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests you might also want to check out your state thread to see what people in your area are doing https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/91762/north-carolina

 

[TwoCrows]

Definitely do some reading on the links provided. Chickens are prey animals and need a secure coop and run.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[CarolinaHen]

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

 

[sourland]

Hello, Michael, welcome to BYC, and good luck in fortifying your chicken coop.

 

[mlatil]

Thank you all again for your welcomes and advice
Hardware cloth is on my list for the ventilation areas of the coop.The chicken yard is bordered by a 5' wire fence though I am considering fortifying around the bottom with chicken wire fencing that I can spread out a little on the ground to discourage digging.
Ty