Help with enclosure, please

[Kimberlina]

Thanks for the replies- we talked about a hardware cloth skirt around the run just after I posted and thought it might be feasible but still wanted some input- we don't want all of our babies eaten up. Of course if it is hard for us to dig, it will be hard for a predator- how silly of us not to think of that!

Now we just need to come up with a quick design. Our SOs are not really interested in helping out (did I mention that these chicks belong to a friend and I? Her fiance' and my husband really, really don't want anything to do with them, but are grudgingly allowing us to do this at her house- an old farmhouse with about 10 acres) so we have to do all the construction ourselves. Luckily, she has existing outbuildings, and we are modifying one of them to be the coop. (There is the shell of an old coop, but no roost or nesting boxes or anything left in it, no run, etc, and lots of bees and wasps living in that particular building, so we are using a different one that has electricity.) We have a general run design in mind, but need to research more so we can have it ready in a month or so.

 

[Kimberlina]

And it just occurred to me...are we over-thinking this? Do we actually need to make the run that predator-proof? The chickens will only be in there (sometimes) during the day- they will mostly be free-range. The coop has a concrete floor and we will be going back over it to make sure that and and all small holes are covered with hardware cloth to keep things from getting into the coop at night, but since most predators are nocturnal, do we really need to worry so much about the run? I really don't know and would love some insight from those of you who have experience in this area.

Thanks!!

 

[TeaLady]

Depends on your area, but I had raccoons sniffing around the chickens twice yesterday in broad daylight. We've had a bobcat right next to the house in broad daylight too, and an eagle hovering overhead when we had the chicks in a makeshift run for an outing.

On the bright side, since I know I need a secure run, I expect to just leave the pop hole door open 24/7. This is really good, since I've never been the "up with the chickens" type.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Kimberlina,
I don't understand why you're creating a run if you let your chickens free range. Is the run for the times when the weather is really inclement? If you let your girls free range, then I'd be worried about predators. The best thing in that case is to have plenty of bushes for the girls to hide under when a hawk comes flying by.

And never mind the silly husband & husband-to-be. I know that you and your girlfriend can get the coop brought up to chicken standards.... it's fun to do something like this with a good friend.
And just think about how magnanimous you gals will be when you share the eggs with these two.

Good luck!

Carla

 

[patandchickens]

I think it is really SMART to have a run even though you'll basically be free-ranging them. It gives you options. Most especially, if it is good 'n' predator-proof (obviously nothing is ever *guaranteed* 100% predatorproof, but if it is strong enough to satisfy you) then on days when you don't want to have to get up at the crack of dawn to let the girls out, you can leave the door to their run open so they can get "sort of out" and you can sleep in

Having a secure run also gives you a ready-to-use Plan B for when there is a pesky predator hanging around.

Personally, if I were bothering to have the run at all, I would take the trouble and (modest) expense to make it pretty strongly defended. If it is a flimsy weebly run, there is probably not much point in the exercise at all. Even if you NEVER leave the coop/run door open at night, there are still enough daytime predators in the world -- especially this time of year, when critters have young 'uns to feed -- that I promise you, you will *eventually* see a daytime predator make a bid to get in there, and there's no way of knowing when that'd be.

You might consider 1x1 or even 2x4" (heavy-gauge) welded wire mesh for a horizontal apron around the fence -- it will be cheaper than hardware cloth, and rats are about the only thing that is likely to go thru it that hardware cloth would've kept out.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Kimberlina]

We plan to free range them during the day when the weather is decent. My friend and I both work evenings (me PT, her FT) so we can be there with them. We can't totally FR them, though, because she has a dog that will be out at times and we don't know if he can be trusted, and we also don't want to leave them FR when we aren't outside. So they will really be PT free rangers, I guess. And I have no intention of hanging out outside in inclement weather, but I will want them to be able to get outside if they want.

I think we will just go ahead and put up the hardware cloth skirting. We had talked about doing about 30" of skirting, but perhaps we can get by with less?

I think we will use pre-made fence posts, 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth for the fence, and aviary or deer netting for the top.

Thanks again!