Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Lacy Blues]

Wisher, what is a really cold winter in Alabama? Just curious.

I am going to be replacing the roof on my barn this summer if I can get a big stack of new plywood for the job. I have all the lumber I will need for the project, just need plywood. I would love to be able to have it open from 4' to the top but we get a lot of wind here and it can change direction at the drop of a hat. My barn is 24x24 as well. Right now I have two windows on both the east and west sides (need to add two more each) and big open doors on the south side (with large pop doors cut into them down low so the chickens can use them when the wind comes from the south) for me and 6 chicken pop doors along the east side. I need more windows. Oh, one window on the back northern side of the coop. I can probably get 3 more windows into the back wall.

When I fix my roof, I'm going to make it a 2:12 pitch and then have a gable up top for ventilation. I hope this is a good plan for ventilation.

I watched a program lately on Netflix entitled "Raccoon Nation." With what I saw, I'm pretty sure a raccoon could get through a 2x4 opening. The places these raccoons went (adults) I wouldn't be able to have spaces bigger than 2x2 and the babies could probably get through that! They can scrunch their bodies through pretty small holes so 1x2 is probably the size wire I may get for my windows and the top gable on my barn. I'm glad you haven't had them get through your wire and glad you got that spot on the roof fixed.

You mentioned 2x4 dog wire. Is that a specialized product? I've never heard of it. Is it anything like the 2x4 non-climb wire or twisted wire products?

 

[Wisher1000]

Lacy - I had several chickens lose tips off their combs this past winter. It was cold, but worse, it was a wet (humid) cold.

I pulled this off of "Average-Temperature.com" for the county that I live in.

Table view of average temperatures by month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Min 35.2 38.4 45.5 51.2 60.4 67.6 71.6 70.7 65.0 52.2 43.5 37.5 53.2
Average 45.2 49.8 57.6 64.0 71.9 78.7 82.1 81.4 76.3 65.1 55.3 48.0 64.6
Max 55.2 61.1 69.6 76.7 83.4 89.7 92.5 92.0 87.5 77.9 67.1 58.4 75.9
Min and Max represent the coldest and warmest average months on record.

We will occasionally get a week here and there that has temps in the teens during the day and high single digits a night or two, but those are extremes. Generally speaking, the winter temps are in the thirties during the day and night time temps are in the twenties. We get a "sticks to the ground" snow every two to three years and it usually melts within a day or two. When we get a snow that covers the roads, everything shuts down, we had one of those this past winter. It was the most snow my children (17, 15, and 13) have ever experienced. We actually were able to build a snowman over a foot tall that was not covered in mud and pine straw!

This came off of Lowes.com...

Garden and Utility Fencing

Garden and utility fencing is normally used to contain pets or to keep animals out of gardens. The material is available in rolls two to four feet high and up to 150 feet in length. Like chain-link fencing, it's also available with a vinyl coating, usually green or brown. When used with rail fencing, welded wire makes an effective pet containment fence for large areas.

...and Tractor Supply Co.....

This welded wire fence is one of the most versatile mesh fencing products. Delineate property lines, protect a garden, or keep livestock safe with this all-purpose fence. It is flexible and easy to manipulate, but sturdy enough to withstand harsh conditions and last for years.

• One of the most versatile wire products made
• Sturdy welds keep mesh spacing uniform and distortion free
• Vertical wires are cut flush top and bottom to prevent snagging
• Galvanized before welding for longer life
• 2 in. x 4 in. square

 

[3riverschick]

My 2x4 welded wire dog runs I put up in 1996
are still doing strong. It's great stuff!
I got my wire at Tractor Supply.
Best,
Karen

 

[chickadoodles]

My 2x4 welded wire dog runs I put up in 1996
are still doing strong. It's great stuff!
I got my wire at Tractor Supply.
Best,
Karen

We have the same wire and bought ours at Marvins for a better price than Tractor Supply saved a few bucks.

No critters have been able to get into our runs or coop and we have never closed the door to the run so the chickens can get in or out when ever they want.

 

[3riverschick]

What's Marvin's? Do they have them in western PA , northern WV or eastern OH?
Thanks,
Karen ( always looking for a deal)

 

[MagicChicken]

I watched a program lately on Netflix entitled "Raccoon Nation." With what I saw, I'm pretty sure a raccoon could get through a 2x4 opening. The places these raccoons went (adults) I wouldn't be able to have spaces bigger than 2x2 and the babies could probably get through that! They can scrunch their bodies through pretty small holes so 1x2 is probably the size wire I may get for my windows and the top gable on my barn. I'm glad you haven't had them get through your wire and glad you got that spot on the roof fixed.

You mentioned 2x4 dog wire. Is that a specialized product? I've never heard of it. Is it anything like the 2x4 non-climb wire or twisted wire products?

Must have been scrawny raccoons. When I lived in Maine I had a cat-sized pet door. One night I heard something rattling around in the kitchen. Turned out to be a raccoon that high-tailed it out the pet door when I showed up. Only the exit flap was smaller than the entrance flap, and he got stuck while trying to get out. Thought I was going to bust a gut laughing. He looked just like Winnie the Pooh Wedged in a Tight Place, hind feet scrabbling for traction and leverage. There is no way that particular raccoon could have gotten through a 2" x 4" opening unless he went on an extended fast.

I have been shopping for fencing lately, trying to stop the dog attacks here before I get more breeding stock. There is a huge difference in quality and sturdiness of different fencing products, even within the 2" x 4" welded wire category. Most of it is flimsy 14 gauge stuff that can easily be snipped with wire cutters and probably wouldn't last five minutes against a determined set of dog jaws. The 12 gauge stuff is harder to find. It might hold up a little better. But it's hard to install it if you can't find it to buy it.

Good quality T posts are getting hard to find, too. Most of the available posts are so flimsy a large dog could bend them just by jumping on them a couple of times. Getting frustrated because I want this fencing project done so the chickens can have more freedom, and I can't find decent materials.

 

[chickadoodles]

What's Marvin's? Do they have them in western PA , northern WV or eastern OH?
Thanks,
Karen ( always looking fro a deal)

Marvins is a hardware store. Most hardware stores buy in bulk so can usually sell most building materials cheaper.

 

[finnfur]

I have found that Agrisupply is very competitive on fencing - they ale carry the 1x2 welded in 72" - they are primarily SE .

 

[desertmarcy]

Must have been scrawny raccoons. When I lived in Maine I had a cat-sized pet door. One night I heard something rattling around in the kitchen. Turned out to be a raccoon that high-tailed it out the pet door when I showed up. Only the exit flap was smaller than the entrance flap, and he got stuck while trying to get out. Thought I was going to bust a gut laughing. He looked just like Winnie the Pooh Wedged in a Tight Place, hind feet scrabbling for traction and leverage. There is no way that particular raccoon could have gotten through a 2" x 4" opening unless he went on an extended fast.

I have been shopping for fencing lately, trying to stop the dog attacks here before I get more breeding stock. There is a huge difference in quality and sturdiness of different fencing products, even within the 2" x 4" welded wire category. Most of it is flimsy 14 gauge stuff that can easily be snipped with wire cutters and probably wouldn't last five minutes against a determined set of dog jaws. The 12 gauge stuff is harder to find. It might hold up a little better. But it's hard to install it if you can't find it to buy it.

Good quality T posts are getting hard to find, too. Most of the available posts are so flimsy a large dog could bend them just by jumping on them a couple of times. Getting frustrated because I want this fencing project done so the chickens can have more freedom, and I can't find decent materials.

Have you tried the fencing stores rather than HD/Lowe's? I bought 8' T-posts from Stark Fence, they had to order them in for me, and they are very sturdy. I believe they carry two different grades of T-posts. You might try calling them and ask. Edited to say, they had to order because I needed 8' for a 6' fence.

 

[chickadoodles]

We bought some landscape timbers to use for some of our fence posts and concreted them into the ground to make the fence more sturdy and only used T-posts at the gates. But we have an auger to dig the holes with so we put nearly 3' of post in the ground. I don't have to worry about dogs here. My dogs take care of all the other critters.