Hi all, I'm Stephen, but all my friends call me Fuzzy. I decided to raise chickens, due to the amount of free range organic eggs I have been eating. I have lots of room for them, but do live in one of the swamps of Connecticut, so I got lots of other stuff I am going to have to deal with too. I am going to be looking for some help in varying areas with the chickens. First thing I need to figure out is what fencing to use. I have been told not to use Poultry fencing as Raccoons can actually bend it open. Several people have said this to me at this point but i still find it hard to believe. I am being told to use hardware cloth, yet the cost is so prohibitive for the size of the run I am building, 16X16 with a 8X8 coop in the corner of it. Yes I realize that is a substantial starting coop, but I have already been hit by Chicken math. Well Anywho, glad here is a site like this out here and am looking forward to being part of this community. Fuzzy
Hello there and welcome to BYC! A run really needs to be secure on all accounts if you plan on being away from your birds as they hang out in the run all day. I have a 10x18 foot run and used 1/2 inch hardware cloth all around. Not cheap but with my peace of mind knowing all my birds are safe, I paid the extra cost.. Some people do use electric fencing in the yard for free ranging. I hear it works fairly well however it won't keep the hawks from diving in. Chicken wire is VERY flimsy and I don't recommend using it on any external areas of the coop or run. I have had hawks dive right onto the hardware cloth of my run and had I not used hardware cloth and used chicken wire, these large Red Tailed hawks would have dove right into the run and got my birds. Chicken wire can be chewed through so easily by a hungry coon or skunk. You might want to stop by our coop and run construction forums for more input on this as well....https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance Enjoy all your poultry adventure and welcome to our flock!
Hey there! Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you decided to join! Let us know if you have any questions, we will be glad to help you if we can. There is a lot of great info on here, and lots of very knowledgeable people, so I'm sure you'll be able to find any info you may be looking for. Enjoy your flock!
Welcome to BYC, Stephen! I'm glad you joined us. TwoCrows has given you some excellent advice! Good luck with any future poultry adventures.
