How secure should my run be?

[JessicainOhio]

Hi. Our babies are 2 weeks old and starting to fly all over the brooder!
In a month or so we'll move 'em to the coop -- as first time chicken owners we're not clear on how secure the run should be.

The details:
We have a prefab all-in-one-coop that's locked up tight with hardware cloth (top, bottom, sides...should be completely critter-proof). You can see it here: bexleychickens.blogspot.com
We have that coop placed inside a fenced dog-run (aka chicken-run). The run has a 6 ft. high wooden fence that we'll probably chicken-wire reinforce at the bottom to keep the chickens inside.
We plan on locking them inside the all-in-one-coop at dusk, but letting them use the chicken-run during the day.
We have 3 chickens, all med-large breeds.

My hunch is that we only need to worry about flying predators during the day.
(1) Am I right with that, for the most part?
(2) How secure should the run be to ward off hawks? We do get a few in our neighborhood. I was thinking that string strung back and forth on the top of the run with fabric bits tied on the string might provide a visual barrier for the hawks. Does that sound right? Is it even necessary? Or should we really invest in hardware cloth over the top of the run? That'll make it a little too short for my boyfriend to help with the raking (he's 6'4") - and that's a major disincentive for me!
(3) How much should we worry about/protect against the chickens flying out of the top of the run (6 foot fences).

Thanks for any help!!
I can post pictures if that helps!

 

[rcentner]

You would be surprised to know that fox will hunt in the morning and at night when the sun is still up.
Make the run as secure as you can so that you never have to say to yourself "I should have done _____"
an ounce of prevention makes for happy chicken owning.

If they can jump on anything to help get over the fence they will. I had a hen who jumped on the edge of a pole to get a bound big enough to jump on top of the coop and out she went. She was the only one that did that.

Anything over the top of the run, cloth or wire. My DH was even thinking about making a little netting out of clothesline. Just as long as a hawk cannot swoop in and sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a hawk incase they crash into it.

I prefer bending over to rake vs dead chickens. I am 5'3" and rake my 4' run with one of the real short rakes.

edit: OH I forgot to mention neighborhood dogs and cats can be troublesome during the day too

 

[GrandmaAnn]

You could maybe just use chicken wire over the top. That should keep the chickens in and the hawks out. I won't keep out predators such as raccoons at night, but you are planning on locking them up every night.

 

[possumqueen]

Hey, Jessica!

rcentner is right: foxes, dogs, cats, raccoons love fresh chicken, and they'll do what it takes to get one for breakfast!

Take into account where you live and what kinds of wild/tame life you have hanging around. Here in my neighborhood I have the neighbors' dogs and cats, and I have a creek behind my house just jampacked with raccoons. I also see the occasional possum, but I don't have to worry much about hawks or foxes. much. . . .

My dog would also love to snack on chickens, but he can't get to them, and he's very useful for keeping off the rest of the predators - even if all he's saying is, "No NO!!! They're mine! I get first dibs!!!!"

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd say you'd be 90% safe, JMO, since you're locking them up at night. I will tell you though, it's nice to feel 98% confident. When you have a covered run, and are out late at the movies or dinner (especially now that it's getting dark earlier and earlier), it's nice to not worry about "what if..."
If you have a little money to spend, buy a few more posts and attachments, and create a few arched "rafters" on your dog run (like the ones they sell advertised as "covered dog run"). Run welded wire over that and on the ends. Then your guy can still rake, and you can feel safer about your birds

 

[JessicainOhio]

Teach1: You make a really good point about the days getting shorter and shorter. I'm often at work until after dusk -- it'd be nice not to have to worry about who's locked the chickens in.

Okay, with that in mind, if we chicken-wire the top (maybe tent-pole it up so BF doesn't have to stoop too much), would chicken-wire on the inside of the wood fence be secure enough (understanding that nothing is ever going to be 100%).

Also, see those wires on the bottom of the chimney to the right of the photo? Are chickens likely to peck at those in a problematic way? Should we hardware cloth them away from those too? Also, we have window sills on that side of the house (not in the picture). I suppose they'll hop up on the window sill and poop there too, huh?

Hmmm....a lot to think about...

Note: Old Dog Jack won't be invited in the run once it's Chicken-Land