I need help with the run, please

[ncCHICKS]

I think I know what I want to do with my coop, but not about the run. I'm new to chickens, so please don't think I'm stupid, I'm just ignorant. I want to put them in a run that is about 60x60, not measured it. It's actually a dog pen, but he's gone now since this morning..

But now I have a run

. It's going to be very expensive to cover though!. What is the cheapest way to cover it. My babies are about 14 weeks and perfect hawk snack!!! I've seen about 4 of them this week and when my chicks were free ranging with me watching 3 came out of the woods and flew around. I never knew I could gather that fast!

Anyway, I don't know what I should use to cover it.

 

[ncCHICKS]

Okay that sounds like I'm glad he's gone, which he was old and suffering, so sorta yeah... only to go to rainbow bridge

 

[Matt A NC]

How you want to cover it depends on what kind of protection you need. If you need night time protection from coons, foxes, etc then you are pretty much stuck going the expensive route of covering with wire.

My birds' coops are closed tight at night so I don't have my runs covered with wire. I only have to worry about hawks here. I use 'deer netting' from Lowes. This is plastic vinyl netting. It is around $12 for a 7'x100' roll. I put it up with zip ties. A little extra deterent is to hang some strips of tin foil from it.

This is just a simple, cheap way go about it.

Matt
Morganton, NC

 

[Wattles]

I'm so sorry about your dog :aww

My recommendation for a good inexpensive covering for a run is simple bird netting/flight-top netting. They sell it at Lowe's in large spools and the plastic kind is not very expensive. This will keep hawks from swooping down and entering the run but it won't keep out rodents and other small critters. The previous poster is right - it also won't keep out raccoons if that is a problem - they can rip right through nearly anything but concrete, chain-link and hardware cloth. Is the structure made of chain-link? If I were in your place I would use a combination of hardware cloth along the bottom and sides of the enclosure [over the chain-link and running under it, if possible, to keep out the digging critters] and either chicken wire, bird netting or flight-top netting over the top.

Good luck - run-building is much harder than coop-building I think. Fortifying a run to keep out clever devious little predators is tiring work but worth it to keep our little feathered friends safe and secure . . .

Tara

 

[ChanceRider]

I'm brand new to chickens and ducks myself so I won't venture to offer "advice". I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your dog... two of my goofballs are only 8 years old and I'm already dreading the day I lose one of them.

 

[ncCHICKS]

I'll try to find a pic of him. I hate to say it, but it's good he's gone. He was 14, with heartworms. He had them when we got him and its hard to prevent what he had. Our family gave him 12 years of a decent life. I hate he never went inside (He HATES being inside) It was hard at first. I went to feed him this morning and he didn't greet me at the fence. I knew what it meant. I almost broke down, I guess mom noticed and came with me to make sure. It's always better if you have someone there.



On to the coop, not a big rodent problem, but there is an issue with hawks. My RIR was injured by one (perfectly fine now) and I don't want to chance it. No racoons, and the opossums are sticking to the neighbors burn pile for some reason.

 

[DulcyDoll]

What are you using to keep the 8 month old from scaring/digging/biting at the chicken side (your other post said they were split into 2 sections) I would recommend something solid, maybe chloroplast or something similar zip tied to the chicken side of the dividing wall(other wise the dog would chew/destroy it..lol puppies are brutal on things that you pay for..lol)

Like everyone else has said, the plastic netting would probably work. I use it on my pen and nothing has gone through it thus far.

 

[ncCHICKS]

My brother might be taking her to his fiances house. The dog needs to be on a tie out anyway (if she sees a cat she starts digging at the fence) Mom told him to take her to Brandys (fiance) but I don' t know if he will.

 

[BayCityBabe]

I second the idea of covering the whole thing in deer netting. I live in a hawk area: DD counted five nests near our home. Our 14x30 run is covered in deer netting. We have had no attacks, even though a juvenile hawk did land right on top of one of our 7ft. run posts! Now, we fly a few dollar store flags...
Here is a photo of the run:

 

[Chicken Salad]

I don't have any expertise on your question, ncChicks, but I did want to chime in with others here about your dog. Mine's 10 and I just discovered his eyes are getting blue and so now I'm dreaded the eventual day.

Good luck with your babies!