Is Alexis still a hen?

[Ketta_czarina]

It’s happened!!! I think this is Alexis’s first egg! The peach one in front. Yah!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

@Cryss that is terrifying.

The coop and main run are chain fence wrapped in chicken wire. The main run is 6’x20’, cemented around the bottom, one side is along a brick wall, the other three sides are wire mesh at the bottom, chicken wire at the top. There are is about 60 feet of 2’x2’ chicken-wire-wrapped wire and wood tunnels that connect the two spaces around the garden. I didn’t think of snakes and mice.

Yay on the eggs!!
But, I have to backup what they're saying. My run is partially chicken wire over chain link. My only consolation is if I close the door on the inner run, nothing big can get in because its also on a concrete pad with a real roof. That said, when I put the chicken wire over the chain link, I'd left a gap of about 2 inches at the bottom, because I had nowhere to put the wire for a skirt. It took two years for something to take advantage of that gap, but they finally did. A little over a month ago, I lost 8 of my 14 chickens to what I think was a weasel. I can't afford hardware cloth, so I still have chicken wire, and I've fixed the gap, but I also accept that mice are in my run.

 

[Ketta_czarina]

@Frazzemrat1 eight?!?! That is awful!! I’m so sorry. I am definitely looking at more security options thanks to this thread.this was supposed to be a budget situation, recycling things I already had in the yard, like the playhouse and dog run, but wow, wire gets expensive! I actually cemented in my wire at the bottom of the run, so there would be no gaps. We used to have dogs, they dug pretty quick, so I was prepared for that part. It’s just the tunnels that are insecure. They are just in those in the day time, so they can feel like they are free-ranging, but are protected from hawks and cats. The whole yard has 6 foot cinder-Block walls, so the dogs couldn’t get out. Not sure if that will keep the coyotes out? It definitely doesn’t help against possums and mice. I’ve never seen a snake in our neighborhood, but it could happen. We don’t have weasels, but we do have squirrels?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

@Frazzemrat1 eight?!?! That is awful!! I’m so sorry. I am definitely looking at more security options thanks to this thread.this was supposed to be a budget situation, recycling things I already had in the yard, like the playhouse and dog run, but wow, wire gets expensive! I actually cemented in my wire at the bottom of the run, so there would be no gaps. We used to have dogs, they dug pretty quick, so I was prepared for that part. It’s just the tunnels that are insecure. They are just in those in the day time, so they can feel like they are free-ranging, but are protected from hawks and cats. The whole yard has 6 foot cinder-Block walls, so the dogs couldn’t get out. Not sure if that will keep the coyotes out? It definitely doesn’t help against possums and mice. I’ve never seen a snake in our neighborhood, but it could happen. We don’t have weasels, but we do have squirrels?

Yes you have squirrels. They don't attack chickens normally, but they can and will eat your feed.

 

[Ketta_czarina]

So far I’m ok with the mice, baby possums and squirrels cleaning up whatever the chickens don’t eat, as long as they don’t hurt the birds... but I have a feeling they will cause other problems eventually.

 

[chrissynemetz]

An adult opossum will kill chickens and eat eggs.

 

[WallyBirdie]

Pullet!

 

[Cryss]

So far I’m ok with the mice, baby possums and squirrels cleaning up whatever the chickens don’t eat, as long as they don’t hurt the birds... but I have a feeling they will cause other problems eventually.

Yes, sadly, critters can also bring diseases into the run especially if they poop there. Do you leave the feeders in the run all night or do you bring them indoors? Leaving them creates an all you can eat buffet for critters.

 

[Ketta_czarina]

@Cryss I had left the feeders in, until I discovered the baby possums. Now everything gets locked up at sunset

 

[keesmom]

So far I’m ok with the mice, baby possums and squirrels cleaning up whatever the chickens don’t eat, as long as they don’t hurt the birds... but I have a feeling they will cause other problems eventually.

You don't want any of those either. Disease carrying poop machines. Tree rats will target eggs as well.