Cluck Berry
In the Brooder
OK, let me start off by saying I know nothing about chickens, and I have no equipment whatsoever. All I have is the desire and the space to raise a dozen meat birds. With that being said, here is what I have to work with.
I live in a somewhat rural area. I have a chain link fence off the back of the house 75' square (toddler retainer). Now that the kids are grown, I want to raise some chickens in the fenced area. My thoughts were to get a coop, put it in the fenced area, fortify the bottom of the fence with hardware cloth and extend the top of the fence with the 25 inch fence extender poles and hardware cloth. Now I have a bunch of questions. Will the chickens fly over the top of the fence if it is 6 feet tall? Will a dozen chickens be able to forage and be happy in a 75' square? I want to start this off in July for my initial attempt so i am not dealing with cold weather problems as I start out. There are hawks, coons, an occasional mink, and lots of coyotes. My basement walks out into the square, and my deck overlooks it from above so we can always watch things during the daylight hours. It can get pretty windy in my area as I am surrounded by farmfields and I don't know if a chicken tractor will offer enough protection compared to a hard sided coop during periods of high winds and stormy weather. Am I on the right track with my chicken yard thoughts? I know I will need lots of stuff starting out, but I am looking forward to this. I appreciate any and all thoughts and suggestions.
I live in a somewhat rural area. I have a chain link fence off the back of the house 75' square (toddler retainer). Now that the kids are grown, I want to raise some chickens in the fenced area. My thoughts were to get a coop, put it in the fenced area, fortify the bottom of the fence with hardware cloth and extend the top of the fence with the 25 inch fence extender poles and hardware cloth. Now I have a bunch of questions. Will the chickens fly over the top of the fence if it is 6 feet tall? Will a dozen chickens be able to forage and be happy in a 75' square? I want to start this off in July for my initial attempt so i am not dealing with cold weather problems as I start out. There are hawks, coons, an occasional mink, and lots of coyotes. My basement walks out into the square, and my deck overlooks it from above so we can always watch things during the daylight hours. It can get pretty windy in my area as I am surrounded by farmfields and I don't know if a chicken tractor will offer enough protection compared to a hard sided coop during periods of high winds and stormy weather. Am I on the right track with my chicken yard thoughts? I know I will need lots of stuff starting out, but I am looking forward to this. I appreciate any and all thoughts and suggestions.
