Keeping Chickens Free Range

[OrganicFarmWife]

OrganicFarmWife, i cant figure how many feet that would be of fence. I dont know why my brain wont do that anymore. If i have 170 feet of fence is that enough to keep ten chickens happy? I dont want them to be standing in poop. I may be able to let them free again at some time, but i dont know. I had them free ranging for 18 months with only an occasional loss and this spring the foxes have lost their minds. Thanks for your help.

Lol that is totally fine, my brain does not think that way either. 10 birds is 100 square feet, that is 10*10 or 40 ft of fence. So yes you have enough. Bigger is always better, but the bigger it is the harder it is to secure. Remember a fox can dig under your pen, it can also jump and climb some and tear through a weak fencing. So you need to make it deep enough to protect from diggers, high enough to prevent your birds from escaping and from a predator from getting over, and strong enough to keep an animal from chewing through.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

And Ralphie is right the busier you can make them the happier they will be. I keep a mirror in my barn over winter (one of those children unbreakable ones) my birds spend a lot of time admiring their beautiful plumage over winter.

 

[vpatt]

Ralphie and Organic, thank you both so much! I will remember everything you have said. It may take me a while to do it all......getting the fence up will be the first step. Then i may be asking how to work with an electric wire.

On another topic, I have been quite agravated trying to use bird netting when i had chicks in a pen. I would love to see a fox caught in it. The only thing worse to use is saran wrap. :/

 

[lazy gardener]

Can some one help me......if i have 10 or 12 chickens what is a good size pen? I cant seem to wrap my head around the math this morning.

Fox showed up again yesterday. The 3 big chickens were in the coop. So he looked like he was thinking of jumping in the little pen with the banties. Wyatt made a better showing and tried running after him this time.

You'll need to make that fence sturdy and put a sturdy top over it. Foxes can jump amazingly high, and dig amazingly well. 170 linear foot of fence will give you an area just over 40 x 40 if you make it square, and enclose the coop in the square. If you use the coop as one wall of the fence, you can make it even bigger. It depends on what your property looks like, if there are any barriers or obstacles you have to take into consideration. Helpful to have a nice long tape measure and some fiberglass fence posts so you can play around with your space and dimensions. An other option to putting a top over it would be to put a few strands of electric around it. Give that fox a hot nose. I'd go that route. But I have to cover my run, as hawks are my primary predator. Of course, all of the 4 footed preds are in my neighborhood also.

 

[vpatt]

I've heard the 10 and 4 sq ft as well but the 4 sq ft as interior coop space per bird and the 10 sq ft  per bird as run space.   @vpatt
 the more space you can provide for them the happier and healthier they'll be. 

Yes, i want them to have lots of space......i can go with 6-8 chickens if it helps. I know there will be chicks occasionally, too.

 

[vpatt]

You'll need to make that fence sturdy and put a sturdy top over it.  Foxes can jump amazingly high, and dig amazingly well.  170 linear foot of fence will give you an area just over 40 x 40 if you make it square, and enclose the coop in the square.  If you use the coop as one wall of the fence, you can make it even bigger.  It depends on what your property looks like, if there are any barriers or obstacles you have to take into consideration.  Helpful to have a nice long tape measure and some fiberglass fence posts so you can play around with your space and dimensions.  An other option to putting a top over it would be to put a few strands of electric around it.  Give that fox a hot nose.  I'd go that route.  But I have to cover my run, as hawks are my primary predator.  Of course, all of the 4 footed preds are in my neighborhood also.

My main obstacle will be trees, which we will have to work around.So it won't be a square pen, but that is not a problem. Thank you.

 

[islandgirl82]

My main obstacle will be trees, which we will have to work around.So it won't be a square pen, but that is not a problem. Thank you.

Hawks tend to avoid places they think they may not be able to get out of. With all the trees around, bird netting will be a tough medium but if your able to run thin twine or rope from one side to the next, criss-crossing it in no particular pattern serve the same purpose and make it easier to work with the trees. The downside would be time consumption in stringing it.

 

[vpatt]

Hawks tend to avoid places they think they may not be able to get out of.  With all the trees around, bird netting will be a tough medium but if your able to run thin twine or rope from one side to the next, criss-crossing it in no particular pattern serve the same purpose and make it easier to work with the trees.  The downside would be time consumption in stringing it. 

I'll keep that in mind, thank you.

 

[spurrer]

One day I found what I think was a rat snake and I killed it. I didn't move it, couldn't hardly stand to look at it. The next day there was another snake right with the dead one. So I killed that one too. And I could hardly believe it when a day or so later there was another snake bigger than the other two. They must have been a family. I didn't know they would do that. I sure hope another one doesn't come up. They were very long and big around. Some people that saw them thought they were some other kind of snake but I believe they were rat snakes. I have had several rob every bird nest that has been built near my house. I leaned to put bird netting around the limbs or post and I caught two that way. I have been shamed by other people for killing them but I like birds better . We are overrun with chipmunks who do a lot of damage but seems a snake never gets them. And I perfer rats to snakes . I can always put out traps for them.

 

[rottlady]

snakes are way better than a rodent infestation. rodents spread diseases and destroy or steal feed, snakes eat rodents. Rat snakes will also eat eggs and very small chicks but benefit outweigh cons