my new run ideas

[lavender pekins]

hello everyone ive wanted a new run for ages and ive finally convinced my dad to help me build one!!! At the minite the chickens are down at the farm which is just down the road i have a 6 x 5 house which houses 6 light sussex and 2 red stars. and since ive joined secondary school its been unpractical to get up everymorning at six with my dad to let them out and feed them!

so i my dad told me to think of some ideas and run it past byc and see what they say and adjust it if need be! Please note that the chickens can't be let out of a confines safe place owing to the fact that their are so many foxes around here my neighbours hens got out and were all found lying around our feild some were dead and some weren't but couldn't be saved so had to be put down :-(. we saw just yesterday 4 yes 4 foxes trying to get into my hen house so we got our neighbour who has a lisence to shoot them he got two but the others scarpered! so basically they cant be let out!

so this is how my house looks at the minite...
we own 10 site fencing panel things which is what the chooks are in at the minite but we have to keep moving them every 2-3 months which stresses my dad and the chicks out

so isn't ideal so i want a static run but my dad and i agree they should always have grass and that makes them happy and helps them lay weve tested it my grandad and i both brought 2 red stars at pol and mine layed every day up untill there third year and now there laying every other day wheras my grandads whose are in the back of a lorry stopped laying at 1 and a half and now lay every 3 days! here are picks of the panel things if u don't know what they are!


this is what i plan to do p.s my dads a builder too!!


would this be suitable any ideas? also in cornwall uk where is the cheepest place to get this kind of mesh...?



Many thanks xxx

 

[res]

I really, really like your design with a central "Fort Knox" run surrounding the coop, with the ability to easily turn them out to one of the 4 grassy areas. You have it designed so you can easily rotate them so they will always have green grass to munch on! Very well thought out!

I don't want to give you any advice on your question about the green mesh fencing because I am not familiar with your climate or predator risk...

 

[lavender pekins]

thanks glad you liked it!!!

 

[MoonShadows]

Great plan. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[4 the Birds]

I prefer that your run and coop be really secure than to kill any predators. Foxes are great animals and you should be able to construct something safe with those heavy duty panels. The welded wire mesh should be OK if it is fairly heavy duty and you can bend a skirt out from the run (attach the mesh to the panel bottoms) so the foxes cannot dig up at the panels. Rotating runs can work but I would concentrate on 2 large run areas and switch off twice a year. You could even just make one large run and toss in some grass clippings now and then. Another idea is to have a net fence free run area and let them run around as you are there daily to clean, water, and feed. They can then go back in the run area when you are not there to watch them. Good Luck!

 

[lavender pekins]

i agree 4 the birds foxes are great animals but not where we live all the foxes around here are mangy scabby things. that are pourly and looking for an easy target that usally comes by the hens or calves and if they start to eat calves we lose our money! however we have a rule where we only shoot the pourly ones we know for a matter of fact there two pairs of healthy foxes around our land that we have named! the pourly ones will only eat the hens and calves then die usally after giving mange to our dogs and cats! (we are afraid they might give it to our cows!). i also agree i would prefer to make it fox proof which i will do but unfortunaly we will still have to shot the mangy ones!