New 2 chickens

[Imwiththepyr]

Hello! I just joined today. Very nice to meet you!! Once you have a fresh, free-range egg, store bought will never taste the same!

 

[Imwiththepyr]

Regarding the raccoons (and I am sure there are other ways to protect the flock) what I have is welded wire around my chickens' run (however, they also have 2 acres to free-range during the day) and buried 12 inches into the ground around the run is hardware cloth. This prevents anything from digging underneath. On the coop's windows, there is a hardware cloth stapled and nailed to keep predators out. Though I have not seen a single coon or coyote or anything ever enter my yard thanks to my Great Pyrenees.

My birds (and I am sure most if not all over chickens) enter their coop on their own once the sun begins to set.

Regarding your gravel, I am sure someone with more expertise than myself will chime in, but I would remove it simply so they have ground to scratch at and weeds, bug etc. to eat.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I saw two racoon in my backyard recently. Should I go all fort Knox and use cyclone fence or welded wire on the run? Or just make sure they're in the coop after dark? Also, I landscaped my yard with half inch gravel. Should I remove that in the run or just leave it there? Thanks!

You're welcome. Use hardware cloth secured with screws and washers placed close together. Coons can reach through the openings in cyclone fencing and welded wire and grab chickens. Even though they can't pull them through the fencing, they can still kill the bird by tearing off a limb or head. The openings in hardware cloth are too small to allow them to do this. Also, other predators (weasels, minks, snakes, rats, etc.) which can squeeze through small openings cannot squeeze through the openings in hardware cloth.

 

[Michael OShay]

Also, I landscaped my yard with half inch gravel. Should I remove that in the run or just leave it there? Thanks!

If it's a very smooth pea gravel, I would just leave it, but if it's a rough quarry gravel I would remove it as your chickens can injure their feet on it.

 

[Frindizzle]

Welcome to BYC! What chickens are you getting?

 

[Buckhowdy]

I was thinking of getting 5 cherry egger's from cacklehatchery.com. My wife said get ten so I ordered ten. Then I read the code that said the limit was 25 and talked with an animal control officer that said I could have 22. So I changed my order to 15 because the shipping was cheaper for a larger order. To make a long story longer I've got seventeen cherry egger's (a strain of Rhode Island Red) to be shipped at 5:00 AM on Oct 1 to the local post office.

 

[Michael OShay]

I was thinking of getting 5 cherry egger's from cacklehatchery.com. I've got seventeen cherry egger's (a strain of Rhode Island Red) to be shipped at 5:00 AM on Oct 1 to the local post office.

Cherry Eggers are a red gene hybrid (one red gene breed which is used in the hybridization is the RIR). I have had a few of them from Cackle in the past and they are good layers that will give you lots of large, brown eggs.

 

[gander007]

Alright Brian,

 

[Outpost JWB]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens!!

I got all excited when I read Cherry Eggers!! Had never heard of them, but I 1st thought of my easter eggers and olive eggers. They sound like a nice breed though. Thankfully Michael OShay clarified in my mind that they lay brown eggs

. I would have been ordering more chickens!! I do have RIRs and they are wonderful.
Good luck with yours & I would go as Fort Knox as you can. We had raccoons attack our flock this past spring & lost 10 laying hens. Once they find a good restaurant, they come back. So glad you are getting things together before you get your chickens. Enjoy!

 

[Michael OShay]

I got all excited when I read Cherry Eggers!! Had never heard of them, but I 1st thought of my easter eggers and olive eggers.

That happens with a lot of people when they first see the name. It's a bit misleading as the name is derived, not from the color of the eggs, but from the reddish color of the bird's feathers.