New Hampshire Coop and Run

[JellyBeanCee]

Beautiful coop and awesome pictures. I love the one where the hen is looking up asking why it's so cold. Cute pic.

And loved your gardens too.

 

[ajlynco]

It sounds like just what I'll need for semi-supervised free-ranging.

Quote:
Thanks! The fence is 'electro-web' portable fencing. I bought mine at Premier 1 online, but it's available from several suppliers. Here's a link to the specific one I bought, I like it because it has narrower spaces between wires so grown birds can't slip through them: http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=44079&cat_id=139

The girls generally respect the fence. We left it on under supervision when they first had it. We watched to make sure no one got tangled or hurt when they ran into it. Initially they tried to squeeze through it a couple of times, until they each got zapped once or twice. After that they stayed clear of it. The fence is meant more to keep predators out than the chickens in, but it works both ways. It doesn't protect against hawks, of course. And a determined fox would figure out how to leap over it. But it's better than nothing! And once the hens figured out to stay inside of it, we felt better about leaving them outside while were elsewhere in the yard. If Brian's out mowing the lawn, for instance, he might not have line of sight with the chickens but he's still happy to leave them out in the fenced area because a fox isn't likely to come around when he's out on the mower and the girls will stay put inside the fence.

They have flown over it once or twice, but it's always been for a reason. They know the sound of the scratch bucket when I shake it, and once I shook it before I'd stepped inside the fence. One of the girls got overly excited about the scratch and flew right over the fence toward me! But then she flew right back in again once I stepped over it with the scratch. Another time was recently, after we'd pulled all of the plants out of the garden for the winter and it was just bare earth. The fence was still surrounding the garden, but there wasn't much there for them to do anymore with all the plants and bugs gone. And the ground was semi-frozen that day, so they couldn't even scratch much. One hen flew over the fence and ran toward the trees behind the garden to scratch around in the pine needles for grubs. Three other hens figured out they could follow her, and we had to round them back up again. So we moved the fence to include some grass and a tree, and they haven't flown over it since. If they are happy with what's inside the fence they have no reason to leave. But I always have a back-up plan - if they get too good at flying over the fence, I'll trim their wing feathers so they can't fly as well. They don't need to fly to get to any part of the coop and run, so I'd be okay with grounding them. But I haven't needed to yet!

Amy

p.s. don't use this kind of fencing with chicks! I waited until mine were mostly grown to introduce them to the fencing. smaller birds can slip through the spaces in the fence and might get caught and zapped repeatedly, not good!

 

[poochgrmr]

Is your winter venting where the walls meet the roof? Great coop! Building mine this Spring.

 

[DraigAthar]

Quote:
Yeah, I didn't have any good photos of the vents, but they are up where the walls meet the rafters. We put hardware cloth over them so nothing can climb in the coop, but there are vents on the north and south sides so we still get airflow. Hopefully they'll be adequate!

Amy

 

[jmtcmkb]

Very nice! Love the garden around the coop, I will have to try that in the spring/summer- and you are right garden season here in NH starts and ends before you know it!!

 

[Hobiedog]

Very nice job!

 

[Sassafras]

Very nice! Love the shading with the sunflowers

 

[workinnanie]

Neat coop!

 

[kichohana]

Like it, all of it, and everything about it!