New Mebanite Chicken Owner

[Drenaol]

Howdy,

My wife and I recently moved from the northland to Mebane, NC. With the move, we decided to add some chickens to our household. We purchased a coop and placed it in a fortified dog kennel (wire across the top, metal fabric around the ground).

Next we added the ladies... 2 Australorps and 2 Faverelles pullets... Then, after additional reading on this site and some research, we added a Faverelles cockerel. So, they are currently working on pecking order and coop adjustment.

With the leap into chicken herding, I felt it would be of benefit to join BYC. So, here I am... Looking forward to the experience and the learning.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Australorps and Faverolles are both great breeds; cold hardy, calm and gentle (great lap pets), and good layers of large, brown eggs (the Australorps are exceptional layers). Thanks for posing the pics. ) If you haven't done so already, definitely check out our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is loads of useful information there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.

 

[sunflour]

welcome and congrats on getting your own flock.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. Nice set up, my recommendation would be run 1/2" hardware cloth from ground to about 12"-18" inches around the inner perimeter of your run. This will prevent raccoons from reaching in and biting off body parts. They are horrible predators. Can dig, climb, jump down from trees, and have opposable thumbs so can open almost any type of latch. They especially go after birds that may be sitting or sleeping along the fence.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. Nice set up, my recommendation would be run 1/2" hardware cloth from ground to about 12"-18" inches around the inner perimeter of your run. This will prevent raccoons from reaching in and biting off body parts. They are horrible predators. Can dig, climb, jump down from trees, and have opposable thumbs so can open almost any type of latch. They especially go after birds that may be sitting or sleeping along the fence.

I agree with drumstick diva's advise. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Drenaol]

Thanks for the welcome... And good advice on the additional hardware cloth. The herd is locked in the coop at night, but the additional cloth would help prevent daytime issues.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks for the welcome... And good advice on the additional hardware cloth. The herd is locked in the coop at night, but the additional cloth would help prevent daytime issues.

You're welcome. Hardware cloth has saved many chicken owners a lot of tears.