New pen

[PeepsCA]

Yes very nice, what lucky HANDSOME boys!

 

[kuntrygirl]

VERY nice! I love it.

 

[critters]

Real Nice and beautiful boys too!!

 

[bdfive]

Is that cable attached to chicken wire? Great pen and peas look content. I'm trying to figure out how I want to add on a large area to my existing pens (3 - 10 by 30 feet and 1 - 12 by 30'). Predators are a serious problem here so thinking light wire like chicken wire or roof netting but would put them back in the safe pens nights. I love seeing what others are doing and have never thought of using cable.

 

[cinders55]

It's rope with netting for the roof. The sides are chain link lined with chicken wire on the bottom 6 ft on the outside wall and just a regular fence wire on the inside wall lined with chicken wire. We live in the woods of southern AL so we have predators. Right now I keep the light on at night and have ordered some solar powered "night eyes" which I've been using in the chicken coop. This weekend my husband will be adding shutters to the windows of the house and a solid door so we can lock them in at night. At this time they like to stay out on one of the perches at night. Thanks so much for the compliment.

 

[bdfive]

Rope makes sense. Did you find it stretches therefore loosens some? Did you pull it tight with a come-a-long? Be careful of predators digging under the bottom of the fence. They try it here all the time. We put wire attached to the outside bottom of the fencing letting it lay on the ground going out 2 to 3 feet. It could be buried some but whole idea is when animals dig to go under they will run into the wire and be unable to continue digging through. I have 4 holes on one side of our pen where something has tried to get in that I need to refill. They got to the wire and were unable to proceed. I have the other 3 sides covered with large rocks....haven't had time to cover this side.

Be sure and place a roost for them nights when locked in the shedded area with platform for their feet being at least 4" wide so their feet don't freeze if you have cold weather. I had to do more roofing on our pens. We have two 10 foot logs in each pen. Only one was beneath the roof and I'll be darned if they didn't choose the uncovered one nights in rain, cold, freezes and even snow. Could have removed that one but I feel having other places for them to stand is like having a larger pen in a way. We built corner nesting boxes 3 to 4 feet off the ground and it's amazing how much they use them to lay during the day and still use the ground beneath so once again we added more room for them to range in. Mine prefer to be beneath a roof but figure they are better off nights with one keeping them sheltered. 20' of the 30' depth of the pens have a roof with 10' open with only the 2 by 4 inch welded wire.

Happy I saw your pen......have some ideas now of using rope. Thanks.

 

[cinders55]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking I should put some wire in the ground around the pen. I am also thinking of putting rock around the pen for about a foot out so we don't have to use the weed eater up against the fence. We just pulled the rope by hand. There is a platform in the pea house that they like to roost on. It's about two feet wide and runs from one end to the other. I'm sure as time goes on I'll make improvements and changes. I think I would like to raise the ceiling by about four feet.