New run questions

[Mamatomany123]

We are expanding our run and doing so with pallets. I'm not sure on the exact measurements. Around 50x30ish on this side (there's more run space on the other side of the coop). I'm planning on doing the bottom 4-5ft in hardware cloth but was wondering if it would be OK to do the rest with something a little cheaper? We don't have raccoons or such. Also,saw a hawk scoping out the girls earlier. What's the best way to do the covering for the roof? Other side of the run has a solid roof but putting a solid roof on this side can get pricey.

 

[Krugerrand]

Weasels, rats and mice would be other small critters to consider. So, what pressure those might have for you and how you manage feed, etc could impact how well other things will hold up. I've seen some different bird netting recommended in other threads, but have not experience with them myself.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Weasels, rats and mice would be other small critters to consider. So, what pressure those might have for you and how you manage feed, etc could impact how well other things will hold up. I've seen some different bird netting recommended in other threads, but have not experience with them myself.

We have a the grandpa feeder,the one that requires to stand on the lever. I'm also going to skirt the outside,forgot to mention that. We don't have weasels. I also have 3 outdoor cats so fingers crossed they keep any little rodents away.

 

[linguini]

We are expanding our run and doing so with pallets. I'm not sure on the exact measurements. Around 50x30ish on this side (there's more run space on the other side of the coop). I'm planning on doing the bottom 4-5ft in hardware cloth but was wondering if it would be OK to do the rest with something a little cheaper? We don't have raccoons or such. Also,saw a hawk scoping out the girls earlier. What's the best way to do the covering for the roof? Other side of the run has a solid roof but putting a solid roof on this side can get pricey.

You can use aviary netting on top to keep the hawks out - the price is very inexpensive, and easy to install. 1" or 2.4" both work well. We use t-posts tie to 2x2's with a 4"x8" board on top of the 2x2 post to hold up the net. No digging needed!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071G8G346/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Mamatomany123]

You can use aviary netting on top to keep the hawks out - the price is very inexpensive, and easy to install. 1" or 2.4" both work well. We use t-posts tie to 2x2's with a 4"x8" board on top of the 2x2 post to hold up the net. No digging needed!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071G8G346/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thank you! That pesky hawk was watching all day.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

If you're not using HWC pretty much everywhere you're doing yourself a disservice.

I don't mean to sound blunt but well, it is what it is as the saying goes.

You'd be surprised at the critters (hawks aside) that can make their way into a coop with just minimal security.

 

[texsuze]

Agree that using HWC over all vertical wall surfaces would give much more peace of mind. If you decide not to, and if a critter climbs up beyond the HWC and gets inside the pallet run it would be really tough to determine where it entered ,at which point you might wish you had covered pallets all the way up Just something to consider.

Re: aviary netting, I have some 1" square heavy duty netting for sale on the Buy-Sell-Trade forum, but it is only 25' x 25'. I'm in the Hill Country so shipping et. al. might work to your advantage, also being in TX. Just putting in a shameless plug for the netting....