Hi. My name is Kristy, I'm new to the forum and new to raising chickens. Right now I have 5. 4 Black Copper Marans and 1 that I suspect is a Maran/Welsummer cross but not sure. The person I bought them from said they were all hens, fingers crossed she was right, but they're all beautiful.
I have a pre-fab coop that I ordered because I bought my first chicks spontaneously and didn't have a coop built. That proved to be a mistake as the first week I lost 2 chicks to raccoons and then spent more $ on securing the coop better. Even though it seems to have worked, I'm still looking for something better for the chicks.
Currently I am working on expanding the run area and looking at larger, more sturdy coops. I am looking for advice as the chicks are still small (2 months old) and I have a little time to fool around with ideas. I want to build the run extension myself, not as a part of the secure coop at night but just extra space during the day. I can not free range, I have one of THOSE neighbors who can't keep their dog on their own property and it's not a very friendly dog, and this neighbor has already stolen cats from other neighbors and 'rehomed' them because he didn't think they should have them. I wouldn't want him or his dog to get a hold of my chickies.
Any idea's on materials that would work to keep them safe from things like Hawks in the day time? How tall should they be? What material should I use over the top, that sort of thing?
I have a pre-fab coop that I ordered because I bought my first chicks spontaneously and didn't have a coop built. That proved to be a mistake as the first week I lost 2 chicks to raccoons and then spent more $ on securing the coop better. Even though it seems to have worked, I'm still looking for something better for the chicks.
Currently I am working on expanding the run area and looking at larger, more sturdy coops. I am looking for advice as the chicks are still small (2 months old) and I have a little time to fool around with ideas. I want to build the run extension myself, not as a part of the secure coop at night but just extra space during the day. I can not free range, I have one of THOSE neighbors who can't keep their dog on their own property and it's not a very friendly dog, and this neighbor has already stolen cats from other neighbors and 'rehomed' them because he didn't think they should have them. I wouldn't want him or his dog to get a hold of my chickies.
Any idea's on materials that would work to keep them safe from things like Hawks in the day time? How tall should they be? What material should I use over the top, that sort of thing?
Good luck with your expansion plans and I'm sure you will find the links left for you above very helpful. 
. Thank you for joining us at Backyard chickens - hope you will enjoy it as much as we do. 
