OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[cabinchicky]

They are all the same age, born on the same day. I believe only one is laying currently as I only get 1 egg per day. Again they're just a few days shy of 20 wks. I can't be sure I've never raised chickens before.

I say I took a crash course in chicken care. And still learning! This is a great resource for information on all things chicken!

And a great place to get help in emergencies! Currently have a hatch going on and the 1st one hatched had the yoke sac still attached. Still watching the lil one.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

 

[chicknmania]

I have a friend who makes "hawk bunkers" for her birds that don't have much cover. . She makes them out of old Christmas trees, or shrubs, or straw bales, or what ever natural material she can find, and they actually work well and are fine as far as cosmetics.. They also have long grass for the birds to hide in. Use your imagination! Maybe try hardware cloth for covering the top of the run, as it is light, but stronger than chicken wire. You can also make "hawk mobiles" using old cd's or dvd's and glittery ribbon, or anything that flashes and spins, like wind spinners, are excellent hawk repellers. You can even buy glittery stuff designed to repel hawks, but just as easy to make your own. You don't need to use many, just strategically place them near whatever your birds use for cover. But if you can't cover the top, you might as well free range, because not only can hawks fly in, but raccoons or other predators can crawl over the top, and some chickens can fly out of the run, too. . AND make sure you protect the bottom too, from predators digging underneath. Hardware cloth is useful for that. Attach it to the run fencing, so that it acts as a "skirt"...or bury it in the ground around the run.

 

[Laurel Meadows]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

We have our runs fully enclosed- the tops are just chicken wire and work great to keep hawks and owls out.

Most of the snow drops right through. You might see a little collect on the wire but not enough to make it sag. Depending on the dimensions of your run, you might need cross supports across the top for more strength and to give you places to nail the chicken wire. We also zip tied sections of wire together in places where we couldn't secure it to a board.
Here's a pic of a section of one of our runs:

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

The coop and run were existing when we moved in. So trying to improve and revamp where needed. I say we safe range...lol That green fence part you see the girls in is movable. When the lawn needs mowed we roll it all up, pull the poles and mow. Then put it back in a different configuration. It's always attached at the wooden uprights you see as that leads to Jurassic Park (permanent fencing) and their pop door to the coop.
The large plastic wrapped thing on the right is this weekends project....new roof!
No confirmed rooster yet, (pretty sure one of the new additions is) but my Bossy head hen sounds an alarm and everyone goes for cover. I would hate to go out and find a pile of feathers. I know having chickens means it will more then likely happen. I'm trying to avoid kicking myself for not being proactive. Everyone is shut in at night to be safe.

Permanent run is welded wire on t poles with railroad ties all the way around at the base.

 

[teal29080]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

I got a turkey for protection. Lol

 

[teal29080]

Hi all!! My name is Tera. I married a farmer..he didn't want chickens and I did. So, we compromised and got 18 chickens! However, as much as he says he dislikes chickens, I catch him out there checking on them and watching them! We live in Stark County in Navarre (near Canton/Massillon area). Glad to see so many Buckeyes that have chickens!

Welcome to BYC!
My husband wasn't real into the chickens either. 3 years later, he gets upset when I get rid of any but i tell him we can't keep all of them. I would be a crazy chicken lady with 50 million chickens. Lol

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

We covered our run with a roof.
You can check out Cutlers Supply in Michigan as they have several weights of bird netting.
We used a tarp for a year but I had to punch holes in it so the snow could melt.

 

[cabinchicky]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

Our runs are welded wire fence top, sides and skirts. I add tarps in winter on the sides to block wind, one on the top in summer for shade. Have had one hawk fly into it, best laugh I had that day!

 

[Spartan22]

Wondering what anyone here uses for hawk protection. We have a run that's fenced but has no top. My concern is the snow.
We tried a netting but the fall leaves weighed it down. Is chicken wire strong enough?
I would think much thicker would be hard to support on it's own. So had to ask other Ohioans!
Right now there are tall weeds everyone hides in. (What I call Jurassic Park) But while those grow or once they are down I'd like a little extra defense.
There is a tree close by too but that's a catch 22. Gives shade and some coverage but also makes a convenient perch.

I have corrugated clear panel roofing on half of my run and chicken wire on other half. Works great to keep snow and rain off since I pitched it very steep.

Originally I had only planned to roof 3-4' of the run to keep the feeder protected and a little shelter for my chickens when it's raining if they don't want to go in the coop. I had left a gap approxiimately 4x5' adjoining the A-roof and the flat-roofed chicken wire for months since I don't know How to close off the triangular opening. One Sunday morning I came out to the run to feed the chickens when I saw flapping smaller bird inside it and none of my chickens to be found. A hawk swoop in the small gap didn't know how to get out.

I decided to roof the entire half of of the run since am also tired of mud and muddy eggs.