Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chiques chicks]

Maggie!!!! How's that sweet girl doin?!?!?!?

Full of energy, full of trouble, full of love. So glad I have her.

 

[stake]

Thought I'd throw this out there.....a bunch of folks have been very generous with me so, I thought I ought to pay is forward a bit if I can:

I have a collection of hatching eggs...CCL over BO, GLW, BC Marans, and a Dorking...if you're interested PM me, I have 1/2 doz now and will have more to add over the next day or two...no money, just come and get them before I have to throw them in the frig....

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Let the chickens eat all the grass, then decide between straw in the run when it gets muddy (I have not tried this yet, but I was told it works).
Or cement the run, and just toss leaves, or whatever on it for the girls to dig through (the cement means you know when to stop digging when you are cleaning).
And, last thought is add gravel.
As for the run itself, get those metal stakes with the fence hooks, and just put the fence up like that. Bird netting on top, and you are done!

Thanks! Can you give more information about where to find the metal stakes with the fence hooks? I'm not sure what you mean by them.

  Just be sure to make it twice as big as you think you need it.:cd

Thanks, I will try, but I don't have too much room.

Except for the straw part I'm all with you there.  Straw is revolting when it gets wet.  Actually draws and holds moisture but doesn't absorb it.  I'd actually forgotten exactly how much I despise straw and why since it's been  years since we've kept horses and sheep.  I was quickly reminded this past winter when I got a bale off of a friend and threw it into my run.  D:  

What I've experimented with so far is
Aspen chips... loved them to death!  Started with them, went to other things and am now back at Aspen chips in the run and coop and will remain with that forever.
Straw...it all needs to be burned and destroyed and removed from the face of the earth!  D:
Sand...was nice to clean but when it gets wet, sticks to their feet and just didn't do the same thing as the aspen chips.
Grave...worked like the sand, nice actually to clean, etc.  But I just like the fluffiness of the aspen chips and the fact that it actually composts with the manure and turns into gorgeous black dirt.  


And on another note... for those who've enclosed and winterized their runs, when do you "unwinterize them"?
My chickens are meticulously removing the plastic I enclosed their run with a bit at a time.  Though it's got little peek holes in it here and there now I am hesitant to take it down since it does still provide some wind and draft protection even though it's now holey enough to stand at the altar and do mass on Sunday.  XD

So, do you all wait till it's above freezing and staying that way?  I am afraid if I leave it on too long they're be too warm in there with the sun blazing in now.  

Thanks for the tip about the straw, I was going to use that, but I'll save it for the garden now. . Where do you find the aspen chips?

 

[BullChick]

I have asked about the straw on a couple other threads. I got a few positive comments. I do believe you guys when you say it is not the best. My memory from previous posts here is what had me asking before just doing it.
So I will explain what / how I am planing on using it. If you guys can give me a better idea, I am all for it... Even if you tell me to put in a floor.

I am getting turkeys, and the vision I have for the pen is covered roosts, nests that will have floors, and a big 'ol run. The unit may be mobile. Haven't figured that out yet. So! If there is no floor, pine chips are gonna stink and cause a mess, sand is useless in the mud too. Straw is the only option left. I plan on raking it out weekly.
If the whole thing is mobile, a lot of mud can be avoided, but right now the ground is sopping wet, and even the cats are leaving mud puddles the size of their paws. Ie, moving the coop will cause mud. Even with a floor in the coop, the run will need a mud remedy.
Does that change using straw?

 

[GR Chicks]

Thought I'd throw this out there.....a bunch of folks have been very generous with me so, I thought I ought to pay is forward a bit if I can:

I have a collection of hatching eggs...CCL over BO, GLW, BC Marans, and a Dorking...if you're interested PM me, I have 1/2 doz now and will have more to add over the next day or two...no money, just come and get them before I have to throw them in the frig....

Wish I lived closer

 

[BullChick]

Quote: TSC and Lowes both sell them. They come in several heights, and are cheap.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/step-in-poly-fence-post-48-in-black?cm_vc=-10005

 

[fisherlady]

I have asked about the straw on a couple other threads. I got a few positive comments. I do believe you guys when you say it is not the best. My memory from previous posts here is what had me asking before just doing it.
So I will explain what / how I am planing on using it. If you guys can give me a better idea, I am all for it... Even if you tell me to put in a floor.

I am getting turkeys, and the vision I have for the pen is covered roosts, nests that will have floors, and a big 'ol run. The unit may be mobile. Haven't figured that out yet. So! If there is no floor, pine chips are gonna stink and cause a mess, sand is useless in the mud too. Straw is the only option left. I plan on raking it out weekly.
If the whole thing is mobile, a lot of mud can be avoided, but right now the ground is sopping wet, and even the cats are leaving mud puddles the size of their paws. Ie, moving the coop will cause mud. Even with a floor in the coop, the run will need a mud remedy.
Does that change using straw?

The only 2 ways to avoid mud that I can think of is....
A) change elevation.... ie, place a treated 1x6 around the base of the fence, preferably buried an inch or 2 into the ground, this will created a 3 or 4 inch bumper board... fill the run to nearly the top of the bumper board with fine gravel (pea gravel, fine gravel chips... whatever is the finer type available from local source). This allows the water to drain down through and prevents the chickens from walking around in ankle deep muck. It may need refreshed once every other year or so (probably only half the original amount) for the first few years, as it is pushed down into the ground. Rains do help 'rinse' it so manure doesn't build up as bad. It can easily be raked with a fine leaf rake to remove leaves or other debris.

B)create a drainage system.... dig channels through the run area which deepen toward one end where they all join into a main drain ditch, can be filled with a pipe system (Not too hard to do if you want instructions) or you can fill them just over half way with a heavier gravel and cover the gravel with a landscape cloth and cover the landscape cloth with a finer gravel to level of run base. Have the main drain run away from the coop (you only need an inch or two drop per 8 ft to get water to flow well)... once you are away from the run a reasonable distance you can dig a 3x3x3 pit (or 4x4x4 if draining a big run). Fill the pit with large gravel to almost top and cover it with landscape cloth to keep soil from rinsing into it and clogging it. The ditch drain will empty into the pit which will allow the water to absorb into the ground. It isn't complicated, but is a good day's work to get it done and can get overwhelmed with really heavy rain or with heavy ice/snow load... but is better than nothing if your run tends to stay wet for long periods of time.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Thanks MC! I will look into those!

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks MC! I will look into those!

Annie... are you building in your yard area or near wooded areas? My preference is that if it is an area which may be prone to predators such as fox or raccoon then the wire you use to enclose the run must be much heavier than chicken wire... unfortunately chicken wire just doesn't stop fox, coons or coyote at all, they will tear right through it. If you are in a predator prone area you should go with a heavier hardware cloth or even chain link fencing if you can find it reasonable price... it is much more expensive, but can help prevent a tragedy. I think you can still use the push in posts with the hardware cloth if you wanted.

another thing we did to further secure ours, since it is against a wooded area... is we collected every rock we ever dug up around here and piled it around the base of the fence to create an 'impossible to dig' zone... the rock pile extends at least a foot or foot and a half away from the base of the fence and any predator trying to dig under the fence would have to dig down and then tunnel quite a way to get into the run.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Thought I'd throw this out there.....a bunch of folks have been very generous with me so, I thought I ought to pay is forward a bit if I can:

I have a collection of hatching eggs...CCL over BO, GLW, BC Marans, and a Dorking...if you're interested PM me, I have 1/2 doz now and will have more to add over the next day or two...no money, just come and get them before I have to throw them in the frig....

If only I had an incubator (and lived closer)