Re-integration Frustration--Please Help!

[aart]

Bumblefoot is an infected wound(usually staph), not caused by jumping,
unless they land on something sharp enough to cause a wound,
which then can become infected.
If they already have an infected wound,
jumping can cause exacerbation of the discomfort.
Have had big birds (Brahma) who preferred ramps to jumping down.

 

[Jcat6419]

They don't need to be real high, could add a ramp too.
Your main run is kind of small to add much,
height of stuff is often limited by 'jumping down' space.
Best addition might be a solid board as a lean-to against wall,
both ends open so no 'trap',
providing a break in 'line of sight'.

Any chance at all of building a mesh covered run extension?
You said you had some Tposts and welded wire.
Maybe do a hoop coop type construction.
What kind if welded wire do you have?
Gauge and size of mesh openings?
How many Tposts do you have?

What is your climate, add your location to your profile?

I’m in Lexington KY so the weather will be cold (20s-30s) with some snow this winter but not a ton. This past summer wasn’t too bad with only a few bad stretches in the 90s. I put up shade cloth and canvas “awnings” to provide additional shade in the summer. For winter, I have some clear plastic “corrugated” sheets I was planning to cut and fit in between the run supports as storm panels.

I WAS considering extending the secure run...however I’m currently renting and I was trying to hold off on any expansions as the whole contraption is going to have to be disassembled and moved next summer. I’m building a house on 5 acres so we’ll be moving as soon as the house is complete. Of course, it’s taking longer than anticipated. but would it help my situation to extend the whole footprint another 10 ft or so? I could do it pretty easily because it was constructed in panels. I’d just remove the end piece, put 2 new front and back panels on and then replace the end piece. And extend the roof. That would make the entire footprint 5ft by 22 ft and give room for roosts, levels, etc. Even some outdoor nest boxes and multiple feeding and watering stations.

Re: other options. This rental house is in town and has a smallish back yard. I don’t think my landlady would approve of a hoop run....but I have about 15 T Posts (I think 6 ft tall) and 100 ft of 5 ft tall welded wire fencing with 2in x 4in openings I think. I was contemplating options while the girls free ranged this evening. I could utilize the back privacy fence and make a large square of about 25 ft by 50 ft. I have a LOT of aviary netting (25 ft x 100 ft) but will have to prop it up enough for me to walk under. Plus figure out a gate. Anyway, using the back fence gives the girls access to a favorite foraging area with trees/bushes etc. I’ll just have to figure out how to get the netting around it all.

But the secure run is the best option for them to have more room to roam 24/7. Guess I better go buy some lumber

 

[Jcat6419]

What is the "base" in your run? Dirt, sand or other?
My 4 1/2 year old BO can jump an outdoor roost over 2 feet high. I would place things at least 18 inches so they can walk under them.

Make sure their roosts are not treated lumber - the only bumble foot I have had in mine was when mine were painted - treated lumber and use wore through it

It started out as grass then became dirt. After that, I put sand in the part under the coop and a mixture of sand/dirt/mulch in the rest of the run. The sand and dirt were great for summer but with the weather getting colder I put some Koop Clean (chopped hay/straw) under the coop (they lounge there when the weather is bad) and some shavings in the rest of the run because it was damp. I believe you’re asking because landing on a hard surface would be a bad thing for them?

After this molt is over, the Orps may be better equipped for reaching slightly higher roosts. My friend (where they stayed last fall) clipped their wings but now they are getting full length feathers back in. 18” sounds like a good compromise though!

The roost is just a regular wood board 5 ft long and about 2in x 5in wide with the edges rounded by a sander. I covered it with white duct tape to give them some grip and to make it easier for cleaning. Your chickens got bumblefoot from the chemicals in the treated lumber?

 

[Jcat6419]

Bumblefoot is an infected wound(usually staph), not caused by jumping,
unless they land on something sharp enough to cause a wound,
which then can become infected.
If they already have an infected wound,
jumping can cause exacerbation of the discomfort.
Have had big birds (Brahma) who preferred ramps to jumping down.

So obesity is not a cause? Ugh. And if jumping down from too high roosts isn’t a cause maybe I should raise their roost back up? It’s only about 10 inches from the floor of the coop and I bedded the coop with about 6 inches of Koop Clean!

 

[aart]

Tposts can be temporary, depending on your soil, I put them in and out all the time.
Yanking them back and forth then pulling them up is fairly easy, but my soil is sandy.
This is what I would do in your situation.
Put the posts in 2 rows about 4-5 feet apart,
spacing of posts in row would be 4-6" smaller than the height of your fencing to allow for overlap as each post. Figuring out how long each piece of fencing should be will take some experimentation, getting the curve right so it's stays up, but it goes up and over and is clipped to posts. Here's rough section, look at my coop page to see my run, same here but without rafters. I hope that makes sense.

 

[aart]

So obesity is not a cause? Ugh. And if jumping down from too high roosts isn’t a cause maybe I should raise their roost back up? It’s only about 10 inches from the floor of the coop and I bedded the coop with about 6 inches of Koop Clean!

Nope. Do they have bumblefoot now?

 

[Jcat6419]

Tposts can be temporary, depending on your soil, I put them in and out all the time.
Yanking them back and forth then pulling them up is fairly easy, but my soil is sandy.
This is what I would do in your situation.
Put the posts in 2 rows about 4-5 feet apart,
spacing of posts in row would be 4-6" smaller than the height of your fencing to allow for overlap as each post. Figuring out how long each piece of fencing should be will take some experimentation, getting the curve right so it's stays up, but it goes up and over and is clipped to posts. Here's rough section, look at my coop page to see my run, same here but without rafters. I hope that makes sense.
View attachment 1181547

So this would be constructed such that my secure run would open up into this as a day run? I’m putting the welded wire fencing over the top and not the aviary netting?

Just checked out your coop. Wow, that is an awesome set up! I get the idea with the T posts and wire. Kinda glad now I never got around to doing the other enclosure with the aviary netting because your idea is so much better! Just one question—how do I make a door for me to get into it?

 

[Jcat6419]

Nope. Do they have bumblefoot now?

A couple of them have mild cases that have been treated and are slowly healing. I could post some pics tomorrow. Out of 5 chickens, only the smallest one, weighing 3.8 lbs has no sign of it. Two have been treated with minor home surgeries, wrapping, soaks, silvadene, and antibiotics, and two with me soaking, pulling the scabs off, applying silvadene, and wrapping. I look at their feet regularly so I find the mild cases—only one had any overt symptoms. She had a very slight limp at a run.

 

[aart]

Just one question—how do I make a door for me to get into it?

Well... That's trickier...could just cut another piece of fencing and attach it to the end of new 'run' by just bending a few wires of the fencing itself to the sides..... kinda of hard to explain....one sides attachment would work like a hinge, the other side like a latch..the whole end would be a door......or you could build a door with wooden frame into the end piece.
Several options, too tired to think much now.
Do you have to go in run to feed and gather eggs?

 

[Jcat6419]

Do you have to go in run to feed and gather eggs?

I have to enter the run to feed, water, and rake/pick up poop. I can access the nest box and coop clean out doors from outside the run. I'll have to think about this and maybe try a few things. I could build a hoop style extension and make a small pop door in the existing run that could be opened for chicken access. And make a door of some type on the other end for me to periodically go in as needed. I could keep the feed and water in the existing run which is accessed by a large door.

Thanks so much for your suggestions! We had a good free range this morning with zero scuffles between Zoey and Martha. The boss chicken is keeping Zoey in line so I have some hope that giving more space and other structures for hiding/escape and things to combat boredom will help immensely!