Run location thoughts

[ladyhand]

after 7 long weeks, their coop while not finished, is done enough for them sleep in. I need to get a run set up soon because while they’re currently free ranging during the day, they’ve started eyeing my fence and basically they’re dead if they get into either of my neighbors yards because they both have dogs with invisible fences. Also, I need to get back to the office and not checking on the chickens every 20-30 minutes. Anyway, I’m going to build the run up right behind the coop and will gradually build onto it. Based on a picture of the location, what are some things you may see that I may not be aware of? We don’t plan on cutting the trees down, we’ll build around them and basically nail the hardwire cloth into the tree. We’ve had a lot of rain here the last week, so the ground has been a bit muddy. I’m thinking I can spread out some of the leaves already back there and add some wood chips to help control moisture? I’d love to do deep litter because of the location, but I don’t know if it’s practical.

the scratch on the ground is just to get some sort of grass back there started. I don’t actually give them that much (plus they don’t seem to care for it). That stuff grows in places nothing has ever grown before ...

 

[Boise-girls]

From what I can see, it looks like a cool area in both senses of the word. Most of what I've read suggests wood chips are the best way to deal with moisture - I'm assuming you get a fair amount of rain? The trees don't look big enough to nail anything to, but maybe that's just the photo.
Virginia creeper is pretty tenacious, so that may (or may not) work well for you. Do I see honeysuckle shrubs in there? They're also kind of a mixed bag.

 

[Boise-girls]

P.S. My hens love spots like that, esp in the heat of the day!

 

[ladyhand]

From what I can see, it looks like a cool area in both senses of the word. Most of what I've read suggests wood chips are the best way to deal with moisture - I'm assuming you get a fair amount of rain? The trees don't look big enough to nail anything to, but maybe that's just the photo.
Virginia creeper is pretty tenacious, so that may (or may not) work well for you. Do I see honeysuckle shrubs in there? They're also kind of a mixed bag.

It is very shaded back there. I know during the summer they’ll have only a little bit of direct sunlight first thing in the morning. I’m assuming a bit more when the leaves fall, I’ve never paid much attention. I have no idea what any of those plants are called... will they pose an issue for them?

 

[Boise-girls]

The Virginia creeper shouldn't be a problem, except that it's pretty vigorous. Birds like the berries. It's a vine, and I think might be native to your area. I have it growing around an old wire compost container, and my hens like to nestle underneath it in the heat.

If that is honeysuckle (hard to tell for sure), I don't think the berries would be good for them. Does it get red berries?

 

[ladyhand]

I’m going to be honest, I’ve never spent time out there to know...

 

[Boise-girls]

I have spots like that, too!

 

[3KillerBs]

A shady, woodland area is an excellent place for chickens. Were you thinking of a completely enclosed run with wire or netting on top, or just a more securely-fenced area?

Nailing hardware cloth to trees would be bad for the trees and create an insecure attachment, but it's difficult to dig post holes in among trees. Metal T-posts might be the best idea if digging among roots prevents you from using wooden posts.

If you go that route be sure to get a post driver. It's a lifesaver to make a difficult job easier.

 

[ladyhand]

I was thinking a fully enclosed run, with the 2x4s along the bottom with the wire buried deeper, but now I think it may be better to do some sort of stone pavers outside to make it much longer to burrow in? Good point about the trees, I just don’t know how to enclose securely around the tops then...

A shady, woodland area is an excellent place for chickens. Were you thinking of a completely enclosed run with wire or netting on top, or just a more securely-fenced area?

Nailing hardware cloth to trees would be bad for the trees and create an insecure attachment, but it's difficult to dig post holes in among trees. Metal T-posts might be the best idea if digging among roots prevents you from using wooden posts.

If you go that route be sure to get a post driver. It's a lifesaver to make a difficult job easier.

l

 

[3KillerBs]

I was thinking a fully enclosed run, with the 2x4s along the bottom with the wire buried deeper, but now I think it may be better to do some sort of stone pavers outside to make it much longer to burrow in? Good point about the trees, I just don’t know how to enclose securely around the tops then...

It will be better to use hardware cloth skirting than to use pavers. Digging predators start to dig at the base of the visible obstruction, going under any walls or blocks that they can see. With the wire skirt they start to dig at the base of the wall, hit the wire, and give up because they don't understand why they can't dig there.

There is someone here who has anti-hawk netting arranged around trees but I can't remember who it is or how it was done.