Run location thoughts

[Boise-girls]

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.

I had been thinking of using pavers on my pen extension, too. Your description of "predator logic" changed my mind on that!

 

[3KillerBs]

I had been thinking of using pavers on my pen extension, too. Your description of "predator logic" changed my mind on that!

It's what I was told by the experts here back when I build my first chicken run and used pavers.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's what I was told by the experts here back when I build my first chicken run and used pavers.

You're laughing and so am I because we learn from our mistakes.

Or, if we're lucky, we learn from others mistakes so that we can make new, original mistakes to learn from.

P.S. I wrote an article on my newbie questions revisited. That wasn't among the questions though because it was kindly pointed out to me after I posted photos of my coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-newbie-questions-10-years-later.76713/

 

[Boise-girls]

You're laughing and so am I because we learn from our mistakes.

Or, if we're lucky, we learn from others mistakes so that we can make new, original mistakes to learn from.

P.S. I wrote an article on my newbie questions revisited. That wasn't among the questions though because it was kindly pointed out to me after I posted photos of my coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-newbie-questions-10-years-later.76713/

I loved that article!

 

[3KillerBs]

I loved that article!

Thank you.

 

[ladyhand]

So,

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 ...

So one other question... can I count the space under the coop in the square footage for a run? It’s about 18” tall. Obviously I’ll extend the run out past the coop (I’m contemplating while my husband works on the roof), but I’m trying to determine how far into the woods I should go.

 

[3KillerBs]

So,

So one other question... can I count the space under the coop in the square footage for a run? It’s about 18” tall. Obviously I’ll extend the run out past the coop (I’m contemplating while my husband works on the roof), but I’m trying to determine how far into the woods I should go.

Yes, sort of.

Chickens will love being under the coop, but if you have any very large breeds they may not fit under there.

 

[ladyhand]

Yes, sort of.

Chickens will love being under the coop, but if you have any very large breeds they may not fit under there.

I think sapphire gems are considered medium sized. So they should fit?

 

[3KillerBs]

I think sapphire gems are considered medium sized. So they should fit?

In my in-town flock the only one that didn't fit at all was the Brahma rooster, but some of the big, Brahma girls had to squat down a good deal or dig out a crater once the bedding started to build up and reduced the headroom.

They'll LOVE being under there in the cool shade.

 

[3KillerBs]

You can see in this picture how deep the bedding would build up, how tall the rooster was, and how one of the hens has dug her way into that space.