Safe spot for coop?

[TrappingNY13]

First time chicken owner here. I have an area behind my house somewhat wooded at the moment. Working on clearing it but was wondering if some trees around coop are okay predator wise? I attached a picture of where I would like to put it. I will take down all of those trees standing 35 yards within stacked wood.

 

[blackdog043]

Yes trees near the coop are fine and may even provide shade in the summer. You will need a covered run, to keep predators out. What kind of coop are you planning on building? Here's mine with trees.

 

[wamtazlady]

I don't see a problem. Of course you should have wire on the top of the run to prevent any critters dropping in coop from trees or climbing over the sides. Shade is good during the hot part of the summer. If you live in a place that gets cold in the winter you might want to make sure you can reach the coop with a heavy duty extension cord so that you can keep the water from freezing.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Since critters like to come out of the woods, the safest thing to do would be to make sure the coop and run is predator proof.

 

[Folly's place]

My coop has trees for shade and as a windbreak and works very well. It needs to be a predator proof as you can build it in any location. Mary

 

[TrappingNY13]

If letting the chickens free range how do you keep predators out if the run is open during the day?blackdog something simple looking like yours.

 

[blackdog043]

You don't, but most nocturnal predators won't be out. It's a slight gamble but I let mine out as often as I can, as long as I know I will be home before dark.

 

[Folly's place]

Daytime predators are always an issue with free ranging the birds. I don't have dogs guarding the flock, so the birds have to be alert!
I have lost an occasional bird (usually immature bantams) to raptors, and then keep the flock locked in for one to three weeks, until that hawk moves on.
Once I lost TEN nice hens in an afternoon to a mangy fox; that was the worst ever. The flock was locked in until he was eliminated.
Most of my losses to predators were at night before the birds had a safe coop at night. That's the most important factor in flock survival, IMO.
Mary

 

[TrappingNY13]

What size run do you guys suggest for 12 hens? And do you have any cheap methods of wiring? Everything I'm finding is going to be like 200 to wire in.

 

[blackdog043]

The standard run size suggested here is 10 square ft per bird. For 1/2" hardware cloth, check the prices on Amazon and walmart.com. I used about 150' for my run and around the bottom of the coop. If you want to make a solid roof with Tuftex panels, go online and check out all the Lowes near you. Some have different colors and sizes on sale right now and will save you a ton of money.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tuftex-Pol...ated-PolyCarbonate-Plastic-Roof-Panel/3043411