Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Their roofed areas are almost as big as my house. My house is only 900 sq feet. Which does mean the silkie courtyard is bigger. We have 18 acres so i can fence them however.

So very nice!!! Pics?! So we can live through your amazing setup!!!

 

[Hinotori]

It's not a fancy set up. More redneck chicken tarp town. I can move the whole thing. It used to be in a different configuration and 40 feet west. There is hardware cloth around the bottom 2 feet.

Took these when the grass wasnt 4-5 foot tall last year

Backside of silkie pens, open for summer.

Front from the side

Can just see the little house in the pen.

Inside end pen looking down

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

It's not a fancy set up. More redneck chicken tarp town. I can move the whole thing. It used to be in a different configuration and 40 feet west. There is hardware cloth around the bottom 2 feet.

Took these when the grass wasnt 4-5 foot tall last year

Backside of silkie pens, open for summer.
View attachment 3171181

Front from the side
View attachment 3171180

Can just see the little house in the pen.
View attachment 3171185

Inside end pen looking down
View attachment 3171197

View attachment 3171182

Nice setup! Main thing is that it works! And being able to move it is a huge plus with your acreage!!!

 

[Hinotori]

It's not easy, but I can do it. And I manage it alone. I like this spot better so it will probably stay here. I need to get some cement for the 4x4 roof supports. The roof actually is over a foot higher than them. They are just extra for snow load. We had over 2 feet come down before I could rake it off last winter. Those posts had the roof sitting on them and prevented risk of collapse. Cattle panels work better at only 8 foot, I have them spanning 10 feet for the roof.

Because it can be moved and is just a tarped pen, we don't pay taxes on it. Bad enough the tax assessment went up 100k on our property from last year.

 

[The Ranch Girl]

What ? Who? Me ?

I am just dieing reading this conversation!

 

[The Ranch Girl]

But I do love silkies! they are adorable and I have heard good things about them and hope to get some someday

 

[chickengr]

It's not a fancy set up. More redneck chicken tarp town. I can move the whole thing. It used to be in a different configuration and 40 feet west. There is hardware cloth around the bottom 2 feet.

Took these when the grass wasnt 4-5 foot tall last year

Backside of silkie pens, open for summer.
View attachment 3171181

Front from the side
View attachment 3171180

Can just see the little house in the pen.
View attachment 3171185

Inside end pen looking down
View attachment 3171197

View attachment 3171182

great! I was thinking to make something similar. do you have predators? I will have foxes, wolves, wild boars, etc. in my new place. I must make something predator proof.

 

[Hinotori]

Coyotes, cougar, and bear are possible as we've seen them before. Coyotes are annoying and have gotten a large fowl occasionally when free ranging. Had an opossum kill a hen once. Dogs took care of it. The raccoon that lives out in the woods doesn't come near the house. He's been there years so I'm not worried much about him. Had to trap a weasel once. If a bear decides it wants in, nothing is going to stop it.

It's chainlink or welded wire panels and is fairly secure. Coyotes, hawks, and neighbor dog are only real worries and the chainlink stops the canines. Netting goes over for the hawks, but I pay off the local crows as well with eggs. They chase off the hawks. I keep small chicks secured.

I have the bottom 2 feet hardware cloth covered. If I had more predators, I'd hardware cloth the entire 6 feet. Digging isn't a big issue here except for small predators like the weasel. Too many rocks. I have considered putting cement pavers down in the pens and straw on them. That would stop any burrowing. It's evolved over the years. I keep adding stuff. Tried lots of roof types and the cattle panel roof as worked best for me. It was a LOT of heavy duty zip ties.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Coyotes, cougar, and bear are possible as we've seen them before. Coyotes are annoying and have gotten a large fowl occasionally when free ranging. Had an opossum kill a hen once. Dogs took care of it. The raccoon that lives out in the woods doesn't come near the house. He's been there years so I'm not worried much about him. Had to trap a weasel once. If a bear decides it wants in, nothing is going to stop it.

It's chainlink or welded wire panels and is fairly secure. Coyotes, hawks, and neighbor dog are only real worries and the chainlink stops the canines. Netting goes over for the hawks, but I pay off the local crows as well with eggs. They chase off the hawks. I keep small chicks secured.

I have the bottom 2 feet hardware cloth covered. If I had more predators, I'd hardware cloth the entire 6 feet. Digging isn't a big issue here except for small predators like the weasel. Too many rocks. I have considered putting cement pavers down in the pens and straw on them. That would stop any burrowing. It's evolved over the years. I keep adding stuff. Tried lots of roof types and the cattle panel roof as worked best for me. It was a LOT of heavy duty zip ties.

Do you think pavers around the exterior could work to keep out the diggers? I wonder if they'd be smart enough to go out a few feet. The chickens do seem to love the dirt ground.

And i put my run directly on the ground vs a concrete pad for tax purposes as well. I could move it if needed.

I was just reading about hawks hating crows, and some people using LF black chickens as a decoy. Think it works? I think Esmeralda (my wc black polish) looks like a black vulture!!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

It's not easy, but I can do it. And I manage it alone. I like this spot better so it will probably stay here. I need to get some cement for the 4x4 roof supports. The roof actually is over a foot higher than them. They are just extra for snow load. We had over 2 feet come down before I could rake it off last winter. Those posts had the roof sitting on them and prevented risk of collapse. Cattle panels work better at only 8 foot, I have them spanning 10 feet for the roof.

Because it can be moved and is just a tarped pen, we don't pay taxes on it. Bad enough the tax assessment went up 100k on our property from last year.

Yeah be careful with the structure...I had one very similar, though we didn't use cattle panel on roof, and it collapsed! All 200 sqft of it due to heavy rains and my stupidity trying to level the structure on a slope.