Social chickens

[aart]

The beauty of the spirals is that you can then take down a panel simply by removing the spirals so you can access an entire area of the garden or fenced area with a truck.

Those spirals look cool....wouldn't be applicable to a livestock panel hoop coop but still...very cool, would love to play with them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Those spirals look interesting. How much have you used them, LG? Do you have more than one season’s experience with them? I’m wondering about how they do long term, pro’s and con’s. One thing about them, they should not take up much room to store them.

I usually tie the panels together with wire I get from the bales of wheat straw I use as mulch. Just a twist and cut and it is done. When I take them apart I sometimes untwist but usually just cut them. I have plenty of wire and that’s quick and easy for me. And the wire is free after I buy the bales of wheat straw. I like free.

I did not think of cattle panels when I was trying to come up with a quick and easy way for the OP to solve an immediate problem. They are more expensive than PVC but once you get them home they are pretty easy to work with. It’s a viable solution.

Now that the OP has solved the immediate problem I’ll mention that while I’m a big advocate of providing all the room you reasonably can I also try to advocate flexibility. A coop big enough that you can keep your chickens locked up for a while provides a lot of flexibility in how you can manage them if you have issues. One pretty common question on this forum is “If I free range why do I need a run?” This thread is the perfect example. It allows you to handle issues that come up. To me a lot of the things about keeping chickens is more about reducing our stress than about what the chickens need. I did not want to bring this up until the OP had solved the immediate problem but now that the pressure is off, it might help with the long term solution and provide food for thought for others reading this thread. The OP’s problem is not all that unusual.

 

[lazy gardener]

Those spirals look interesting. How much have you used them, LG? Do you have more than one season’s experience with them? I’m wondering about how they do long term, pro’s and con’s. One thing about them, they should not take up much room to store them.

I usually tie the panels together with wire I get from the bales of wheat straw I use as mulch. Just a twist and cut and it is done. When I take them apart I sometimes untwist but usually just cut them. I have plenty of wire and that’s quick and easy for me. And the wire is free after I buy the bales of wheat straw. I like free.

I did not think of cattle panels when I was trying to come up with a quick and easy way for the OP to solve an immediate problem. They are more expensive than PVC but once you get them home they are pretty easy to work with. It’s a viable solution.

Now that the OP has solved the immediate problem I’ll mention that while I’m a big advocate of providing all the room you reasonably can I also try to advocate flexibility. A coop big enough that you can keep your chickens locked up for a while provides a lot of flexibility in how you can manage them if you have issues. One pretty common question on this forum is “If I free range why do I need a run?” This thread is the perfect example. It allows you to handle issues that come up. To me a lot of the things about keeping chickens is more about reducing our stress than about what the chickens need. I did not want to bring this up until the OP had solved the immediate problem but now that the pressure is off, it might help with the long term solution and provide food for thought for others reading this thread. The OP’s problem is not all that unusual.

This is my first season with the spirals. they are made of the same galvanized wire as the CP's are. IMO, those CP's are completely indestructible, and will most likely be functioning long after I've made my exit from this life. The thing that I like about them is this: they can simply be dropped into place to connect 2 panels. What we did was drive a piece of rebar into the ground where the 2 panels meet, and then drop a spiral down over the rebar and the edges of the panels where they meet the rebar. We used a single T post mid way along the length of each panel. So, to remove a panel, all we have to do is remove the spiral, and unclip the panel from the T post. (we only used 2 clips/post) Obviously, if you have plenty of free wire, that's a perfectly viable solution. But, I LOVE the ease of the spirals. They also work pretty good for a gate hinge!

Like you, I waited a bit before posting mention of the CP, wanting the OP to have time to address the original problem. Also, hoping this thread will give others reason to look at their own set up with an eye towards the long term issues associated with free ranging. I know I could not keep my flock for a single year, living where I do if I did not have a run. Too many predators of both domestic and wild varieties. At any time, I can let my flock out to free range, but can easily get them back in the run within 5 minutes. (either by calling them, or enticing them with a can of scratch.)

Strange dog wandering free. Hawks flying over head. Chickens crossing the street. (I sense a chicken joke coming on here... Why did LG's chickens cross the road? They crossed the road to visit Bob. It seems that everyone LOVES Bob: dog, cat, chickens, crows, song birds, raccoons. They all migrate to Bob's house!) Wandering too far into the woods. Coyotes, owls being a bit too vocal for comfort. And one often not mentioned reason to confine chickens to the run: Training new pullets to the nest. And, one of MY personal favorite reasons for using a run: to manage deep litter. Any time I remove DL from the coop, it goes into the run. I dump tons, yes, I literally mean TONS of yard and garden debris, plus wood chips into my run. The birds are more than happy to work that up into soft fluffy black compost that can be put back into the gardens.

 

[MollySunshine]

There are great ideas here for quick fencing! One of my roosters we named The Rebel likes to wander through the woods into my neighbors yard. He states he doesn't mind but I am afraid The Rebel will in time dig a hole in his lawn or garden and he will lose his welcome. I like the idea of that flexible fencing. Why didn't I think of that!

In regards to a quick run....We use wire dog kennels. We purchase a 10 x 10 x 6H from Tractor Supply and build from there. They even have the slanted roofs for them you can purchase separately or you can use a cover of some sort. Just don't do what I did initially and use tarp. The first good rain took the tarp down. Live and learn....these are quick and easy to slap together in no time.