The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

I'm actually using it inside a pole barn and I'm looking for something easy and easily reconfigured.

I did think about weasels. Everything else I have is 1/2" hardware cloth for that specific reason. I was hoping that I wouldn't have any weasels but that is always a possibility.

 

[LindaB220]

You can also use the cattle/goat panels to make a hoop type structure.



These are 4 foot tall by 16 feet long cattle panels. I used tie wire to tie them together. This structure is 8 feet wide and the top center is just about 7 feet tall. It works great for me, being 5'4".

I've never seen a goat panel with smaller holes but I'll be looking into them you can be sure.

I enclosed the ends with cedar fence planks and some interesting construction.

Outstanding, Lacy, what is that 4 or 5 panels long. I was thinking about making one 9' wide since I'm short too.

What is the white on the sides. Siding? Love it, love it.

 

[mlowen]

Weasels are virtually impossible to protect against...a small terrier type dog is the only practical defense.

I know we have weasels around here...I've seen them. That's why I (literally) wrapped my coop & run in 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It wasn't cheap, but I don't have to worry about anything getting them when they are locked up. About the only thing that can get in would be mice, and they would be a yummy snack.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Outstanding, Lacy, what is that 4 or 5 panels long. I was thinking about making one 9' wide since I'm short too.

What is the white on the sides. Siding? Love it, love it.

5 panels long and yes, white pvc siding for wind protection. Very very easy to construct.

 

[LindaB220]

5 panels long and yes, white pvc siding for wind protection. Very very easy to construct.

It's one of the best I've seen and looks so easy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

You can also use the cattle/goat panels to make a hoop type structure.



These are 4 foot tall by 16 feet long cattle panels. I used tie wire to tie them together. This structure is 8 feet wide and the top center is just about 7 feet tall. It works great for me, being 5'4".

I've never seen a goat panel with smaller holes but I'll be looking into them you can be sure.

I enclosed the ends with cedar fence planks and some interesting construction.

How does it handle the snow in the winter? Do you have to brush it off/shovel it off the top?

 

[Lacy Blues]

We don't get much snow here at all. In fact, our yearly precipitation is only 5". That said, I think these cattle panels can handle it. They are very thick steel that is still flexible enough to bend into a U shape. The boards around the perimeter are there to keep the sides where they need to be and I put lightweight garden posts outside those that are driven into the ground and then screwed to the boards to keep the boards from being pushed out.

I just realized that I told everyone I joined the panels with wire ties... I don't mean zip ties (my husband calls them wire ties). I mean actual wire doubled and wrapped around the two pieces of fencing at one of the ribs and crossed them over in an "X" pattern to join them together and then twisted enough that they cannot be pulled apart. I tied them down the center and then also about at the top of the hardware cloth that is above the corrugated pvc.

You can probably find snow load information for this type of structure on youtube or someplace like that.

 

[Lacy Blues]

How does it handle the snow in the winter? Do you have to brush it off/shovel it off the top?

If you put structures like this inside your pole barn, you wouldn't have to worry about snow at all. I would cover the whole thing with 1" chicken wire though to protect them from critters getting in. If you are concerned about raccoons reaching through (and you should be if you have them) You could put 1/2" chicken wire where the roosts meet the sides, say like in the center of a piece that measures 48" square and when you add your 1" wire just cover it over rather than worry about cutting it out.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I made the door out of fence boards too.

Oops, I thought I had a picture of the door from the outside, guess not. My husband has taken the camera on a road trip with him so I cannot get one before next week. Anyway, you can see my fence boards on the inside. There are a few cross pieces because one or two of the boards did not want to lay flat, so I forced them!

Running down the middle is some garden netting that is 7' tall. It is buried and tied to garden stakes to keep the bottom down and it separates my cockerels from my pullets.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Ok, I didn't finish watching this thing but this guy is located in New York state. He just finished putting his greenhouse together with cattle panels and 6 mil poly. The first night it snowed about 18" from what he said. There isn't 18" on top at all, I think the rounded top helps the snow slide off. You can watch this and if you watch it to the end you'll know if he removed it or it came down on its own. I suspect the latter.