The REMOVABLE Top is on the Run (with pics)

[PeepsCA]

Quote:
Some people house their Guineas with other types of poultry and Guineas are usually the only ones that will fly out/come and go as they please and (if you are lucky) be able to fly back in to roost at night. It works, but not for everybody.

Personally I prefer a permanently and securely topped run so I can contain my birds when and if needed, as well as keep them safe from predators while they are confined.

Ever tried to catch a Guinea in a run without a top on it?

 

[perchie.girl]

mick&cori :

perchie.girl :

Oh I doo love Kazoo Crows..... WRT the other guineas in my little flock I know there is a pearl female in there I will have to isolate and band them accordingly once I get things a little more organized in the coop.

I haven't banded any of mine. Or course there are only 5 of them and they all are different colors. There are two of them that are similar, but have small differences.

I've read so much about lighter colors being more prone to predators. What about pied? My cinnamon pied is darker on top.

I can picture your layout, Deb. How many more kennels are you going to get?​

you mean Have.... I have over three hundred linear feet of them. more than enough to do this:

Floor plan:

There is a central aisle where all the doors open in to. The two areas that dont have nest boxes are actually one continuous ell shaped space. This hopefully will be where I will set up a darkend area to put nests for the Guineas in hopes they will use them.

Now you know why I have been scratching my head as to the best way to put a roof over the whole thing without having to climb on a ladder. Your run design solves this for me.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Some people house their Guineas with other types of poultry and Guineas are usually the only ones that will fly out/come and go as they please and (if you are lucky) be able to fly back in to roost at night. It works, but not for everybody.

Personally I prefer a permanently and securely topped run so I can contain my birds when and if needed, as well as keep them safe from predators while they are confined.

Ever tried to catch a Guinea in a run without a top on it?

Yep.... Got pretty good at snagging them with a big ole net on the fly too. That was when I could walk and run a little.... Hee hee. When I do my runs I am going to build in swinging gates to create a funnel in case I need to capture one.... My runs will be covered permanently too. But the deal with this design is it can be pre-built and folded UP into place from the ground. As well as taken down for repairs.

 

[mick&cori]

Quote:
LOL... Sorry about that. The original coversation was a while ago. I wanted to have a covered run where the guineas could come out and free range (a little) but not be able to get out on our land yet and get lost or eaten. They are only a few months old, so I'm still concerned for their well-being. It's kind of like their play pen.

When they get older, I'm going to allow them to free range in our fenced area - outside of the run, but they will still be coming in at night. I will need to remove the top so they can fly into the run and go into the coop to sleep at night. I've been conditioning them to come in at sunset, and to come when they are called (for food, of course).

I hope that makes sense and you see why I made it removable.

 

[mick&cori]

Quote:
In their coop, which they have a door from the run to get in there... they have lots of pine shavings and perches. Do I need to have bedding and perches in the run for them?

 

[mick&cori]

perchie.girl :

mick&cori :

perchie.girl :

Oh I doo love Kazoo Crows..... WRT the other guineas in my little flock I know there is a pearl female in there I will have to isolate and band them accordingly once I get things a little more organized in the coop.

I haven't banded any of mine. Or course there are only 5 of them and they all are different colors. There are two of them that are similar, but have small differences.

I've read so much about lighter colors being more prone to predators. What about pied? My cinnamon pied is darker on top.

I can picture your layout, Deb. How many more kennels are you going to get?

you mean Have.... I have over three hundred linear feet of them. more than enough to do this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop.jpg

Floor plan:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop_3.jpg

There is a central aisle where all the doors open in to. The two areas that dont have nest boxes are actually one continuous ell shaped space. This hopefully will be where I will set up a darkend area to put nests for the Guineas in hopes they will use them.

Now you know why I have been scratching my head as to the best way to put a roof over the whole thing without having to climb on a ladder. Your run design solves this for me.

Wow! That's really cool. It's also the perfect set up since you can't be there. They won't be able to ruin all the grass in there, will they? If they do, it is easy enough to block off that area or take it off?​

 

[PeepsCA]

They would definitely enjoy perches in their run too, maybe some different sized branches? And looking at those roof support braces I'm thinking they will head for those eventually too

As far as bedding in the run goes... if that were my run I'd just wait until they have stripped it of all the grass/weeds and then figure out if you're going to need it. They'd also like a dust bathing area out in their run too. You can use sand, peat moss or small chipped bark mulch... or just plain ol dusty dry dirt is always a favorite, lol. My free rangers always find the ashes from old burn piles around the property and use those areas, and I end up with all light grey Guineas

 

[mick&cori]

Quote:
But if I put dust or sand or something in their run, it will just be mud after the next rain... Should I just keep that stuff inside the coop? They have full access to the coop at any time.

Since you said they like burn piles, my guess is that they will find mine in front of our barn and start using that. It was funny though.... I guess they decided they didn't like the ones inside.... so when we were building the run there was a rotting log, so we used a shovel and moved it. Well, there were tons of bugs in there, so we went in and got some DE to put on it. The guineas decided DE was a good dust bath and started bathing. I was cracking up.

 

[perchie.girl]

mick&cori :

perchie.girl :

mick&cori :


I haven't banded any of mine. Or course there are only 5 of them and they all are different colors. There are two of them that are similar, but have small differences.

I've read so much about lighter colors being more prone to predators. What about pied? My cinnamon pied is darker on top.

I can picture your layout, Deb. How many more kennels are you going to get?

you mean Have.... I have over three hundred linear feet of them. more than enough to do this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop.jpg

Floor plan:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop_3.jpg

There is a central aisle where all the doors open in to. The two areas that dont have nest boxes are actually one continuous ell shaped space. This hopefully will be where I will set up a darkend area to put nests for the Guineas in hopes they will use them.

Now you know why I have been scratching my head as to the best way to put a roof over the whole thing without having to climb on a ladder. Your run design solves this for me.

Wow! That's really cool. It's also the perfect set up since you can't be there. They won't be able to ruin all the grass in there, will they? If they do, it is easy enough to block off that area or take it off?​

Thats just the poultry house without a roof. I will be doing a run area about fifty feet long by 24 feet wide initially. And we don't have grass here.​

 

[mick&cori]

perchie.girl :

mick&cori :

perchie.girl :


you mean Have.... I have over three hundred linear feet of them. more than enough to do this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop.jpg

Floor plan:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/72852_big_coop_3.jpg

There is a central aisle where all the doors open in to. The two areas that dont have nest boxes are actually one continuous ell shaped space. This hopefully will be where I will set up a darkend area to put nests for the Guineas in hopes they will use them.

Now you know why I have been scratching my head as to the best way to put a roof over the whole thing without having to climb on a ladder. Your run design solves this for me.

Wow! That's really cool. It's also the perfect set up since you can't be there. They won't be able to ruin all the grass in there, will they? If they do, it is easy enough to block off that area or take it off?

Thats just the poultry house without a roof. I will be doing a run area about fifty feet long by 24 feet wide initially. And we don't have grass here.​

WHAT?!!?!? No GRASS?!!?!? That's just weird!! LOL! Well, you also don't have snow, so I guess its a give and take. We have been having some rain and weather in the middle 60s to lower 70s. I've been able to get so much done. The guineas decided to play in the rain yesterday, but they are feathered in... I still worried about them, so I hooked their heat lamp back up in their coop.

How are you going to do the run?? Are you still going to use the kennels?​