thoughts of run design

[ChickOhio]

We are just about ready to start work on our outdoor run. Our chickens are housed in a 8x8x8 enclosure inside our horse barn. We already have a area beside the barn that is enclosed with 4x16 livestock panels about 16x50ft I will wrap the panels with wire fence ,the smallest fence I can find is 2x4 openings. Hardware cloth is too expensive for a run this size For the top i was going place a set of poles with a board runnning between them support and string wire 12 inches on center to support deer netting.

The panels are not under ground but I was going to make a 2x16 panel flat along the ground to prevent digging animals. We will have a pop door that we will close at dusk to keep the chickens inside at night. I do want to make a auto door but that will be in the future.

So my question really revolves around the top covering of the netting will this prevent areial attacks or will predators climb the fence and get into the run?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Raccoons and possums can get in with the deer netting. It's main benefit is against hawks and owls.

 

[BeccaOH]

If the chickens will be locked out of the yard every night in a secure coop by the time coons start to roam, then I think deer netting or plastic poultry netting would work okay to keep hawks out and chickens in during the day.

Enjoy!

 

[patandchickens]

While fence-climbing predators DO sometimes come out during daytime, it is not usually a *giant* risk having the setup you describe as long as the birds are shut away promptly by dusk. As long as you are not fussed by the (very small) risk that someday a raccoon *might* decide to invite itself in at 5 pm for chicken dinner, I think your setup sounds reasonable. The extra run area is quite arguably worth the very small decrease in security.

Remember you will have an awful hard time keeping the netting up during the snowy months of the year, though. It can be *done*, by buying very heavy-duty aviary netting and supporting it quite well and banging the snow off as it accumulates, but it isn't easy. So your run may be 'topless' for part of the year.

JMO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[chickens3]

that will work.