To cover, the run, or not to....

[CowgirlPenny]

That's the topic in this house!!!! We used to have a dog, now we don't. We still have dogs, but they are lazy and fat and live inside or on the front porch. So now we have this big fenced dog lot that we would like to move the chickens too, its been vacant forever. So, we built a coop and reinforced the fencing around the bottom. We don't really have a predator issue here anyway but just incase!


So, I want to use some type of netting over the top of it. My husband does not. He says since we lock them up at night, and their run is against our house (literally, the back of the house is one of the "walls") that nothing will bother them, and the dogs roam the rest of the yard, they will keep stuff away in the day. But I worry about large birds carrying one off or something. I know it happens, but how common is it? The run is 25x50, so it would take a lot of netting, more support beams across the middle, and some against the house as well.

With them being so close to the house, do you think this is something I need to worry about?

 

[jerseygirl1]

Yes

Cover

I use deer netting - Before I covered it, they would free range, til they flew out of the run and a fox got five hens last year. I also had a hawk catch two of them.
THen I learned and covered the run.

 

[wsdareme]

Cover.

Once the local hawk population figures out you are providing a chicken smorgasbord, you will have more hawks that you ever imagined possible. Also, you would be surprised how high chickens can fly.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Can they really lift a chicken out? Or do they just swoop down and kill right there? I have been reading that the most a hawk can lift is 3lbs.

 

[jerseygirl1]

They can lift a bantam out. Mine flew out of the run and that's how they were caught. THe hawk dropped them and they lived, but still, who wants to see me running out in my jammies again screaming??????

 

[Jessica_1285]

Personally I wouldn't be able to breath without having my chickens in a covered pen, (they are my pets). However if you dont cover the run I guess its no different than letting tham free range....alot of people on here do this! My aunt has a huge farm and all her chickens are just free, and she has never had a problem. I guess it depends on where you live and how brave you are lol. they do need to be secure at night though!

 

[LilyD]

I am setting up my run and it will be about a 20 by 40. I am not going to net the top because financially it's just not practical. I have a dog also that will be outside the pen during the day and I plan to put the chickens in the coop at night so they will be safe. We don't really have a lot of large prey birds because we are close to town but we do have some red foxes that hunt at night and coydogs as well. Those are mainly night hunters though and since the birds will be in the coop at night there won't be anything to worry about.

 

[Underwhere]

I framed the top of my run and covered it with chicken wire.
Rain goes right through but snow does build up.

I'm glad I have it covered though. One day I looked out the window to see a large bird of prey sitting on the top of the run trying to figure out a way in.

 

[Sandy16]

I would cover it. We live in the city of Atlanta and we even have hawks around here. They have tried to get the birds when we let them free range but thankfully our girls are too fast for them. Even if they couldn't lift the hen to take it away, I'd hate for one to get hurt or even die from the attack, you know? We covered it with plain old chicken wire.

good luck!