Transitioning from roofed to roofless run

[K0k0shka]

Well she's gorgeous. She's go excellent body shape and her lacing is very defined.

I love her shape - she’s like a ball of fluff!
Here are a couple of nicer shots of her:

And the best angle

When she sleeps, she turns into an actual ball:

 

[Chickie friend]

I love her shape - she’s like a ball of fluff!
Here are a couple of nicer shots of her:
View attachment 2407703View attachment 2407704View attachment 2407705

And the best angle
View attachment 2407706

When she sleeps, she turns into an actual ball:
View attachment 2407710

Floating chickens! (The last pic)

 

[ackie]

I havent read back but saw your pics on the last page. Hows it going? I was also wondering if you could build a mini structure inside the coop, under the mesh and not full height so it cant be considered a roof, to offer them some shelter. Like a cabinet of shelves type thing. Wide long shelves they can hide under.

We have code problems here all the time. We are a farm and have been so for longer than this subdivision nextdoor was built, but we cant get building permits for anything because you have to get consent from all of your neighbors. Well, our property touches like 85 different properties and that's just not going to happen. Back when the subdivision first came in, someone complained and the code enforcer tried tell SO that homes could only have 2 4-wheeled vehicles outside of a garage. And SO fought it and won. Imagine a farm with only 2 4-wheels vehicles outside a proper 4 wall garage.

Anyway, if something doesnt have a foundation, it's not a building, so keep that in mind. ;P (I mean check your codes specifically but there are always loopholes)

 

[countryladyNH]

I love her shape - she’s like a ball of fluff!
Here are a couple of nicer shots of her:
View attachment 2407703View attachment 2407704View attachment 2407705

And the best angle
View attachment 2407706

When she sleeps, she turns into an actual ball:
View attachment 2407710

wow!!!!

 

[lovesfarms]

In an unfortunate turn of events, I'll have to take the roof off of my run, because the town is counting the roofed run as a "building" and applying the building zoning code to it, and, as a building, it's too close to the property line (nevermind that I asked permission to build it as such in that location and got the okay from the two town officials in charge of this... ). So, we are where we are, and I need to take the roof off. I have two questions.

First - can I replace the roof with this welded wire mesh:

View attachment 2380000

It's 2x3 inches and 16 ga. I know the spacing is too wide to stop everything, but this will only be over the top in place of a roof, and the chickens will be locked in the coop at night... I'm doing this balancing act between the town saying it can't be "covered" on top (definition of "covered" being stretchy and up to interpretation here), and my chickens being safe. Wider mesh makes it look less "covered". I know there are no clear answers, and dense HC is the best, but still... Given my situation, what do you think the risk is? I live in the suburbs and while we do have some animals, it's not teeming with wildlife.

And my second question. I'm sad to see the roof go because it kept the run dry. My chickens have never known precipitation, and probably won't be happy with the roof gone I still want to give them something overhead so they can use the yard in rainy/snowy weather, but I can't put anything on the roof. So I had this idea and bought two large patio umbrellas Nobody regulates those, so I can just put them in the run under the overhead mesh. They are square shape, so I can put one against the side of the coop flush with the wall, and give them a dry area to walk out onto when exiting the coop. And I'll put the other one in the opposite corner over their run perches, so they can have another dry area to hang out in. Patio umbrellas are meant for the outdoors so I'm hoping they'll do the job and be okay outside, though I've never had one myself and don't know how well they do in wind/rain/snow. That's where I'll appreciate your input. The run is pretty sheltered in a corner of the yard, with a 5' tall retaining wall 8 feet away on one side, and a 6' tall privacy fence on the other side of that corner (west and north respectively). For the winter, I'll put plastic (shower curtains) along the sides of the run on the south and east as well. So it will be pretty sheltered on all sides, with not a lot of wind blowing through. I'll anchor the umbrellas as well (one against the coop wall, and the other against the run wall). And I'll tilt them so they shed rain/snow better. Would that be enough? We don't get a lot of snow anymore. Every few years I'll have to take the snow blower out, the rest of the years there isn't enough to justify it.

What do you think? Again, I know there are no clear answers and part of this is accepting some risk. I just want to see what people with more experience think about this setup.

_______________________

Clarifications
(since I can't reply to every comment after this thread ballooned, I'm condensing the clarifications and answers to questions here so they don't get asked over and over).

- To see pictures of my setup, go to my coop page, linked under my profile picture

- I am only talking about the run, the coop is fine (fully roofed and moved farther out so it complies with zoning)

- I was here first; coop had been built when neighbor moved in but no run or chickens yet. I talked to him and he was fine with it, watched me build the run, accepted offer of eggs and small talk, never said a thing against it until after it was built. Started complaining before there were chickens there yet. Suddenly he was against the idea of chickens, not anything in particular that they did, looked, or smelled like, because they weren't there yet.

- There is no problem with the chickens themselves, as verified by multiple inspections from the town's Health Department. No smells, noise, roosters or anything else from his complaints that can be justified.

- I tried being nice first, offered eggs once they start laying, offered compromises, problem solving, modified the run over and over to address specific complaints, but nothing was ever enough because he just didn't want them there. Being nice accomplished nothing - he perceives kindness as weakness and gets even bolder, so it backfired.

- The town's building commissioner said I can't cover the run with anything other than wire. So no tarps, plexiglass, canvas, shade cloth etc. He said that the run is too close to the property line for a roofed structure, but if it has an open top, then it's in a different category (pen) and would be okay where it is.

- The "letter of the law" isn't specific enough to cover this kind of structure. The run is in a gray area, and it's up to the commissioner's interpretation to decide how to apply the law. He's trying to work with me and suggest how to modify it so I can keep it where it is (no roof). Which is still better than telling me to get rid of it, which he could've done but didn't. I'm still pissed that he okayed it before it was built, but oh well... I'm trying to look on the bright side here.

- I tried applying for a variance. It was denied (because there are objecting neighbors - a variance requires consent from abutting neighbors). It did buy me 4 months of time though - 4 months of having that nice roof

- I can't just move everything. My yard is not that big, and there are things in the way - large raised garden, fences, garage, and part of the property is on a steep slope. I would need to rebuild it anew very far out, in the middle of the only open part of the yard where my kids play... So I need to find a way to keep it where it is.

How are things now with the township and neighbor? There's a lot of anxiety when a neighbor isn't happy with your chickens because they can come up with any number of complaints and townships can dream up many different predicaments for you! You aren't sure what to anticipate! The neighbor feels I should keep my chickens hidden so his two big german shepherds don't bark. I actually saw our area was discussing such a rule, I don't know if it was passed. I feel if someone buys a dog they should realized that some time they may run into a problem where things excite their dog and how to deal with it. I don't know what to expect. I hope things are fine for you now.

 

[ackie]

The neighbor feels I should keep my chickens hidden so his two big german shepherds don't bark

sooo are we going to start restricting people from walking on the sidewalk in front of his house too? because thatll make them bark. is the mailman allowed to drive by or does he leave the mail down the street so he wont set the dogs off either? roflmao that's just ridiculous

that being said, if you could get my dogs to stop barking at my peafowl, thatd be rad. LOL. on the plus side, no one is ever gunna sneak in and murder us. heh.

 

[lovesfarms]

sooo are we going to start restricting people from walking on the sidewalk in front of his house too? because thatll make them bark. is the mailman allowed to drive by or does he leave the mail down the street so he wont set the dogs off either? roflmao that's just ridiculous

that being said, if you could get my dogs to stop barking at my peafowl, thatd be rad. LOL. on the plus side, no one is ever gunna sneak in and murder us. heh.

I think the neighbor wants the dogs to come outside, do their 'job' and turn around and go right back inside. Instead they try to watch my chickens. My chickens distract them. The neighbors have a very small back yard, no running room, thedogs just dig holes. They cut down their only tree and they have a shed the size of an out house right beside the fence. So to squeeze into that sliver of shade, the dogs are right beside my yard. I don't believe they are dog lovers, not that the dogs are mistreated. I never see them play with them, talk to them or pet them which could be a way to train them. Since he complained that my chickens are a distraction, I've been more mindful of what's going on. They bark and snarl when then come out of the house even with no chickens in sight. They bark at everyone passing by. They wag their tails while watching my chickens. Twice they jumped against the fence and very rarely is their bark aimed at my chickens. So I must say I'm a little puzzled and fear he has more complaints coming. My chickens are in their pen unless I'm outside with them and they do very well at following me and listening to my command like a dog. They watch the dog but hide from Hawks, car honks and people yelling at the gas station on the other side of us. They hide in my bushes and trees. This picture was from a couple months ago. The sunflowers are gone and they sit under my pine trees now. At that time he told me it's good to spend that much time with my chickens. This week when he confronted me angrily, I heard his wife yelling at the dogs so I'm thinking she made him come and talk to me. So if it's an angry woman.. Well I'm puzzled at exactly why he was angry but thinking it's not the last I heard

 

[lovesfarms]

I think the neighbor wants the dogs to come outside, do their 'job' and turn around and go right back inside. Instead they try to watch my chickens. My chickens distract them. The neighbors have a very small back yard, no running room, thedogs just dig holes. They cut down their only tree and they have a shed the size of an out house right beside the fence. So to squeeze into that sliver of shade, the dogs are right beside my yard. I don't believe they are dog lovers, not that the dogs are mistreated. I never see them play with them, talk to them or pet them which could be a way to train them. Since he complained that my chickens are a distraction, I've been more mindful of what's going on. They bark and snarl when then come out of the house even with no chickens in sight. They bark at everyone passing by. They wag their tails while watching my chickens. Twice they jumped against the fence and very rarely is their bark aimed at my chickens. So I must say I'm a little puzzled and fear he has more complaints coming. My chickens are in their pen unless I'm outside with them and they do very well at following me and listening to my command like a dog. They watch the dog but hide from Hawks, car honks and people yelling at the gas station on the other side of us. They hide in my bushes and trees. This picture was from a couple months ago. The sunflowers are gone and they sit under my pine trees now. At that time he told me it's good to spend that much time with my chickens. This week when he confronted me angrily, I heard his wife yelling at the dogs so I'm thinking she made him come and talk to me. So if it's an angry woman.. Well I'm puzzled at exactly why he was angry but thinking it's not the last I heard

He put these'slats' in the fence now but because that's the only spot with shade in his yard, the dogs sit and peek through the slats

 

[ackie]

He put these'slats' in the fence now but because that's the only spot with shade in his yard, the dogs sit and peek through the slats

slats are great. the less he can see you, the less hes going to try to dictate what you do. if you're planning to live here for awhile, I'd suggest planting some quick growing trees or bushes to hide you even more

 

[ColtHandorf]

Here are a couple of nicer shots of her:

I love her! Not to derail, but here's a couple of pics of my Orpingtons...

There's way more in the Imported English Orp thread.