Urban chicken people...i have a question

[mandelyn]

Urban areas still have a food chain, just different than the country type. Adding chickens to the mix will often bring in predators you didn't even know you had.

I knew we had coons, opossum, hawks. I did not know we had fox! I also did not know coon hands can fit through 1in chicken wire and that chickens are dumb enough to sleep with their head within coon finger reach, leaving dead chickens in the cage/coop with a naked eaten off neck sticking out. Yeah... SO didn't know that until it happened.

However, if your area is surrounded by fencing, dogs, and the like, your concern will mostly be night-time scavengers, hawks, and chicken escape.

This time around, my chickens are in the back yard with the duo of 90 pound Shepherds, and a yappy little new addition for good measure. My female is quickly learning the chickens are pets, and she's to guard them. She's taken to sleeping the day away 10 feet from their door, you know, in case a squirrel makes an attempt on their food.

So my run is designed to keep my dogs out (just in case... can we say 2x12 lumber? Chew through THAT) heavy crumbled concrete chunks around the outside perimeter, heavy duty welded rabbit wire with little bitty squares... a mouse can't even get through. Or snake.. nothing. Reinforced with more wood. Corners are giant poles, big monster 4in nails (heaven forbid I ever have to tear this thing down). That's the bottom 5 feet. The top will just be something to keep chickens in and hawks out, since there's a sturdy little rabbit wire door that'll be shut to the coop. Sure, you might find your way over the top of the run at 3am... but you're not getting farther than that!

Don't ever under estimate the stupidity of a chicken either. Surely they're not dumb enough to fly in with the neighbor dog. There's always one...

 

[BigPeep]

What about cats? I have a couple of feral cats coming around both day and night. Are they going to take on full sized heavy breed chickens or leave them alone? Right now my chickens are in fully enclosed chicken tractors but come winter they will be in a coop with a run that will be open on the top.

Also, do hawks really go for the larger chickens or are they mainly a problem with smaller birds?

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

This is what I've learned over the past 2 years of keeping chickens in a suburban environment:

1) Dogs can climb a 6' chainlink fence
2) Dogs can dig under a 6' chainlink fence in less than an hour if it has recently rained
3) Even if the dogs don't dig under, a 70lb dog can push his way under a fence which looks completely tight to a human eye (less than 2" of visible clearance)
4) A hawk will take a 6 month old RIR but might not be able to clear the treeline with her
5) NEVER put a roost near ANY open panel, no matter what the size of the mesh.
6) Never assume that your own dog might not crack some day, and see his wards as prey.

Tough lessons.

 

[WagonBrooder]

We built a portable run in the shape of an A-frame, so it is covered. The chickens go in there during the day time. It is made out of electrical conduit and chicken wire. That is good enough for daytime because it is in a fenced yard with 2 big dogs that have been taught not to chase or bark at the chickens. I lock them up in the coop at night. I still wouldn't trust the chickens loose with the dogs, nor would I trust them in the A-frame alone at night without the dogs around. The only draw back is that the A-frame isn't attached to the coop so we have to pick up the hens & put them in it. It will do until we build a permanent run, especially since their are only 3 of them. The A-frame is lighter and takes less building materials than a box shaped run so if you want to be able to move it around it is a nifty design.