Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[pennyJo1960]

I pulled a beef roast had it over or under salad from the garden
here too.

 

[OtherClucker]

HI! New chicken wrangler from the Tacoma area. Hope you don't mind, but I skipped past the FIVE THOUSAND pages of content leading up to here in a sweeping TLDR movement so I could post. Exciting to see such an active community!!

I just converted the rear of my small barn into a ~10x8ft coop. I haven't built a run yet, and am wondering whether it's okay to just let them free range in my half acre fenced off backyard. I just bought an automatic coop door that will open and close with sunrise/sunset. What have your experiences been like? Is the run needed?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey welcome to the state thread. What type of cover is there in the half acre.
We have 3/4 an acre 1/4 is chicken yard.
Old apple tree and hazel nut even out of season deters aerial attacks.
clip one wing each bird so they stay in their yard.

 

[Hinotori]

HI! New chicken wrangler from the Tacoma area. Hope you don't mind, but I skipped past the FIVE THOUSAND pages of content leading up to here in a sweeping TLDR movement so I could post. Exciting to see such an active community!!

I just converted the rear of my small barn into a ~10x8ft coop. I haven't built a run yet, and am wondering whether it's okay to just let them free range in my half acre fenced off backyard. I just bought an automatic coop door that will open and close with sunrise/sunset. What have your experiences been like? Is the run needed?

Welcome!

You can free range but then predators are an issue. I have a decent sized run, but open it for them to free range after about 9am when coyotes arent such an issue here.

 

[Smokerbill]

Mine haven't been let out to free range yet, since they're only around 8 weeks old, and I have about 8 weeks of learning about how to raise chickens. Welcome!

 

[Hinotori]

Been busy putting T posts around the garden. Have to protect it from chickens, dogs, deer, and elk.

 

[Smokerbill]

Been busy putting T posts around the garden. Have to protect it from chickens, dogs, deer, and elk.

Running an electric fence?

 

[Hinotori]

Running an electric fence?

Just goat fence. I bought it a decade ago and never used it. I'll run some wire around the top if I need to. Just a string run at 3 foot freaked the deer out enough last year to protect it but the dog and chickens are a real threat

 

[Smokerbill]

Just goat fence. I bought it a decade ago and never used it. I'll run some wire around the top if I need to. Just a string run at 3 foot freaked the deer out enough last year to protect it but the dog and chickens are a real threat

I need to put a fence around my garden to keep the deer out. I've got all I need to run several strands of electric, but keeping the chickens out ( and the neighbor's cat, who thought my garden was a litter box last year) will require something more, maybe a run of poultry mesh at the bottom. If the rabbit I've seen running around causes a problem, I'll just have fried rabbit for supper soon after.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have 5 foot field wire with chicken wire too around the garden.
Deer have not came in for apples since I added 4 ft wire on our 5 ft field wire on the chicken yard to stop dogs.