Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Smokerbill]

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?

Do you have a picture of your coop? I just finished building a coop and run under the roof behind my shop. I'm glad the job is done... mostly done. Still have to add on the nest boxes to the coop, but mine won't start laying for a couple months yet. Here's my setup.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Might want to close the other side partially in the winter.
Looks great other wise.

 

[Smokerbill]

Might want to close the other side partially in the winter.
Looks great other wise.

The downhill side faces north, so I was thinking about throwing up a couple sheets of plywood on that one in the winter to block the wind. You think that would work?

 

[Hinotori]

Don't know how cold you get there. I put up greenhouse tarps for winter all around the silkie pens. Keeps them warm and doesn't block light. I've seen shower curtains used as well.

We usually only get into the low to mid 20s at the coldest but teens at night are possible in winter. Lowest we've hit was 6°.

 

[Smokerbill]

Don't know how cold you get there. I put up greenhouse tarps for winter all around the silkie pens. Keeps them warm and doesn't block light. I've seen shower curtains used as well.

We usually only get into the low to mid 20s at the coldest but teens at night are possible in winter. Lowest we've hit was 6°.

That's pretty much the same down here. Last winter it got down into the teens overnight several times. I have greenhouse plastic film I could tack up. That would let in plenty of light, which I wasn't thinking about.

 

[ValerieJ]

The downhill side faces north, so I was thinking about throwing up a couple sheets of plywood on that one in the winter to block the wind. You think that would work?

I just wrap my run in plastic in the winter and take it down for the summer. Otherwise snow will be inside the run.

Welcome to the thread @OtherClucker. Mine get to free range every day in a 4,000 ft small orchard. I have netting over the top to keep the eagles out and 5 ft fencing with a hot wire all around it. Haven't had a problem since I put up the netting, but before that I had an eagle attack. Like I mentioned above, within this free range area I have an enclosed run to keep them in at night. It's only 10x12 and my chickens like to roam. The coop itself is an additional 8x10, so they do have a sizeable enclosure, but it is so rewarding to watch them just be chickens out in the open.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning think your doing fine by your birds.

 

[Smokerbill]

I planned to do more work than I actually did today. I have tools and stuff scattered all over the place from my coop/run project, and I was going to put them all in their proper places. Didn't happen.

I was going to pound in some T-posts and get started on my garden's electric fence. Pulled out my 100' tape measure, found the dimensions of the fence line, and that was it. It's about 150' all the way around, so I guess I'll need to buy a 150' roll of 2' poultry mesh to run around the bottom. Then 2 or three strands of electric over that to keep the deer out.

I looked around the garden and replanted a few bean seeds in the row where they didn't come up. I was going to work on the trellises for the beans and cucumbers, but I didn't do that either.

Messed around in the run disconnecting the chicken swing I put up yesterday and making it more solid. Also got out the pitchfork and turned the woodchips in the run to stir in the bird's turds.

I just had no motivation to do much work today.

Then I just sat in the run for an hour, threw down some scratch and communed with the birds. When they were all laying down to take their rests, or naps, or whatever chickens do, I decided to do the same for the day. Time for the easy chair, watch TV and look forward to the new episodes of This Old House.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We all need the nothing days at times.
Helps us recharge the battery in my mind.
I run our sirius radio most days TV on mute showing cartoons.

 

[ValerieJ]

We're pretty quiet in this house. TV on only about an hour a day for news, and that is more often on the computer in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Hardly ever turn on the radio. Well, not radio, don't have one. But Pandora on the TV occasionally.

@Smokerbill we all need a break once in a while. You've been hard at it for a while. And it is considered productive time sitting with the chickens and throwing scratch out!