Washingtonians

[chickenjane82]

 

[chickenjane82]

 

[chickenmomma16]

That was 2 years ago, and since the grass has grown up through it and I can run right over it with the DR wacker.

What is the green fencing on the bottom half? I'm looking for something to go over barn wire in a pasture next to the chicken coop so my ladies can free range a bit without getting in the landlord's backyard, while keeping it as inexpensive as possible. That looks like it might work. And good idea on the bottom. I may have to something like that to my run.

 

[FirewifeJess]

YOU GOT IT!!!! 80,000!!!

 

[itsren]

You let your 7 year old dictate what he will or will not eat?

Hmm, guess you must be part of the younger generation then. My kids ate what was put in front of them or went hungry. My daughter (who is 30) does the same with her kids now. They eat pretty much anything because she doesn't cater to "pickiness".

Now, if there is a food allergy, or a child really hates (likes, vomits) something, then that's a different matter.

Must make it a lot harder for families with picky eaters, because then you have to make different foods for different family members.

My sympathies.

Nope! He doesn't get different foods. If he doesn't eat what he's served, he goes hungry. And he gets skinnier and skinnier.

He didn't stop eating meat until his young twenty-something cousin expressed her vegan views to the entire family and went into the "grossness" of it. This has been going on for a few years. I think he was 5 when it started. He'll eat meat if he doesn't realize it is meat - but if someone says anything about it being meat, he won't eat it any more.

We have never catered to our kid's pickiness. They eat what we eat. I babysat a kid for a summer and she asked me to cater to her son. After that summer I wouldn't babysit him any more. It wasn't worth it, because my kids ate what I made, and I was expected to let him have what he wanted.

 

[itsren]

I would like to bury hardware cloth under the pen floor, but it'll depend on how deep I can dig and how many tree roots I encounter.

Do you add DE all over the run, or just in dust bath areas? How much do you add?

We buried chicken wire and poured a thin layer of concrete over the top, so if the chickens scratched deep enough, they wouldn't get their feet caught in the wire. Because of the concrete, I had to install a drain down the center (no chicken wire or concrete was put over the drain - just lots of rocks).

I have a picture of the dug out ground on my coop page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/little-city-chicken-coop We didn't go deep at all - 6" maybe... just the drain was dug deeper. And, they have never dug down to the concrete, so I'm guessing it was deep enough.

I put DE where it will stay dry. Until my run is roofed, I don't bother putting it in that area. I also put it in the sand bin (where they like to be lazy). I just sprinkle it over the top every week or so - or when I remember.

 

[JennS]

You don't need to bury it. Just make an apron of it instead. Animals are too stupid to back up and dig where it ends, instead they'll try to dig at the corner where the hardware cloth bends at the ground and won't get far If you need a pic, let me know I can take one of my run.

Does this apply to rats as well? Or are they smart enough to make a long burrow?

Jennifer

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:
No clue. We don't have predator issues though. If an animal wants in the run, they walk over to it and start digging. Can't get far if there's an apron of fencing on the ground. I know plenty of people who do this method with no issues.

 

[JennS]

That was 2 years ago, and since the grass has grown up through it and I can run right over it with the DR wacker.

Thank you for the pics! I'll have to think about how I'll be building the foundation. Maybe I can run the apron under the brick patio. Make a chicken Fort Knox!

Jennifer

 

[JennS]

Thanks, everyone, for the advice! My son is down for his nap, so I'm going to get off my butt and go work on the yard. As soon as I'm done pulling the weeds that are going to seed in the back yard, I can get back to ripping up vinca in the front yard. It would help if I could do more than 2-3 hours at a time. *sigh* But posting here is helping to get me motivated.

Jennifer