Sunday, October 24, 2010

A New Run for the Chickens

This summer several projects were put on hold due to lack of funding.  Now that things are getting back on track some of our projects are being resumed.  One of the most important is building the laying hens a more spacious run.  The old one we built for them was only supposed to be temporary and is way to small for my taste, although who knows what the chickens think of it. 

First Husband needed to build a privacy fence so that dogs and people cant just walk by and see the chickens running around.  This will help protect the chickens because out of sight is out of mind after all.



Next he built a frame and then attached chain link fencing to the sides and the top to prevent chickens from getting out and other animals from getting in.






Done!  Don't the girls look happy!

3 comments:

  1. I like the new run. I wouldn't have thought of using chain link but it makes sense being it is so sturdy and will last for years. One suggestion I do want to make is to put some sort of wood along the bottom of the chain link. Just a 2x4 or some such to keep the bottom of the chain link rigid. If there is any give to the chain link a dog will find a way under it to get to something that tasty. Lovely birds

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  2. To go even further than what Woolysheep said, I recommend that you actually bury about 18 inches of your metal fencing in a trench that brings the fencing down and then out somewhat. Our local Cooperative Extension Service says that if you don't, then digging animals will almost certainly get in eventually.

    And around here, we've got lots of those: dogs, raccoons, opossums, muskrats, foxes, you name it. But being animals, they always start digging right where the fence meets the ground so if the fencing goes down into the ground and out, then they hit the metal and stop.

    Oh, and the fencing on top is a good idea; my brother lost several of his chickens to hawks, even though he had a wood lattice structure with 18 inch gaps for a "roof." The hawks dove in, grabbed a full-grown chicken, and then levitated straight up through the 18 inch gap and off with their meal. He said it was impressive, but also depressing, to watch the first time he saw it. Netting went up right after, of course.

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  3. Thanks guys! We have not only tons of hawks that frequently fly over but owls as well so the cover was pretty important. No possums here but we do get the occasional skunk.

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