Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[fowlman01]

in my case also a substantial structure the wire was simply pulled open. Like the coon took it's front paws and just spread the wire apart.Creating a coon sized hole to climb thru. Flimsy crap, just meant to keep chickens in.

I thought chicken wire was good enough until the grapes were taken out around me and a momma coon needed to eat. She did not open the wire at a seam, she ripped it open from the middle and this wire was still silver, so it wasn't old. She also was medium size compared to some I have seen. It's like having a car alarm. It works until someone really wants your car.

Walt

 

[Kansas Prairie]

That's why I have dogs. They solve so very many problems when it comes to chickens and other small livestock. I can free range, I can leave my pop door open at all times, I can throw chicken scraps out without fearing they will attract predators to my chickens...the dogs and chickens eat their fill and the predators eat the rest...but they don't come after my live chickens.

I'll take a couple of good dogs over any kind of chicken wire or welded wire on the market.

What breed of dogs do you have Beekissed?

 

[armorfirelady]

Thank you Bee for your honest opinion. I promise I have strong shoulders so I wanted the honest truth. Except for the coop everything else was free either from family & friends or picking

I think for this year I will turn the small coop/run into a one large hen house. The tray that slides out for cleaning can be removed so that it can be turned into one big coop. All I need to do is add some sides and some perches. The nesting boxes are attached to the coop as a seperate box. That will be the most economical way for me. I did put 2 coats of plyurethane coating on the outside of the run & coop in hopes it helps it last longer. I am currently looking into metal for the roofs & siding for the sides. But I am waiting for large trash pick up to see what I can get as cast offs.

I never thought to put the run roof at an angle.......I have extra wood to raise it at an angle & shinges from another project that I can use for to cover it.

Thanks again for the other suggestions as well. I plan on trying to make a larger run thats portable out of other fencing I have (like a tractor) that I can move around my large yard so that they can eat more natural than on pellets. I try very hard to let them out every day to walk around the yard. Its pretty amusing to watch them run out the run and head for the garden & wood pile to get some tasty treats

 

[stonykill]

I thought chicken wire was good enough until the grapes were taken out around me and a momma coon needed to eat. She did not open the wire at a seam, she ripped it open from the middle and this wire was still silver, so it wasn't old. She also was medium size compared to some I have seen. It's like having a car alarm. It works until someone really wants your car.

Walt

yes this is what happened to me. opened in the middle of the run. Not at a seam.

 

[stonykill]

That's why I have dogs. They solve so very many problems when it comes to chickens and other small livestock. I can free range, I can leave my pop door open at all times, I can throw chicken scraps out without fearing they will attract predators to my chickens...the dogs and chickens eat their fill and the predators eat the rest...but they don't come after my live chickens.

I'll take a couple of good dogs over any kind of chicken wire or welded wire on the market.

I free range much of my flock as well. Most of it actually. Some are penned mainly for breeding purposes. to keep the Sumatra's Sumatra's and not mutts and to keep the runners runners and not 1/2 Pekins. Otherwise everyone runs around interbreeding as they please. The balance of the Sumatra's are ferrel. The RIR's are free range. Strong big coop at night.With the door screwed closed nightly because the coons around here still can't use a screwdriver

 

[donrae]

My dog was actually the one that turned me off using chicken wire. We had an older German Shepherd that never looked twice at the birds. One day we were gone a few hours and came home to the dog laying INSIDE the coop. My son had tossed a leftover hamburger in for the birds and well, that old dog decided she wanted it. She tore the corner of the wire off and just pushed her way right in. Then couldn't figure out how to get out so just hung with the hens until we came home and found her. Didn't eat any eggs or bother the hens that we could tell.

Maybe we should have just left her IN the coop for predator deterrant lol.

 

[Beekissed]

What breed of dogs do you have Beekissed?

All-American Mutt.

I've had labs or lab mixes all these years. The first was a Lab. The next was Lab/GP mix and the third is Lab/BC mix. I find them easy to train, loyal and brave. The third one is still with me and he is 6 years old...and I'm still teaching him new tricks. He killed a possum just the other day. Good dogs each and every one.



The one on the left is now dead of old age...the one on the right is the only one I have left.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

I love dogs that can catch squirrel rodents!!

 

[normanack]

Beekissed, those are beautiful dogs.

 

[fowlman01]

They look like good working dogs. Nice!

w.