Maine

[OpalSecret]

I love it!

Glad you're in the clear on bears. Hopefully that's normal for the whole state.

Ditto on the free ranging and the aerial predators. We have a garden attached to the run (so the girls can gleefully murder anything we try to grow for them). This gives them a little more space and entertainment when we are not taking them on supervised "free" ranging. We use an aviary netting over that garden to thwart winged predators. Chicken moats are a great idea, too!

For the apron, of course take whatever approach seems best to you. I just stapled my down onto the ground with 6" landscape staples because I'm too lazy to dig I may bury the leading edge just so the girls (or ourselves) don't accidentally step on it. But like you I've got so much to do I have to eliminate unnecessary steps!

When you're planning your run roof here are some thoughts: I opted for corrugated roofing (galvalume metal sandwiching polycarbonate panels). Unity is a little was from you, but Maine Form Real Steel has incredible roofing prices and great customer service (run by the Amish community here). I don't have this year's pricing but last year linear foot pricing was $2 for galvanized/galvalume, $2.40 for painted and $3.50 for polycarbonate. These are 39" pieces providing 3 feet of coverage after overlap.

The PC was a "luxury" item because I wanted sunlight to get into the run. It wasn't strictly necessary though. My whole 220 sq ft run roof could have been as cheap as $160 If I had just stuck with galvalume. Oh but I'm a sucker for those cuties so they got PC skylights, too

Love it!
Yea, I figure some chicken tunnels and maybe eventually, lead off to another larger run area. But I thought for to start, the coop and attached run and then build on the tunnels and such a little more each year. Not heard of chicken moats? LOL

Yea, where I intend to put them, the apron and digging down as well and then will probably be under gravel stones or such as this is going to be more of a floral garden with paths. May end up as a big chicken maze! hahaa!

Oh that's a nice price on the metal sheets! I have some here leftover from the house and garage they people left here. But nice to know where I can get more with a nice price.
I saw someone had like a greenhouse part of their roof to let in a lot of natural light and then made sure to open windows on warmer days so the girls were not cooked in there. Where I am thinking of putting the whole main thing, they will have lots of sunlight. Some from the east but a lot during the day and then a bit of evening. It has two tall Colorado blue spruces that would block the north wind and then a maple, Japanese one I believe it is again on the north side of the run. I've even thought of creating 'winter walls' so when we snow blow, it won't go in and would help to keep the north winds out more too during winter.

We'll see how it goes. Tons of projects here to do this year but if I can get the coop and run done by the end of autumn, I will be in good shape for next spring. If not, cause it is a lot to do yet, then will push for 2020 for sure.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Love it!
Yea, I figure some chicken tunnels and maybe eventually, lead off to another larger run area. But I thought for to start, the coop and attached run and then build on the tunnels and such a little more each year. Not heard of chicken moats? LOL ...

... Where I am thinking of putting the whole main thing, they will have lots of sunlight. Some from the east but a lot during the day and then a bit of evening. It has two tall Colorado blue spruces that would block the north wind and then a maple, Japanese one I believe it is again on the north side of the run. I've even thought of creating 'winter walls' so when we snow blow, it won't go in and would help to keep the north winds out more too during winter.

Hehe, yes, in my brain chicken moat = chicken tunnel. I think I picked that up from Jessi Bloom? Anyhoo...

Good heavens, what to do in the winter! I am actually working on this idea right now. Some folks wrap their runs in clear poly secured with lath strips. Some seasonally string up tarps. Mine was an ongoing battle. Often the snow would blow in during a noreaster, but then after the storm, the winds would shift and blow the snow in drift style from the southwest. So while I made a lot of effective makeshift barriers with boards, tarps, and even some old glass doors I have, they constantly needed to be shuffled around the run. What a hassle!

This year I'm going to use that cheap galvalume roofing and make rigid frames for each piece. I will then devise some manner of hanging/mounting system on the outside of the run posts so I can (securely) hang these barriers as needed, but make them easily removed so they can be swapped around as needed. I do NOT want to repeat my hassles of this past winter...

 

[OpalSecret]

Hehe, yes, in my brain chicken moat = chicken tunnel. I think I picked that up from Jessi Bloom? Anyhoo...

Good heavens, what to do in the winter! I am actually working on this idea right now. Some folks wrap their runs in clear poly secured with lath strips. Some seasonally string up tarps. Mine was an ongoing battle. Often the snow would blow in during a noreaster, but then after the storm, the winds would shift and blow the snow in drift style from the southwest. So while I made a lot of effective makeshift barriers with boards, tarps, and even some old glass doors I have, they constantly needed to be shuffled around the run. What a hassle!

This year I'm going to use that cheap galvalume roofing and make rigid frames for each piece. I will then devise some manner of hanging/mounting system on the outside of the run posts so I can (securely) hang these barriers as needed, but make them easily removed so they can be swapped around as needed. I do NOT want to repeat my hassles of this past winter...

Aaahh yes...chicken moat! That is what I thought would be fun to do to have them run around in a nice secure tunnel throughout the garden. It will end up being a maze for sure!

Yea, I am going to be building what I am terming as 'winter walls' for around the north side of the garage to help keep the snow away from the side of the garage and foundation as the people before me didn't seal it well. I will also look into sealing it better too this spring but still build the winter walls to extend the roof out a bit more and have a barrier. The sun doesn't get to that spot too well and the snow coming off that garage roof piles up high. Last year it was over 6 feet easy to where you could walk up the snow mounds up on top of the roof. Buried! Yikes! I plan to build those all around the garage where it is needed for sure and I thought to apply the same logic for the coop and run. I will have to give it more thought for sure. I know on the north side, I will definitely have winter walls up to help protect the coop from being inundated with all my snow blowing frenzy.

 

[combatfuzzball]

Thanks LadyCluck77! It's nice to start getting to know folks in my region. Wish I'd found this site earlier this Winter haha. At the moment I'm looking at Golden Reds & White Leghorns; they lay brown & white respectively, and both lay an average of 3 eggs every 4 days, so I feel like that's a solid easily edible and marketable brown/white tag team. But for fun & flavor I'd like to add a few colored layers like Easter Eggers, or Araucanas. They just seem so child friendly for market! What about you?

Welcome to the area. I Am in Clinton on a little more than half acre with Easter Egger chickens, Silver/black Ameraucana and black Australorps. Best wishes on the new farm.

 

[combatfuzzball]

Anybody want a free Pure Silver Ameraucana Rooster? I hatched him in the fall last year and now have better stock. He isn't up to standard. Hes on the right View attachment 1307925

Nope lol I have 2 non standard silver Ameraucana cockerels myself .

 

[combatfuzzball]

I have 22 new chicks I hatched in the incubator and an Easter Egger hen sitting on 14 or so for 2 weeks.
Frustrating since I'd people wanting to buy until I had some to sell.
Had one get it's leg wrapped up in string and hurt but healed already. Picks are of a silver/black Ameraucana and of an Easter Egger/Australorp cross.
The little EE/A cross is a little toughy. It's half the size of the next smallest and jumps right into the middle of the food fights .

 

[lazy gardener]

I have a Black Lorpe who is giving me conniptions. She is sitting on the nest very late every afternoon. When I go out in the evening to see if she's laid an egg, there is no egg, and she is up on the roost with the rest of the flock. Today, I lifted her up, and she has a broody patch that extends from just below her crop almost to her vent. The little twit needs to either get serious about being broody, or get back into production. So, to help her make up her mind, I gave her 3 golf balls, one yellow Easter egg, and 2 ceramic eggs.

 

[lazy gardener]

Lorpe was on the nest when I went out at 7 AM this morning. No new eggs under her, but she yelled at me when I checked. I wish I'd started the vitamins before now. But, I'll hit them with vitamins daily, and if she's still serious about it, I'll set some eggs under her Mon or Tues.

 

[combatfuzzball]

I have an Easter Egger hen sitting on the nest now. Princess Laya is on her last week.
I Am hoping she has some luck since the weather is insane. Worry since the nest boxes are built out of the side of the Coop. She's on about 14 eggs.
Course I have 22 from about 5 weeks down to a week and a half.

 

[OpalSecret]

Welcome to the area. I Am in Clinton on a little more than half acre with Easter Egger chickens, Silver/black Ameraucana and black Australorps. Best wishes on the new farm.

Thanks combatfuzzball! Oh that sounds great!! Have pics of them?