Not sure which thread to post this under, coop and chicken questions!

[Whitewolf9]

* it's almost done. Not complete yet lol, I will have it done this week hopefully , I have a bunch of questions but only a few right now, will be posting more when the coop and run are 100% lol* i will be putting a middle top and bottom board over the fence, it's not perfect nor pretty cause I built it completely out of scrap wood and pallets and stuff I got for free, minus the post and fencing

How do I attach hardware cloth to the bottom where the siding is?

It's roughly 25ft by 16ft, and another run will be added to the other side once I save up some more money, for more hens to merge with the ones i have currently, how many * roundabout* chickens will it contain where overcrowding is not an issue? They will be let out on nice days in a sort of free range like i already do. It's basically just a roll of fence outside the run, to many strays and predators here to fully free range.

I have some deer mesh netting, would that work for the top?

I have 2 seperate flocks, 3 old brahma hens that have basically aged out of laying, I get maybe one egg a week sometimes, and 4 buff orphington/ lavender orphington cross hens, that are all laying and 2 are broody, that I can't seem to keep them from stealing the eggs. The runs I have now are side by side, so they've been next to each other for over a year now. When I go to merge everyone together inside this big coop/run, what is the safest way to do so? What do I need to watch for , when do I need to intervene if they start fighting.

I've had chickens for over 5 years now I've just never merged chickens together and Google is just making me more nervous about doing so

TIA, Sorry for all the questions
Posted on a chicken group on Facebook but didn't get any feedback other than one comment about hardware cloth on the top

 

[Whitewolf9]

 

[rosemarythyme]

How do I attach hardware cloth to the bottom where the siding is?

On the coop you mean? Screws and fender washers is what I used:

It's roughly 25ft by 16ft, and another run will be added to the other side once I save up some more money, for more hens to merge with the ones i have currently, how many * roundabout* chickens will it contain where overcrowding is not an issue?

What's 25x16? The entire set up? The run only? The coop?

Calculate using 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft per bird in the run. The smaller number is your "maximum" though integration favors extra space so if that's something you'll be doing from time to time, best to never max out.

You'd also want at least 1 sq ft per bird in ventilation in the coop and 1 linear ft on roost, but those can be augmented if needed.

I have some deer mesh netting, would that work for the top?

Depends on what you're trying to exclude specifically.

Also I don't think your run fencing is secure as-is, there's no horizontal rails to provide support so anything larger that can push or pull could possibly snag and bend the wire enough to get in.

The runs I have now are side by side, so they've been next to each other for over a year now. When I go to merge everyone together inside this big coop/run, what is the safest way to do so? What do I need to watch for , when do I need to intervene if they start fighting.

If they've already been side by side for a year I'd just put them together and let them meet.

Safest thing to do would be to have multiple food and water sources, spread out, as resource guarding can be a reason for conflict. Plus clutter in the run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140 to provide hiding spots so birds have avenues of escape.

 

[Whitewolf9]

On the coop you mean? Screws and fender washers is what I used:
View attachment 4091849


What's 25x16? The entire set up? The run only? The coop?

Calculate using 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft per bird in the run. The smaller number is your "maximum" though integration favors extra space so if that's something you'll be doing from time to time, best to never max out.

You'd also want at least 1 sq ft per bird in ventilation in the coop and 1 linear ft on roost, but those can be augmented if needed.

Depends on what you're trying to exclude specifically.

Also I don't think your run fencing is secure as-is, there's no horizontal rails to provide support so anything larger that can push or pull could possibly snag and bend the wire enough to get in.

If they've already been side by side for a year I'd just put them together and let them meet.

Safest thing to do would be to have multiple food and water sources, spread out, as resource guarding can be a reason for conflict. Plus clutter in the run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140 to provide hiding spots so birds have avenues of escape.

Thank you. And I agree about the fencing. It's not complete yet, I'm putting 3 boards, one on top, middle, and bottom along the hardware cloth and securing it to the post, and as for the top of the run, I have deer mesh netting over the run their in now and haven't had a predator problem **Yet** but I know there is always a possibility.

The run itself is a roundabout 25x16, the coop itself is around 10x5

The ventilation, as soon as I can get this roof screwed on all the way and get the sealer on it , I'm going to be cutting the tarp off so on all 4 sides of the top of the coop will have ventilation.

I will add some hiding spots as well now lol, thank you!!