Chicken runs

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Chicken runs
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Cecil

Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 12

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 1:27 pm Post subject: Chicken runs
Hi, Im getting a chicken house for chrimbo from the wife. Im going to build the run myself, but can anyone tell me how to keep foxes etc from digging underneath the run to get to the chickens. Should the run have chicken wire on the floor of it as well to stop the fox getting in? Has anyone any experience of this? Cheers

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 1:28 pm Post subject:
Is it going to be a portable run or static.

Cecil

Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 12

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 1:31 pm Post subject:
Hi Alison, think Im going to make it a portable run as dont want the chickens bathing in mud.

Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 6:23 pm Post subject:
chicken wire doesnt stop them........... sorry m8, putting them away at night does tho

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 7:11 pm Post subject:
If you had a run with a chicken wire floor (on grass), would it be bad for the chickens' feet? I can't imagine it would be very comfortable for them, but it would be convinient to move.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 7:29 pm Post subject:
Wire on the floor stops one of their natrual behaviours though. Scratching.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 9:04 pm Post subject:

We have an ark with a run (there's the odd pic on my web site) . The floor has the small galvanised welded square mesh (13mm) on the floor. This is to stop foxes and rats getting in and our three girls have been fine for over three years.

They may not be able to get much grass but as they are left for a while there's not much else we can do. They are let out and have free roam of the garden when we are in, which is very often.

The only injury was when Marmie lost a claw (see the article on ailments in the front section). She's don it twice and both times it was when she was in the garden and not in the wired enclosure.

I do remember reading that you may not need a wired run or buried wire if there is hard standing round the run. So paving slabs around the outside may stop a fox digging under as long as it cannot lift the run. However, I've not tried this and I don't know if it would work. Our foxes round here do dig under garden fences so I think they would easily dig into a chicken run.

Guest

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 7:17 am Post subject:

wake up, if the fox wants in yr ark it will get in the run, its not rocket science, the fox will not come during the day(I know theres the exception to the rule) just put the things away at night.
I have an earth thats regulary inhabited in the back 8 hectares we loose NO chickens , why because they are put away.
Rats well keep the place clean if they want in they will gnaw through the wood anyway

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 7:29 am Post subject:
Urban foxes will and do come during the day. They often can be seen in our back garden because daft people feed them. That's why my ark is completely enclosed, even on the ground.

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 10:31 am Post subject:
The majority orf our fox attacks have been in the afternoon, and we are in the country! We always lock up at dusk.

anneka

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 158

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 5:39 pm Post subject:
Yup! Allways lock ours up at night and the time we lost them was 3pm on a sunday afternoon. Anneka

Guest

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 8:15 pm Post subject: Fox barriers
You might try putting lengths of chicken wire flat on the ground around the outside of the run. Foxes and other predators usually start digging right at the fence wall, and they get discouraged pretty quickly if they keep hitting wire. Just a thought, from the Northeast US

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 8:20 pm Post subject:
Please register, mystery American guest. Most of the site is not continent specific.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 8:23 pm Post subject:
I have seen a great permenant structure which had two areas for running, which were alternated as they needed. the house was in the middle, with two pop holes, into either run. The whole thing had 6' fencing, chicken wire, then at the bottem, about 9" high there was a single strand of electric fence wire, with a battery unit. It was very successful on many fronts.

Lindsay

Joined: 03 Nov 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Stuck in the suburbs

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 9:00 pm Post subject:
Where did you see that, Ali? Sounds interesting.

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