Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Beano on August 27, 2009, 09:13
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Our 3 chickens have had the run of a large fenced off area of our garden all Summer. This area has a very large crab apple tree which they spend a lot of time under and lots of bushes. We are out at work all day 7.30am till 6pm and this has been fine while it has been light. They have a small safer run attached to their coop which is approx 7' by 5' but we feel it would not be fair to leave them in this run all day without a run out in the evening.
Two very large unleashed dogs came haring into our garden last evening. Fortunately the girls had gone to bed and fortunately our cat is a fast climber. But what if the girls had been out? I dread to think. This incident has proven to us that our chickens have not been totally safe all Summer and that we need to build something safer soon!!
We would like to build a safe large run with a roof and some bushes inside for them for the Winter. Any advice on how to go about this?
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Reinforce your boundary fencing so that dogs cannot get in.
Report the ownder to the local dog warden.
If large dogs are charging around the area not under control they are a hazard to other small animals and children.
It needs stopping.
Farmers round here with sheep would have the shotguns out if that happened.
The owner is responsible.
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We made a large run using steel tubing, chicken wire round the sides, and nylon netting over the top (although it could be partly covered with sheeting).
Easy to make, not expensive, and lasts a long time (30 years now).
Also means that the structure isn't thick and obtrusive.
We can go away for a week and know that the birds will be OK.
If you're interested, I could post some pics.
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Thanks for the responses tode and death of rats (good name by the way).
I do not know who the dogs belong to. I accused a startled passer by of being the owner in my temper and panic but he denied it. I will report the incident to the local dog warden though.
Yes please, I would like to see pictures of your run death of rats. It sounds like the sort of thing that we would like to build. It needs to be high enough for us to walk into and have some shrubs for the girls to play/bath under.
Thanks again,
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That would be tode's run.
I am the one with the shotgun solution 8).
NAme is from Terry Pratchet's discworld and the fact when we moved here we were overrun with rats and I will not use poison because of the other wildlik=fe and my carnivorous animals. Had to be done with a silenced rifle.
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Sorry for the mix up, I get confused very easily, it's my age and years of drinking too much wine. Killed off many of my memory brain cells.
We had problems with rats in the beginning, caught three in a rat trap and nothing since fortunately. My husband has an air gun but I dont think his aim is that good, due to the wine I suppose.
:tongue2:
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Hi Beano, no problem, I know how it is ......
Hope this will give you some ideas:
Started out digging small holes for the uprights (12 inches deep)
Cut 1 1/4 inch tube to length, then painted with antirust except ends to be welded.
Set it all up, then welded corners (you only need a small machine, 'cos its tube)
Put concrete in holes round uprights, and painted welds.
Made a little footing in concrete to keep out rats and foxes (hooks set in concrete before dry to attach netting).
Chicken netting round sides, and nylon netting on top ("stiched" on with black nylon string).
Dims: 6 m x 13 m x 3.00 m high.
I left stubs so I could enlarge later, but never have.
I made two netting doors using ¾ inch tube (2nd pic):
1 for everyday use: 1.05 m x 2.00 m
1 for cleaning out and transporting earth, sand etc: 1.80 m x 2.00 m. Usually locked.
The site was on a slope, so made the footing stepped. Its handy to have a slope, as the water drains out faster when it rains.
Have never covered it, cos they've got quite big sleeping quarters (about 3 m x 3 m: you can see it on the left.). If you want to cover, take the slope into account with height of posts.
The welding isn't that difficult, but if you don't know how then a mechanic can do it in a couple of hours.
The whole thing took about 4 days for the two of us (with coffee breaks).
Planted elderberry, rhodos and holly which all resist their pecking. Holly wasn't a good idea as the old leaves that fall are very prickly. Going to replace with something else, but don't know what. Got any ideas ???
Good luck with project.
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2 nd pic
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3rd pic
Couldn't get the post to take all three >:(
Best wishes
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Try again, 3 rd pic ::)
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Thanks for the pictures tode. The run looks great. We have plenty of room to put something similar to that up. Hope I can persuade OH to build it in a couple of weeks time when we will be on holiday.
We were thinking of planting willow and shaping them into a willow arch for them to have shelter. Or have I been watching too much of "grand designs" on the telly? It is a good fast growing plant that does not complain when you chop it down. It just grows again. Some nice low rhodedendrons sound good. Laurel is good. I also fancy putting in a black currant bush. That will be a good hight and they can eat the currants.
Thanks again, :)
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You're welcome. If you need any help, just post.
When taking photos I noticed that the tubes could with a lick of paint. Since we put it up about 20 years ago, I suppose that's not too bad.
I'd be cautios about willow. We planted some in garden, and didn't keep on top of them, now they're 80 - 90 feet high and starting to a problem. If you let anything grow up into the top netting, its a real pain untangling it all.
Aren't laurel berries poisonous? Not sure.
Rhodos haven't suffered, and give a bit of colour.
From time to time I fork over the earth and sow corn, which they promptly eat and scratch up, but it keeps em busy :)
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isnt laurel bad for them ??
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After googling, the RHS says laurel is poisonous >:(
I think that birds wouldn't touch it in the garden, where there's plenty to choose from, but in a run, they may have a go out of "desperation". So best to avoid.
RHS: http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/research/Horticultural_themes/hazardous_list.asp
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i thought i had read that on here before about the laurel , also beano i would be carefull about planting a black currant bush for them to much fruit will give them upset tummies .
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Wow tode, that is one impressive-looking run! My girls ask "Can we come on holiday to you, please?"
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That is a fabulous run tode but I do feel I should mention that chicken (hex) wire is not fox (or dog) proof, they can chew through it. The bottom 3 ft should be weldmesh of not less than 16 gague.
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Please could I just point out that with weldmesh the lower the number the thicker the wire is ie 16 gauge is 0.064 inch or 1.626 mm, 8 gauge is 0.160 inch or 4.09 mm. Please use as low a number that you possibly can (it will often say the number followed by SWG -standard wire gauge), but keep the holes to a minimum of 1/2 inch by 1 inch. :)
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I have three different types of laurel in the garden and the chickens have had access to them daily. Should I be worried? Maybe it's different when they have a choice of shrubs. I wont be planting laurel in the run now. javascript:replaceText(' :ohmy:', document.forms.postmodify.message);
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Was thinking of putting stronger wire on the bottom 3' of the run just in case something takes a fancy to them.
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My hens free range and around my garden there are about 50 laurel bushes. My chickens scratch and dust bathe underneath them and the black birds eat the berries (under no circumstances should humans eat these). I think it is the leaves that give off cyanide when burnt .
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Thank goodness for that because our three have spent quite a lot of time underneath our largest laurel and have a very discreet dust-bath under it. They have other dust-baths dotted all over the garden but spend a lot of time under the laurel.
Does this mean that it will be safe to plant one in a new run, provided there are other plants for them?
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Amanda: send photo of girls in a plain brown envelope, and I'll tell you if they can come ::) ::)
The advantage with it is that it doesnt rot, like wood, and is pretty strong. We had a big willow branch fall on it, which bent one tube a bit, but just straightened it out again.
Auntie: whats this weldmesh thingy? Over here we have stiffish panels of of square mesh, but very thick wire (almost thin rods). Its used as pig fencing.
Over the years we've seen where beasties have tried to get in (mesh pulled and deformed) but so far it's resisted.
We didn't want to make a run that was too obtrusive: wanted it to be as transparent as possible.
Thanks for compliment. We do try, yes we do try.
Beano: I wouln't worry about stuff in garden. Just been to have another look at the RHS list of poisonous plants, and we've got just about all of em !! If it was really a prob, they'd all be dead, and us with them. ::)
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Phew!!
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I am a great believe of electric fencing and a couple of strands of wire around the top and middle of the run will put off those foxes that can climb and they are out there. If they cant jump they will climb.
Oh i and a Terrier that can climb and get out of a 8ft high chain link fence enclosure!!
(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l389/Roughlee_Handled/chicken%20stuff/10062009315.jpg)