Hen Run

fiestaman

Hi, i have 3 hens at the moment and i also have a coop for them. I let tehm roam from morning until the go to roost everyday. Problem is they come onto the concrete yard that i have around the house and poo everywhere. Im woundering what would be the smallest run i would make to put them in because this roaming around craic isnt working. also one hen is laying in the ditch and not in the coop. any suggestions?

Base price

The recommended space per hen (LF) for an outdoor run is 10 sq/ft per bird. The problem with making a permanent run is that unless it is quite large the hens will destroy it (scratching) and it will turn into a quagmire in the winter. If you could have a moveable run with the coop it would be better.
Only way to stop the hen from laying outside is to keep her confined to a run. Also for 3 hens it probably best to have 2 nest boxes. The reason that she is laying out is probably because the nest box (s) were occupied by the other hens. Also a good tip is to place 1 or 2 false eggs (porcelain) or golf balls in the nest boxes as it encourages the hens to lay in them.

aonb

The #1 reason for henkeepers moving from free ranging hens to in a run is because of the poo I would imagine :mad: I know thats why I had to restrict my hens. Would it be possible to prevent your hens from going in to the concrete yard (with chicken wire or whatever?)

As for the hen laying out, hens will ALWAYS lay out from a coop/nice cosy nestbox, if there is someplace dark/secret to lay in the garden. This is their instinct kicking in. If they can find a ncie hedge to lay under, or anyplace that they can go to lay their eggs in a dark/secret place, then once they find that place, thats where they will go back to - a tough habit to break. You can try to keep them in the run until late morning when they have laid. I had a hen that somehow managed to lay later afternoon and evening even when she got out of the run she was restricted to in an effort to keep the eggs in the nestbox!

As already mentioned, the hens will destroy a run, so the bigger you can possibly make it is critical. Remember once they are in a run, it needs to be secure from a fox/predator who will get in and the hens are trapped. Run will need to be 6ft high. You could include an old tire filled with grit/sand/clay so they can dust bathe to keep down lice etc. Never leave food in a run overnight, or you will have a rat problem. The hens food will need to be kept dry in the run. You need to provide oyster shell/grit if they are no longer free ranging.

fiestaman

Thanks guys. I could probably get some kind of fence like the orange netting you see on the road works about 4ft high but then i suppose they coluld fly over that. Re the nest box, i actually took out the divider in the laying comparment and maybe that wasnt a good idea but anyway where shes laying its easy to get the egg so not a serious problem.

aonb

The orange netting could be fine - if you clip a wing - my hens never 'bothered' to go over a similar height when I fenced in a bit of the garden for them... Remember predators will be able to get easy access to the hens over something so low though.

Base price

aonb wrote: »

The orange netting could be fine - if you clip a wing - my hens never 'bothered' to go over a similar height when I fenced in a bit of the garden for them... Remember predators will be able to get easy access to the hens over something so low though.

A solution, although not 100% predator proof, would be to run 2 strands of electric fence about 2 foot away from the orange netting.

fiestaman

Plan now is to make a mobile run 8' long & 6' wide. All sides will be screwed to posts at each corner making it easy to unscrew and move. It will be 4' high. Il let them out a couple of hours before dusk and let them pick that way they are more inclined to stay in the garden, it's when they are out a long time they tend to come onto the yard.

Askim

fiestaman wrote: »

Plan now is to make a mobile run 8' long & 6' wide. All sides will be screwed to posts at each corner making it easy to unscrew and move. It will be 4' high. Il let them out a couple of hours before dusk and let them pick that way they are more inclined to stay in the garden, it's when they are out a long time they tend to come onto the yard.

I made something similar, went 8' as half 16' timber, used 2"x1" put 2 of 4'3" on the ends screwed bottom on both ends, then attached wire to top rail and bottom rail, then pulled top rail up a bit tightening the wire, then screwed the top rail and nailed on the side of the wire.

I use grey electrical to tie them together, about 12", thread it through both fences and twist, easy move and doesn't have to be a square shape

A

Gorteen

Askim wrote: »

I made something similar, went 8' as half 16' timber, used 2"x1" put 2 of 4'3" on the ends screwed bottom on both ends, then attached wire to top rail and bottom rail, then pulled top rail up a bit tightening the wire, then screwed the top rail and nailed on the side of the wire.

I use grey electrical to tie them together, about 12", thread it through both fences and twist, easy move and doesn't have to be a square shape

A

Any pics?

Base price

A simple run can be made from builders fence panels. I think they are called Harris fences, they are about 9 or 10' long and 6' high and can be joined together to make a run. They come in different sized mesh and can be bought second hand on Donedeal and builders suppliers.
They are NOT predator proof but will keep your hens contained (unless they are a flighty/light breed and a wing clip should sort that) and can be easily moved about as they are light.

Graces7

Base price wrote: »

A simple run can be made from builders fence panels. I think they are called Harris fences, they are about 9 or 10' long and 6' high and can be joined together to make a run. They come in different sized mesh and can be bought second hand on Donedeal and builders suppliers.
They are NOT predator proof but will keep your hens contained (unless they are a flighty/light breed and a wing clip should sort that) and can be easily moved about as they are light.

Please make sure they are predator proof. I gave up on hens after a mink got in to what I thought was a secure coop.

Askim

Gorteen wrote: »

Any pics?

Sorry for taking so long

Pic attached

aonb

Askim wrote: »

Sorry for taking so long

Pic attached

is it just me or is that link blank?

greysides

Link fro attachment not working for me either.

TopTec

No picture links on any of the forums work for me. In thread pics do display however....

TT

Askim

I tried again but it won't upload

Boards no workie

It shows up as 3.5mb but the Image is only 125 kb? ??

Mods any insight ???

Kovu

It's the same with every attachment I've tried to open for the last couple of weeks! Feckin thing.
Any way you could upload it to imgur/imagehost.org and attach the direct link to it?

Askim

I'll try that

Thanks

Kovu

Askim wrote: »

I'll try that

Thanks

If you need help, just shout!

greysides

The 'picture' in the attachments is 1 px x 1px for some reason, it's the white dot in the middle of the 'image'.

Askim

I'll try again, hope they have fixed it

Danjken

I use 4ft high wire mesh with the bottom 1ft bent outwards and then pegged down tightly with sods of earth placed on top. Little known fact: foxes dig down, but not across, so as long as you ensure the mesh is tight against the ground this technique will foil them.

I then put a single line of electrified fence wire around the top of the mesh. One zap from this and Mr Fox will never try to jump over it again. My enclosure is 150 square metres, so in my case this is A LOT cheaper than putting 8ft high fence in.

Chickens can fly, but not upwards. Basically they power-glide (flapping like mad). So if you have trees in the enclosure or put something they can climb on near the fence then they will likely find a way to escape. Mine don't escape, because I have the roost far away from the fence and nothing they could glide out from. Also bear in mind that in a large outdoor enclosure with everything they could possibly want to be happy, your chickens probably won't try to escape in the first place. They aren't nearly as clueless as people think.

aonb

You can always clip a few feathers from ONE wing to prevent them sailing over the top of your fence! Takes 2 seconds, but needs to be done when the new feathers grow in!

gozunda

Foxes will dig under and attempt to jump over nearly every type of fencing to get at poultry.

For a movable run I use electrified poultry net fencing which comes in a variety of heights and lenghts. A mains fence unit or battery fence unit is used to power provide charge.

Keeps vermin out and keeps poultry in. It can be moved easily and rolled up for storage.

Do a search online - there is at least one or two irish companies which supply this.