Yeah livin is right, they are pretty hardy. Your palace seems lovely for 5 chooks, especially if they are allowed out for a while each day. Pickets and wire would be a good day time solution to keep the dogs away. And yep pretty easy to move if you don't put them in too far or have a picket puller.
i was going to suggest star pickets and wire too! a nice temporary measure and easy to move when needed.
friends we visited last week have similar - they actually move their temporary run over the vegie patches at the end of the season to allow the chooks to eat down the waste, add nitrogen through their poop, and turn it all over for them - in her words "the ultimate in lazy gardening!
DH just suggested we use and convert the old horse crate. It measures 1.95H x 2.54W and 4.55L.
Currently its up on stilts where its sat for god knows how long but Dh and FIL have talked about shifting it because of the little ones as the timber its resting on is starting to weather and rot.
It has SO much potential, will need work but it will be a perfect space for my current birds and big enough for a few more further down the track. I can even get another coop in there if need be OR build something myself Its position will be permanent but it has the potential to be fully contained ....... hmmmmm now to start dreaming
Keep everything crossed that FIL says yes, He should because he'd be happy its being put to use.
OOoo I hope he says yes!
I love your current chook run, it looks so groovy!
We had five chooks, they lived in something similar to the one you have now (but not as fancy), but I would let them out in the morning, and put them back in, in the arvo. Our house is fenced, so I wasn't concerned about them escaping or a dog eating them.
Now we have two chooks (I found 5 too hard to handle with their digging) and I have a smallish cage, but again, they are let out in morning and night.
My cousin uses an old horse float too! Works wonderful! However if it were me, i'd still let them out. But she has a similar problem to you, lives on a farm, lots of dogs etc.
I am funny about animals in cages, I really don't like it. I HATE that our dogs have to be tethered and only let off for a good run for 3 hours a day but they have LOOOONG leads so can still move around heaps.
Its for this reason that I want a large enclosed space for them, at least they can have a good stretch and run around before being let out and IF by some odd chance that they do not get let out for a day for whatever reason then its not to bad because they still have room ... does that make sense?
I guess in a way I am forward planning a little for when I am having another baby and am in hospital or sleep deprived and plain old forget
Totally understand where you're coming from. I'm the same!
When our chooks were little, one got through the back neighbours fence and their dog ate it But even then I still didn't have the heart to keep them locked up, instead I got DH to change the fence, haha.
I've got friends with 5 chooks and they keep them in their little fenced cage, very very rarely let them out. Poor little things
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OMG
Its position will be permanent but it has the potential to be fully contained ....... hmmmmm now to start dreaming
Keep everything crossed that FIL says yes, He should because he'd be happy its being put to use.
Works wonderful! However if it were me, i'd still let them out. But she has a similar problem to you, lives on a farm, lots of dogs etc.
But even then I still didn't have the heart to keep them locked up, instead I got DH to change the fence, haha.
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