How To Build Secure Fencing For Organic Chickens

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Before you start building a chicken coop for your organic chickens, you need a good, solid chicken coop design. You can easily go online and find an assortment of chicken coop blueprints that range in size, shape, color and material. You can search for easy chicken coops, cheap chicken coops, pretty chicken coops, large chicken coops, small chicken coops, DIY chicken coops and you will be able to find a design to make even the pickiest person happy.

The materials needed to build your fencing and supports can be found at any local hardware store. The types of materials you need will depend on the type of fencing you are building. I used 4x4 posts to attach the wiring to. I bought a few bags of concrete, sixteen 4x4 posts and the wiring to enclose my chicken run. I bought "U" clips or nails to secure the wiring to the posts.

If you decide to use chain link fencing, which I don't recommend, you will need to get the correct poles and clips to secure the wiring to the poles.

If you decide to do the job yourself, you will need a shovel or a post hole digger to dig a hole that is at least 12 inches deep in order to place your poles in. You will also need wire cutters and a hammer. I put a post every four feet but you can go six feet without to many problems. Once you set your posts, you will need to allow the concrete to cure properly so that you can stretch your wiring from post to post and have them stay in place.

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You need to build a sturdy frame to attach your wiring to. I personally sank 4x4 posts into the ground and it is very sturdy. I attached the chicken wiring on the inside and the heavier small square wiring on the outside. That leaves a pretty decent gap between the two sets of fencing materials and better protects my chickens. I also have a friend who prefers to be able to move her chickens around so she built a very sturdy frame that can be moved. It is a pain but it can be done as I've found out!

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Keeping chickens in your backyard is a great way to have fresh eggs around all the time. If you are really brave, you can also have fresh meat for you and your family.

Some commonly asked questions are:
- Can I break even keeping a flock of chickens?
- How old do my pullets have to be before they start laying eggs?
- Which chicken breeds are best for producing the most eggs?
- Which chicken breeds have the best meat?

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It is pretty easy to find fencing for chickens at any local hardware store in your area. It is up to you as to what type of wiring you use to protect your chickens. There are several options available to you, depending on how much money you have to invest and how you want the finished product to look. I have seen a lot of different types of fencing used and most of them work just fine. Keep in mind that even the most well thought out chicken run may need some modifications after it is complete.

The most commonly used types of wiring are chicken or poultry wiring or the smaller mesh with the very small square openings. Either one should work just fine. I always strongly recommend putting up a double layer of wiring because I have had chickens pulled through just one layer of poultry wiring. It is a very gruesome site.

Stretch the wiring as tightly as possible between the posts. I would also recommend burying the fence at least a foot in the ground and some people recommend that you bury it at least two feet in the ground. Predators are very determined and will dig down and go under the wiring to get to your chickens.

Another solution to burying the fencing is to create an "apron" of sorts. You bend the fencing along the bottom so that it is an "L" shape. You can secure the apron portion to the ground using landscape anchors and also allow grass, plants and weeds to grow up through it. It will be very secure and you won't have to dig any trenches to bury your fence.

Electrified mesh fencing is another popular option and is a very good way to help keep your chickens safe. It shouldn't bother the chickens unless they touch it with their feet or any other part of their body that is missing feathers. But it does keep them from perching on it and tearing it down. The electrified fencing will deliver a shock to any other animals that touch it and will help prevent them from taking your chickens.

I also know people that have used chain link fencing for their chicken runs. The biggest problem with this fencing is that the holes in the fencing are large and it is easy for any predator to reach through the holes and grab a chicken. If you use this fencing, I would strongly recommend a second layer of smaller mesh wiring for added protection.

When you construct your chicken run be sure and plan chicken access areas. I put wire doors on my chicken openings so that I can lock them up at night. My chickens are large so it is still possible for other critters to gain access to the chicken run and chicken coop during the day, but I always do a final check before I lock up for the night just to make sure that I don't lock up a predator in with them.

My chicken run is totally enclosed, meaning the top is also covered with wiring. Make sure and do regular checks of the wring because it can be damaged. Check regularly for gaps in the wiring or the supports because they can pull apart and leave a large enough area for a predator to squeeze through. I recently lost a hen because of a very small gap that I would never have imagined a possum could shimmy through.

When you construct your chicken run be sure and plan chicken access areas. I put wire doors on my chicken openings for the hot summer months so that I can lock them up at night and they can still have air flow.

Even though my chicken run is totally enclosed, I still make sure and regularly inspect the fencing, especially where the fencing attaches to the wood. It is not difficult for a determined predator to pick an area of the fencing and gradually work a piece loose enough to gain access. They can get through some pretty small holes.

Once thing that I like to do is landscape the area around my chicken coop and chicken run. I placed evergreen trees and bushes strategically around the enclosures to make it look more appealing and also to provide protection for my chickens. They can dart under the trees and bushes all year round to hide from birds that might be hunting them.

- The average egg you purchase from your local supermarket or convenience store, whether it be from a barn raised or free range chicken, is generally more than 45 days old before it ends up on your table? Try eating an egg that's less than 24 hours old and you'll soon taste the difference...

In this concise, easy to read, step by step guide to keeping chickens you'll discover

~ The 10 most commonly kept breeds of chicken including; their suitability for egg laying and/or meat production, their basic requirements and adaptability to your specific climate, and perhaps most importantly if you have children - their different temperaments and personalities.

~ A brief history of chicken keeping and how to determine whether keeping chickens in your own backyard is really the right option for you.

~ A complete run down on what chickens need to really thrive, the costs involved (they're much lower than you might think), and how much time you're really going to need to dedicate to the new additions to your family.

Get more information on keeping happy healthy egg laying chickens in your own backyard.

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