I’ve had chickens for about 5 years now and I have to say they are best thing I think I have done in a long while.

Chickens are probably the easiest to care for of all livestock. The hardest part is getting ready for them to come home. You have build a shelter for them to keep them safe at night. There are many different predators that could come after your chickens so you need to keep this in mind as you are building their structure. For us, it is mainly coyotes and hawks that we have to worry about.

For the hawks, we have made sure they have safe places to get to during the day. This includes things for them to go under, trees, and other places they can hide. The hawks usually only attack during the day. Coyotes however, attack usually at night. So making sure their enclosure is safe is imperative.

This means making sure it is completely enclosed. It could also require something just under the ground to discourage digging. It also requires something that predators can’t get through very easily. Chicken wire is good at keeping your chickens in, but not keeping anything out. We used hardware cloth for our enclosure. What you will need to use will depend on the predators that you have in your area.

Have a great day!

Renee