A New Fence for My Chickens
A big outdoor project is underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
As you may know, I have four coops that house more than 100 chickens, 17 geese, and a confusion of Guinea fowl in a large and enclosed space down by my vegetable garden. I make sure they are all fed the best, most nutritious foods, and have lots of room to roam and range happily. I also make sure their yard is as safe and as beautiful as possible. This year, I decided to spruce up the pen - replace all the fencing, level the ground surrounding each coop, add a new layer of gravel, etc. For the fence, I called on our friends from Garon Fence Co. Inc. in nearby Bedford, Hills. It took several weeks to complete, but they did an excellent job.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The original fencing served its purpose, but it was time to replace it and put up a more durable fence that would look nice, and protect all my poultry, waterfowl, and Guinea fowl. Here is some of the old fencing that was removed. It is all rolled up and ready to be discarded.
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- The wooden fence frames and posts are also removed. Whatever wood is salvageable is stored for other projects around the farm.
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- We used the team from Garon Fence Co. This company also put up my pigeon and peafowl fence earlier this year.
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- All fence projects start with string. The crew ties brightly colored mason string from one end to the other indicating where the fence will be placed. Everything is measured several times to be sure all the fencing will be straight.
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- Then, post holes are dug deep into the ground – at least two feet, and all dug by hand.
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- These pipes are made from 16-gauge galvanized steel for strength, durability, and corrosion resistance.
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- The galvanized steel posts are secured into the ground with concrete. After the posts are secured and leveled in the concrete, they’re left to dry thoroughly.
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- These are called tension bands and are used to attach the fencing fabric and to secure any gate posts.
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- Several tension bands are placed along the pipes in preparation to secure the fence fabric.
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- These are metal fence loop caps, which are used at the top of the steel posts to cover the tube openings.
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- Here, one can see a series of posts placed along three sides of the yard – some already with the upper cross bars.
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- Meanwhile, my outdoor grounds crew works on improving the drainage within the chicken yard by installing this curtain drain. Curtain drains are very similar to french drains – they both direct water away from an area. A french drain focuses on ground water, while a more shallow curtain drain deals more with surface water.
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- This is perforated drain pipe. The perforated pipe provides drainage along the full length of the pipe.
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- The crew lines pipe across the area behind the coops, where water collects during heavy rainstorms. Chhiring creates intersections and elbows wherever necessary.
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- Atrium grates are used used to drain the excess water into the pipes, so there is no ponding.
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- The last very important step is to install a bed of gravel on top of the pipes to filter the water to the perforated pipes. The gravel also helps to keep the surrounding soil from washing into the voids and clogging the drain.
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- Above, these pipes will also support fencing fabric to keep aerial predators away. The pipes are attached to the coops, so there are absolutely no access points for intruders.
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- This new roll of fencing fabric is from a company called Red Brand Fence Co. in Peoria, Illinois – the only company in the world that makes this type of fencing.
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- It is a V-mesh weave fence fabric. It has a continuous weave pattern, so cut wire ends don’t harm the animals. It also provides very effective predator control. The high quality galvanized wire with durable zinc coating resists weathering as well as wear and tear – it’s perfect for the chicken yard, but can also be used for horse and cattle enclosures.
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- Several crew members unroll the fence fabric along the side of the yard and attach it to the posts from the top to the bottom.
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- They secure it with these chain link fence wire ties, also known as chain link hook ties, or chain link fence tie wires. They are constructed from a heavy duty bendable gauge wire.
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- All the fencing is carefully attached by hand.
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- A poultry safe wire netting is also secured on the inside lower half all around the perimeter. Here, one can see the two layers.
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- Here is one of the gate doors – also covered with the V-mesh weave fence fabric.
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- Half gate doors are installed within the yard, so there is access between certain sections – these access points are new and will help to speed up cleaning and feeding.
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- Here is the netting secured above to keep the hawks, falcons and other aerial predators out. The wire is also extended several inches down to keep burrowing vermin out of the enclosure.
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- And here is a view after the new chicken yard fence is all finished. I think my chickens, geese, and Guinea fowl will be very happy with their pen. In my next blog, I will share photos of the other changes made to this enclosure. I’m also replacing the fence around the vegetable garden – it’s all very exciting. Stay tuned for more photos in upcoming blogs.
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