Coffee anyone ?

[Baymule]

I like having a cup of coffee with my friends. I had to gulp and go this morning so we could load Wilbur the hog, to take him to slaughter. My coffee ain't "pretend".

 

[Alaskan]

Good grief! Sent kid to unplug the copier/fax from the phone jack. He has no idea what a phone cord is... I had to explain.

and

 

[RollingAcres]

Oh boy...

 

[RollingAcres]

Opinions needed from y'all please.
So my chicken run is a bit overgrown now. It hasn't been used since July because I've been letting my only hen free range.
I'm going to start letting the chicks out into the chicken run soon. Should I go in there and whack it down? Or leave it overgrown so the chicks are in the thick, harder for hawks to see them maybe?
Here are some pics.

 

[Latestarter]

wow... might be safe from hawks, but I'd worry about snakes, raccoons and any other sundry critters that could be in their sight unseen...

 

[promiseacres]

Opinions needed from y'all please.
So my chicken run is a bit overgrown now. It hasn't been used since July because I've been letting my only hen free range.
I'm going to start letting the chicks out into the chicken run soon. Should I go in there and whack it down? Or leave it overgrown so the chicks are in the thick, harder for hawks to see them maybe?
Here are some pics.
View attachment 52634 View attachment 52635

IMO I'd leave it, more bugs to eat, better coverage. It won't take long to get down to dirt.

 

[Duckling and Spider]

I look through the overgrown areas, then let ‘em loose!

 

[Bruce]

I go with @Duckling and Spider, combination of @Latestarter and @promiseacres. Of course you'll have a devil of a time seeing the chicks in there, best train them to BOSS or scratch a bit so they will come out.

I had a big patch like that behind the barn this spring and the chicks did just fine hunting around in it. They didn't take it down to dirt, I had to mow eventually.

BTW, chicks can go through 2x4 wire for a surprisingly long time. You might find them on the wrong side unless you put some chicken wire on the bottom of the existing fence.

 

[RollingAcres]

Thank you all for your input.

@Latestarter I didn't even think about the ground predators

@promiseacres and @Duckling and Spider thanks!

@Bruce What's BOSS?

I do plan on putting chicken wire on the bottom so they don't get out through the current fence.
I also have a tarp that i plan on puttong in one of the corners for them to hide under if needed. The "runway" from the coop out to the chicken run is covered on top so they can go there too.

 

[Alaskan]

BOSS is black oil sunflower seed.

But any treat will work well.

Definitely treat train them!!!! Makes life much easier.