Did you/would you anchor your run posts?

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Husker Hens

Husker Hens

Chirping
5 Years
Sep 24, 2014
122
11
61
Nebraska (Panhandle)
My Coop
My Coop
I tried finding old forums about this but couldn't find much...

Those of you that have built runs using 4X4s, did you bury them in the ground, pour concrete with some kind of anchor, just leave them sitting on the surface or some other method? My plan is to build a 16X16 run using 4X4s every 8 feet with hardware cloth inbetween. I know that the disadvantage to burying them in either dirt or concrete is that they will eventually rot, even if they are treated. The disadvantage of anchoring them to cement is the face that with only a few inches of support they can lean. Considering it's going to be a square and i'll run some type of dimensional lumbar between the 4X4s I can't image they would lean even if they were sitting on the ground due to the fact that it will be a large box and each 4X4 leg will support the others. Anyway, Let me know what you have all done and how it's worked out. Thanks in advance!!
 
Mine are sunk in the ground 2 foot with concrete. Rotting is reduced by using the right kind of lumber and making a mound of concrete so water runs away from the posts not toward it. Yes the chickens will bury the concrete mound in short order.


Not sure you can see enough detail in the one post that managed to be in the shot of the chickens. But the concrete is there. Surely it is buried by the hens.
Yes my run is with chain link. The fencing and door on the right lead into another section of the run so did not need to be predator proof just chicken proof.
 
Not all pressure treated is equal. A standard piece of pressure treated has a coating that is good for 2 years at most. If put into contact with ground you'll see about 5 years of service life before it's rotted away and structurally unsound. If you get a good piece of pressure treated it's coating will last about 5 years and typically will last 15+ years in contact with the ground. Look at the label on the lumber. It will state whether or not it's approved for ground contact.
 
I pounded mine into the ground with a sledgehammer. I used poles from a canopy tent, and after I pounded them in I tied them to the trampoline frame with strong wire for extra security. It worked well. The only thing I used concrete on was my 4 corner 4x4s on the coop. We have really firm dirt here though so even with wet ground it's rock hard.
 
I used 4x4s and dug them 24 inches below grade and set them in concrete. My run is about 8x12 with a single pitch roof. My neighbor built a similar sized structure to house his firewood, same basic construction but just set on the ground. His structure flipped over in a wind storm this spring. Mine didn't.
 
Husker, I can tell ya that pressure treated post will last at least 20-years in the wet environs of western Oregon. I built our fences 20-years ago when we built our new house and the fence still stands today. It doesn't lean, isn't loose, and is still solid as the day I built it! The post are concreted to about 4" of the surface then dirt around the top 4". I won't know exactly how long it will last as we are moving across the state on Oct 1st.

I don't plan on anchoring post in the ground for my new coop & run. It's just going to sit on a foundation of concrete paver type blocks. If I find any issue with it moving I'll pound a few pieces of rebar stake with a washer welded on top through drilled base boards into the ground.

Good luck!
 
Hey Husker,

For my run, I purchased pressure treated 4 x 4s rated for in-ground use. They are about twice the price of treated lumber for above ground. I used 16 of them for my run, all buried 24" but NOT in concrete. I've used the same technique for projects that are now 15 years old and still rock solid. It's worked out great for me. Just another option...
 

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