Chain link runs? Pros and Cons?

I have been tossing the idea around also!  I think the biggest drawback is the size of the openings in the chained link fencing.  A raccoon could reach in and pull the chicken out (ugh).  You could line make a double wall with chicken wire on the inside so the chickens cannot get close to the fence?  This seems like double the work.  I know most experienced chicken owners prefer the 1/2in hardware cloth.   I haven't secured my run are yet but hardware clothe is going to cost me around $200 for a 12x20 run area. 

The holes in chain link fencing allow chickens to stick their heads out and for predators (like raccoons) to stick their arms in, and smaller predators such as weasels can climb right through it.  It you put hardware cloth on the lower 2-3' of the fence that would help, and you would need to either bury fencing at the bottom or lay an apron  of fence along the ground to keep predators from digging under the fence.

I am using dog kennels with a roof and I quite like them. They have the advantage of being portable as well, such that they can be used in a tractor-like fashion. 

 

I have one that has a tarp roof - the tarp leaks and drives me batty.

 

I have one that has a metal roof that works well, using old aluminum roofing that was literally lying around my place.

 

The roof is given slope and form using conduit and welded wire mesh supports the tarp in one case and fills the triangular space in the other.

 

We don't have a lot of daytime predator problems, in terms of the raccoons reaching through. There are wooden coops inside the dog kennels where the chickens can be completely shut in at night. Wrapping additional wire around the bottom would be pretty easy, however, and could be done at any time.

 

Our daytime predator issues are more from the sky, and it's easy to fashion a roof for these, or to cover the top with wire. (You can also buy premade roofs for them.)

 

It's a quick and dirty solution and it's fairly affordable and versatile for what we needed. The sturdy base and the human friendly-scale make it easier to work with than our more permanent coops or than our tractor coops.

Edited by poltroon - 1/27/13 at 2:22pm

I use kennel panels for my runs so I can disassemble and move them as needed. I have hardware cloth running around the bottom and ziptied every few inches. This makes for a strong run.

We had a $400 dog kennel from Lowes that was much thinner, weaker, and less well made. Then we looked at the dog kennel panels at the feed store. The thing that gets me is the better made kennel panels ran $280 for the same size on sale. 2x100 foot, 1/2 hardware cloth is $58 on Amazon with free shipping. So even with that cost I got a better run that was safe.

The 3 foot hardware cloth is like $87 for 100ft.




ETA. I can't spell or write numbers apparently.
Edited by Hinotori - 1/27/13 at 11:14pm

I use a dog kennel for a run and haven't had any issues. I put 2ft of chicken wire around the bottom, then folded another 2ft section and wire tied it to the bottom at 12in, and use the other 12in as an apron. the grass grows through the chicken wire and holds it to the ground so good I can run a lawnmower over it without sucking it into the blade. The top is tarped and sloped to keep the hawks out and the snow off. I've seen a lot of them for sale for a lot less than you can buy hardware cloth and lumber to build with.
 

Others have already given you lots of valid advice. Here are some of my thoughts:

 

I had an owl once to reach in a grab a chick in a dog kennel and he did succeed at killing him- so the wrapping the bottom part with chicken wire or hardware cloth is good. You might regret burying wire if you want to move the panels around when the grass gets all eaten up.

 

As for overhead netting, it will come down in snow if you don't use the heavy knotted stuff (raccoons can chew through that though). I have used metal chicken wire overhead too but the snow makes it sag and raccoons can tear through that too.

You would have to cover the tops with chainlink or a bona fide roof, or hardware cloth in order to make it predator resistant. Rats and weasels can get through unless it is 1/2 inch hardware cloth. If you are interested in shielding from hawks you can just use bird netting as I do when they are chicks (a determined hawk can tear through that too but I have seen a hawk bounce off mine).

 

In other words, if it were me, I'd just put up your panels and move them around as you desire. Close them up in the coop at night. You might lose some this way but I personally don't make a predator proof pen- only a predator proof coop. A chicken Fort Knox run will require 1/2 inch hardware cloth all around and that is too expensive for me.

Edited by ChickensAreSweet - 1/27/13 at 3:47pm

Oh- just saw you have silkies.

 

Different story. They need some overhead netting to protect from hawks. You can put up some deer netting or bird netting and take it down in winter for snow if you want, or get the heavy knotted stuff and string it carefully with supports.

 

I do sometimes have silkies with no overhead netting, but only with copious quantities of hawk shelters throughout the run (pallets elevated on concrete blocks). The trouble is that the silkies cannot see the hawks approach and hence my aforementioned remark of seeing a hawk bounce off the bird netting. The silkies were standing around and didn't see the hawk flying overhead. About TEN of them didn't see it! Usually somebody sees the hawk!

 

If you can get yourself some free pallets and lots of $2 concrete blocks, you can create safe havens for them if you turn the block so that it is tallest, then they can walk underneath comfortably. A determined hawk can get them even with hawk shelters though.