Building a predator proof run

[3KillerBs]

Thank you for the feedback! I'm not sure how to add my location to my profile but I'm on Cape Cod, MA. So we have mild New England weather here. Usually only a few days in the 90's in August and that's about it. We get some snow too, but it doesn't usually dip below 0F. The run is shaded by 2 large beech trees which provide deep shade in the summer and lose their leaves in the winter allowing sunlight in the winter (still somewhat shaded though from their branches). We had been planning on a metal roof but I wanted to make it more natural by doing the polycarbonate & letting the natural light through. In the summer they'll really only get a little bit of morning sun before the beech trees shade them for the rest of the day, so I'm hoping that will be comfortable for them. I've also seen polycarbonate roofing that isn't totally clear that allows 80% sunlight through (instead of 94% like the clear stuff I was looking at) so that's another option too.

Natural shade is excellent!

If you go to your account details and scroll down you'll find a space labeled "location".

 

[BriannaG]

Natural shade is excellent!

If you go to your account details and scroll down you'll find a space labeled "location".

Thank you! Added it

 

[Mrs. K]

Bigger - make it bigger, a lot bigger...bigger than you think you need.

I have had issues for a lot of years. I went with a chain link fencing, 8 feet high and over the top. Fastened together with hog rings. Apron 12 inches around. Has worked very well for coyotes, coons (which are amazingly clever and strong) and flying predators.

The gate is almost always the weakness. That is a place that I have dug up and buried very large rock under the gate. An apron is hard to keep down with the constant traffic, and the deeply buried -2 feet, has worked well for me.

Do make sure the roof is strong. And it doesn't hurt to walk around it once a week and check.

The @#$@^%&*^^%$ predators always get the best hen.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgeback825]

We went with a combination as we have a small backyard flock in a neighborhood. We have a more secure covered run with an outdoor run as well that is connected by a tunnel around the back of the shed. Our issues are mainly at night, so we close off the birds in the covered run that has 1/2" hardware cloth, a hard corner for birds to hide in, is up against a shed wall, is set on cinder block with 8" of gravel inside and has 1x2 welded mesh as a perimeter skirt. Our ducks nest in the run and the chicken's go up to the coop where the nesting boxes are. Originally, we didn't plan on ducks so the coop was going to be the fortress, but they were just too cute to say no. Now we are running out of room (chicken math) and want to expand the outdoor run with maybe a separate safe area for the ducks because they poop everywhere. I wish Ihadtaken more pics throughoutthe process, but feel free to ask specificquestions. I spent tons of hours researching the best build because i didnt want my son to go out to a slaughtered flock like we've experiencedin the past. I even had to help a neighbor at 5:30am take care of a bobcat that dug under the coop, killed 2 layers and couldnt get out. Thats not fun. Not to mention, it survived 12 hours of hurricane Ian!

 

[KyCoop]

I have hwc on top of my run and a roof built over top. I originally used clear polycarbonate for the same reasons you give.

I strongly suggest against it. The more shade you can provide the better. I even tried to paint over mine (failed) so I will be reroofing this spring. Clear roof sounds great but it's not.

 

[3KillerBs]

Bigger - make it bigger, a lot bigger...bigger than you think you need.

The usual guidelines are that for each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

These are generally considered *minimums* and if you can go oversized you won't regret it.

 

[RojoMarz]

I have hwc on top of my run and a roof built over top. I originally used clear polycarbonate for the same reasons you give.

I strongly suggest against it. The more shade you can provide the better. I even tried to paint over mine (failed) so I will be reroofing this spring. Clear roof sounds great but it's not.

Location can be important, in regards to "shade". For us cold weather states, more sun is important. We have a some clear polycarbonate mixed in on our run roof, so it's like skylights.

 

[gtaus]

This will be my first time owning chickens & am trying to decide the best way to predator proof the run area. We have lots of predators (hawks, rats, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, neighborhood cats, chipmunks and squirrels, and potentially weasels as well).

I would like to challenge your basic assumptions, based on my experience. When I first got laying hens, I, too, was thinking about making a predator proof chicken run. I quickly calculated there was no end to how much money you could put into making a chicken run predator proof. Hardware cloth is very expensive. Solid roofs are expensive. Digging down to lay wire is a lot of work. All those upfront costs to protect my chickens from a potential threat?

I added up all those costs to make my chicken run predator proof and quickly blew past my budget.

So, the next thing I asked myself was how much do I pay for a baby chick? About $3.00 each. When I started thinking about that, then I realized that I was considering spending 10x, or 20x on the "insurance" to protect my chicken investment.

I did see great value in making my chicken coop predator proof, which is what I ended up doing. I was willing to settle to make my chicken run predator resistant, meaning it would stop most of the daytime predators I was concerned about - neighbor dogs. Most wild varmints I would have to worry about come out at night. By then, my chickens are locked up in the Fort Knox coop.

So, my chicken run is fenced in by relatively inexpensive 2X4 wire, with cheap bird netting stretched on top to prevent hawk and eagle attacks. No predator aprons or moats dug into the ground. I lock my chickens up in the Fort Knox coop every night. In 3+ years, never a successful predator attack. For me, it worked out.

If/when I ever suffer from a successful predator attack, I'll have to reconsider my options and how to strengthen my defenses.

Because I was willing to settle for a predator resistant chicken run, I was able to build a much larger run and my chickens have much more room to move about than what I could have afforded with a predator proof run.

I turned my chicken run into a chicken run composting system, so I actually prefer the open bird netting top which lets all the rain come through and helps with the composting process. Also, I live in snow country in northern Minnesota, so building a solid roof over my entire chicken run would be an expensive project to support our snow loads. Someday, I would like a covered run over a small portion of the run, or maybe a just a removable cover for the winter months to keep some of the run free from snow.

 

[WallyG74]

@Overo Mare and @WallyG74 helped me when i was trying to plan out my runs

I did!?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I did!?

Pretty sure you helped with what size gaps to get for the netting at least. I dunno, that was like a month ago I think