- Apr 24, 2014
- 43
- 8
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I'm in the design phase of my coop/run, and am trying to spend as little money as possible while still keeping my coop safe & secure. I'll be housing four or five hens (3 LF, 1 or 2 bantams) and will be sectioning off the back portion of my garage for their coop. The run will 14' long and 4-6' wide, will be on the southern side of my garage, and will surround an elm tree that will provide shade. I live in a residential neighborhood, and the west side of my run will be about 8 feet from the property line. My yard is fenced on three sides with 3-4' chain link fencing, none of which has top rails, and the fourth side is 6' privacy fence. I own two large, mostly indoor, dogs, which have a smaller fenced area between the chicken yard and the house. The neighbors to the south have six dogs (four small fluffy somethings, one rottweiler, one pit) behind 6' chain link kennel panels within their fenced yard, and there is a shed in my yard and another in theirs that would block their view of the chickens. The neighbors to my west (nearest the chicken yard) have three small dogs (chihuahua, yorkie, and some kind of terrier mix that is out less frequently than the other two and may not live there) that have full run of their yard. All of the neighborhood dogs are indoor/outdoor and have never made any attempts to leave their yard. I hope to plant some vines along the perimeter fences for some additional privacy but have not done so yet.
I live about 1/4 mile south of a river and a park that features a large pond with ducks & geese. Our neighborhood is frequently invaded by geese in the fall and breeding pairs of mallards in the spring. I have seen foxes immediately on the farthest side of the park on two occasions, but have seen no other significant predators nearby. There is a major street (as well as several residential streets) between the park and my house. There are a few tom cats that roam the neighborhood, but they are well-fed and I don't think they would be a threat to a full-grown chicken. The neighborhood ducks seem to stay safe. Any land-dwelling predators would have to clear at least two fences before reaching my chicken run.
I will also have 2-4 ducks, including one drake, free-ranging in my yard during the day. The chickens will free-range only when I'm home. On the west side of the run, I plan to use slats from pallets to create a small "privacy" fence to keep the neighbor dogs from barking at the chickens. The chickens will not be visible to any other neighborhood dogs.
I am trying to find ways to save money building my chicken run, and have several ideas. Can you give me some input on the pros & cons of each of these options?
Idea #1
"Privacy" fence for the bottom 3' portion of the run, constructed with slats salvaged from used pallets. Chicken wire or hardware cloth above that up to 6'. hardware cloth buried 1' underground. My question about this is, would the wood be enough protection from predators or would it be too easily broken? Would it provide enough airflow in the run to keep the ladies healthy and happy? (We live in a windy area - 10-20 mph on the best days, 20-30 mph often, sometimes over 30 mph with 40-50 mph gusts) Would it shade the run too much? (Temps up to 90 in May, frequently over 100 June-Sept, I assume the shade from the tree would be desirable, but do they need some direct sun too?)
Idea #2
Hardware cloth on the bottom 3' of the run and buried 3' underground. Chicken wire for the top 3' of the run. I know that most predators can reach or rip through chicken wire, but would that be as much of a concern if the wire only started 3' off the ground? Would 1x2 welded wire be better than chicken wire for the top 3'?
Idea #3
Hardware cloth around all 6' height of run and buried 1' deep. Of course, this is the most expensive option and not my preference, but I'll do it if the other options won't keep my girls reasonably safe.
For the top of the run, I'm trying to decide between hardware cloth, corrugated aluminum (my preference), chicken wire, or 1x2 welded wire. If we use corrugated aluminum, would we also need to place wire underneath?
I live about 1/4 mile south of a river and a park that features a large pond with ducks & geese. Our neighborhood is frequently invaded by geese in the fall and breeding pairs of mallards in the spring. I have seen foxes immediately on the farthest side of the park on two occasions, but have seen no other significant predators nearby. There is a major street (as well as several residential streets) between the park and my house. There are a few tom cats that roam the neighborhood, but they are well-fed and I don't think they would be a threat to a full-grown chicken. The neighborhood ducks seem to stay safe. Any land-dwelling predators would have to clear at least two fences before reaching my chicken run.
I will also have 2-4 ducks, including one drake, free-ranging in my yard during the day. The chickens will free-range only when I'm home. On the west side of the run, I plan to use slats from pallets to create a small "privacy" fence to keep the neighbor dogs from barking at the chickens. The chickens will not be visible to any other neighborhood dogs.
I am trying to find ways to save money building my chicken run, and have several ideas. Can you give me some input on the pros & cons of each of these options?
Idea #1
"Privacy" fence for the bottom 3' portion of the run, constructed with slats salvaged from used pallets. Chicken wire or hardware cloth above that up to 6'. hardware cloth buried 1' underground. My question about this is, would the wood be enough protection from predators or would it be too easily broken? Would it provide enough airflow in the run to keep the ladies healthy and happy? (We live in a windy area - 10-20 mph on the best days, 20-30 mph often, sometimes over 30 mph with 40-50 mph gusts) Would it shade the run too much? (Temps up to 90 in May, frequently over 100 June-Sept, I assume the shade from the tree would be desirable, but do they need some direct sun too?)
Idea #2
Hardware cloth on the bottom 3' of the run and buried 3' underground. Chicken wire for the top 3' of the run. I know that most predators can reach or rip through chicken wire, but would that be as much of a concern if the wire only started 3' off the ground? Would 1x2 welded wire be better than chicken wire for the top 3'?
Idea #3
Hardware cloth around all 6' height of run and buried 1' deep. Of course, this is the most expensive option and not my preference, but I'll do it if the other options won't keep my girls reasonably safe.
For the top of the run, I'm trying to decide between hardware cloth, corrugated aluminum (my preference), chicken wire, or 1x2 welded wire. If we use corrugated aluminum, would we also need to place wire underneath?
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