ADVICE NEEDED: Building a chicken run that doesn't look - well, trashy.

I use dog kennel panels with netting on top. They look the same as they day I put them up beside the cabin coop even after 6 years.

For my turkeys I just used cattle panels. They are tall enough to keep turkeys in and heavy enough to not sag or bend. Use t- posts to support them every 8 feet.

I prefer the kennel panels over any other type of fencing.. And if you decide to move or add onto the pen it is very easy to do so. They will last for years....

I am so impressed with all these beautiful coops and runs, happy to know there are lots of people that care for a nice enviroment for their chickies.









My existing coop is 4 x 8 and I have 9 hens, the run is 40 x 12 and is covered with metal and radiant barrier OSB . You can see on the inside pic of the run that is heavily framed with 2x4s and 2x6s on the roof (we overbuilt, I guess the coop and run are here to stay) the run also has half hardy plank walls on the west and north sides for sun protection in the afternoons (we get 106 F+ in the summer). We digged a trench all along the run and burried welded wire (about 1 foot down) to make it predator proof. Because of the framing, we do not have any sagging on the wire (used quarter inch welded wire)

aldarita - that looks like chicken heaven! It's beautiful! If I had that much land I would do something like that. Pretty and functional!

markdudanj said:

I see so many chicken runs that look less than desirable after only 6 months or so. The fencing starts to sag, poles begin to shift, etc... can anyone recommend a means of building one that looks great for a least a couple years. I am extremely handy and can build anything... but instead of reinventing the wheel - I am just looking for some advice from those who have already risen to this challenge.

Thank you!

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I'm redoing/enlarging my run with vinyl fencing. I used it in rabbit barns before, it washes clean with just a hose, and comes in many heights. It also holds up for years so it's worth the investment.Around here wind is a big problem so a solid privacy fence is added protection, and the neighbors can't complain it looks bad.

aldarita said:

I am so impressed with all these beautiful coops and runs, happy to know there are lots of people that care for a nice enviroment for their chickies.









My existing coop is 4 x 8 and I have 9 hens, the run is 40 x 12 and is covered with metal and radiant barrier OSB . You can see on the inside pic of the run that is heavily framed with 2x4s and 2x6s on the roof (we overbuilt, I guess the coop and run are here to stay) the run also has half hardy plank walls on the west and north sides for sun protection in the afternoons (we get 106 F+ in the summer). We digged a trench all along the run and burried welded wire (about 1 foot down) to make it predator proof. Because of the framing, we do not have any sagging on the wire (used quarter inch welded wire)

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Wow! Now that is impressive!

Jim

PeepsAreForMe said:

aldarita - that looks like chicken heaven! It's beautiful! If I had that much land I would do something like that. Pretty and functional!

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Thanks a lot and believe me, we got most of the ideas by reading the forum here, it has been such a great help for us that have just started keeping chickens last april.

Use a portable carport frame, works great for us. I used wired fencing for the bottom half and chicken wire for the top. We buried the wire fence about a foot down and have never had a predator get in.

Everyone has such neat runs. Mine is made out of welded wire kennel panels set on treated 2 X 6 screwed together in a L shape. I put hardware cloth on the bottom outside part and have welded wire over the top of the Kennel with shade cloth over half off it.

markdudanj said:

I see so many chicken runs that look less than desirable after only 6 months or so. The fencing starts to sag, poles begin to shift, etc... can anyone recommend a means of building one that looks great for a least a couple years. I am extremely handy and can build anything... but instead of reinventing the wheel - I am just looking for some advice from those who have already risen to this challenge.

Thank you!

Click to expand...

I saw all the pix on this thread awesome examples.....

As a person who has built fence for larger animals.... horses, goats.... One of the rules for a good fence is to stretch the wire nice and tight with a fence stretcher. This makes the fence wire behave like a spring if it gets bumped. This requires that you have corner posts set in concrete and braced to take the stress of the stretching. The posts in between can just be set in the ground up to a point.

The kinds of wire that can be stretched are, Chainlink, Field fence, Welded wire, All heavier gauge. All will have to be lined with hardware cloth at points where the chickens may roost close to the fence.

All that being said. I use kennel panels. They are easy to assemble look uniform over all and already have gates in them. I buy mine at Home Depot. The beauty of them is you can add to them as you get them. and your flock expands. They are self supporting up to about eighteen feet providing a corner is turned. I sank Tposts for mine every twelve feet when I divided yard. It was a span of about fifty feet and I was containing goats. It lasted five years before the goats disassembled it.... LOL... but thats goats.

Oh as an afterthought. If you have an odd distance that doesnt fit your kennel panels you just over lap them and use the kennel clamps at the top and at the bottom where the pipes align. I have one space that is sixteen feet wide.... Works great.

Fence stretchers are cheap if you are going that rout or you can rent one for a days worth of work.

Good luck.

deb