Build a Chunnel...

[tlatham72]

They will destroy your garden plants.....unless you make chunnels there too.
Start a word doc and save links and notes there. Then you can search the doc file.

Quick question...I plan to have ~waist high raised container beds in my garden so that I don't have to bend over to garden rather than the raised beds that are only 1-2 feet above the ground. (I have psoriatic arthritis so I want to make it extremely easy for myself.) The garden area will be fenced in with electrified wire to keep my dogs, goats, predators, etc. out. I guess the goats can't be allowed in there at all. Do you think the beds would be high enough to allow the chickens to come inside and peck around in the paths between the beds? Or can they fly high enough to get up in my 3 - 3.5 ft tall beds?

 

[aart]

Or can they fly high enough to get up in my 3 - 3.5 ft tall beds?

Yep, easypeasy.

 

[bigmrg74]

Quick question...I plan to have ~waist high raised container beds in my garden so that I don't have to bend over to garden rather than the raised beds that are only 1-2 feet above the ground. (I have psoriatic arthritis so I want to make it extremely easy for myself.) The garden area will be fenced in with electrified wire to keep my dogs, goats, predators, etc. out. I guess the goats can't be allowed in there at all. Do you think the beds would be high enough to allow the chickens to come inside and peck around in the paths between the beds? Or can they fly high enough to get up in my 3 - 3.5 ft tall beds?

Yeah, most large breed chickens would be able to get 4 feet up if they wanted.
If you wanted to, you could probably figure out a way to attach netting to the top rail of your raised garden beds so that your girls could use the space in between them to hang out in, but they wouldn't be able to get to the plants. My though would be using velcro to attach the netting. Doesn't have to be very strong to keep them out, just enough that they can't get over that rail. Plus that would give them a bunch of space that would be pretty safe from hawks as well.

 

[mjkern3030]

is there a way to build a chunnel smaller so i can use it to confuse the goats and sheep from entering the coop but still allow the Chickens easy access?

I am thinking a 'T' with smaller openings easy for the chickens to get in from two directions, but not the small goats. I would have a very small angle so that if the goats did make it in, they would not be able to make the bend to get into the run/coop. And have a sliding door into the run that would be used to keep other animals out in the night (close up shop)...

 

[bigmrg74]

is there a way to build a chunnel smaller so i can use it to confuse the goats and sheep from entering the coop but still allow the Chickens easy access?

I am thinking a 'T' with smaller openings easy for the chickens to get in from two directions, but not the small goats. I would have a very small angle so that if the goats did make it in, they would not be able to make the bend to get into the run/coop. And have a sliding door into the run that would be used to keep other animals out in the night (close up shop)...

A picture is always nice to help us flesh out what you're thinking. But basically you kinda want a tunnel to the coop that the chickens can use to get into the coop, but will keep the coop out. If you're doing that, I would suggest that you have your coop door being able to be locked at the coop, not at the end of the tunnels, as that would just be extra access issues to get past the coop defense for predators.

 

[LEBONNY]

Build a Chunnel...

Keep in mind there is more then one right way to do anything... As for me and our Chunnel, I used 3 foot- 1x1 inch hardware cloth. Hardware cloth is strong. It's also predator proof compared to chicken wire, and I have 12 children, plus grandchildren and a sweet dog, we also live by the mountains with predators so our housing needs to be sturdy!

I ran the Chunnel from my main coop/run behind my shed. I have about 18" behind the shed and it's 10 ft long. Because the shed has a big gap underneath I made the Chunnel a full 72 inch circle. I clipped the raw edge, overlapped a two inch seam at the top so the hens wouldn't be walking on it and tied with zip ties. Note: To avoid injury, every time I cut a new piece of hardware cloth I trimmed the pointy raw edge off. This just seemed like a good idea.

I spanned the space between the main coop/run and the Chunnel with wooden screen panels. I used the hardware cloth again, stapled to wood 2x2's. The panels are lockable for security and removable so I can clean under the coop.

The next 20 feet, runs from the shed to the second Run. I made the Chunnel in a half circle of 5 ft 4 inches, using the same 1x1 inch hardware cloth. Seven- 3 feet sections, overlapped a couple of inches and connected together with zip ties. Note: The extra 4 inches of hardware cloth in the half circle that hits the ground, I folded over tight, about 2 inches both sides to keep the edges clean and safe should a hen try to scratch under. I secured the arch to the ground with heavy duty landscape pins.

Every 3 feet I supported the arch with 5 foot lengths of 1/2 inch electrical conduit bent in a half circle and secured to the ground with 1/2 inch- foot long, rebar. The structure is permanent but some of these lengths are removable for cleaning by clipping a couple zip ties and pulling a few landscape pins and pulling up the section off the rebar.

Yes- that's my little boy in there trying it out with the girls!

Notes: I got most everything at Home Depot and the guy in electrical, bent the seven 5 ft lengths of conduit into a half circle for me. I love Home Depot for their attention to their customers. They may not do this at your store but playing a bumfuzzled middle-aged mom with two little ones in tow sometimes works wonders. Now come-on if your a woman you've played this card...

Hope this reads ok. Contact me with any questions- happy to share any info. This project was not hard, just labor intensive. I recruited helping hands where I needed to, but mostly built it myself. I free range my hens in the yard at about 7:00 pm till roost, but during the day the coop, runs and Chunnel keeps them happy and safe.
Enjoy your project- we're here to help you!
mamadawn

THANKS FOR THE WELL INLUSTRATED CONCEPT. I AM WORKING ON ONE CURRENTLY FOLLOWING YOUR CONCEPT.

 

[donnaboydjones]

Just found this article since I have not allowed my chickens to be free range for the first time in 11 years, due to the neighbors dog's constant killing of my flock, but them being in a run has been heartbreaking . This time of the year in Wa state, we are just a big mud puddle and no where for my girl's to get grass and dry land, so I was researching how to make a tunnel for them and came upon this. I am SOOO excited to get the materials and start this project on Saturday. Thank you!

 

[MonarchMama]

Build a Chunnel...

Keep in mind there is more then one right way to do anything... As for me and our Chunnel, I used 3 foot- 1x1 inch hardware cloth. Hardware cloth is strong. It's also predator proof compared to chicken wire, and I have 12 children, plus grandchildren and a sweet dog, we also live by the mountains with predators so our housing needs to be sturdy!

I ran the Chunnel from my main coop/run behind my shed. I have about 18" behind the shed and it's 10 ft long. Because the shed has a big gap underneath I made the Chunnel a full 72 inch circle. I clipped the raw edge, overlapped a two inch seam at the top so the hens wouldn't be walking on it and tied with zip ties. Note: To avoid injury, every time I cut a new piece of hardware cloth I trimmed the pointy raw edge off. This just seemed like a good idea.

I spanned the space between the main coop/run and the Chunnel with wooden screen panels. I used the hardware cloth again, stapled to wood 2x2's. The panels are lockable for security and removable so I can clean under the coop.

The next 20 feet, runs from the shed to the second Run. I made the Chunnel in a half circle of 5 ft 4 inches, using the same 1x1 inch hardware cloth. Seven- 3 feet sections, overlapped a couple of inches and connected together with zip ties. Note: The extra 4 inches of hardware cloth in the half circle that hits the ground, I folded over tight, about 2 inches both sides to keep the edges clean and safe should a hen try to scratch under. I secured the arch to the ground with heavy duty landscape pins.

Every 3 feet I supported the arch with 5 foot lengths of 1/2 inch electrical conduit bent in a half circle and secured to the ground with 1/2 inch- foot long, rebar. The structure is permanent but some of these lengths are removable for cleaning by clipping a couple zip ties and pulling a few landscape pins and pulling up the section off the rebar.

Yes- that's my little boy in there trying it out with the girls!

Notes: I got most everything at Home Depot and the guy in electrical, bent the seven 5 ft lengths of conduit into a half circle for me. I love Home Depot for their attention to their customers. They may not do this at your store but playing a bumfuzzled middle-aged mom with two little ones in tow sometimes works wonders. Now come-on if your a woman you've played this card...

Hope this reads ok. Contact me with any questions- happy to share any info. This project was not hard, just labor intensive. I recruited helping hands where I needed to, but mostly built it myself. I free range my hens in the yard at about 7:00 pm till roost, but during the day the coop, runs and Chunnel keeps them happy and safe.
Enjoy your project- we're here to help you!
mamadawn

How do you clean their poop out of this?

 

[bigmrg74]

How do you clean their poop out of this?

Might just be possible to hose it down, or take the time to pull it all up to rake it out.

 

[Artfuldodgerrs]

Just found this article since I have not allowed my chickens to be free range for the first time in 11 years, due to the neighbors dog's constant killing of my flock, but them being in a run has been heartbreaking . This time of the year in Wa state, we are just a big mud puddle and no where for my girl's to get grass and dry land, so I was researching how to make a tunnel for them and came upon this. I am SOOO excited to get the materials and start this project on Saturday. Thank you!

Boy I can relate we live in Longview WA and my 12 hens are just 9 and 6 months old. These are our first chickens and are pets with benefits. Mud is there thing, they love scratching in it in the 50’ x 26’ fenced and net over head chicken yard. Looks like spring will bring installing drainage around there yard. There coop has a 8’ x 18’ covered run that is elevated so it remains dry 24/7. When there feathered feet are wet and muddy we clean there feet with a warm water bath and towel dry them. We bring them in to the run a hour or so before it’s time to go up. We put in dry straw in the run so they can scratch in it while drying out there feathers on there feet and they are given SFL and some corn for warmth at night and they eat there layer feed and drink water before they go up into there hen house. We bought some horse trailer mats and put them down and put a cover over it, but no matter what we do they love mud scratching and pecking in it, especially the light Brahmas! We also add pine chips to real wet areas just to soak up water. You can grow flats of fodder for them and we have upped there veggies during winter and have several 3’x 3’ with 1/2” coated wire top on 2x4s over some of the grass so it’s still growing and they can peck what is above the screens. Much success on your project.