Building a run for my chickens!

[SiLkIe ChIcKeN LoVeR]

Hi, after some sad chicken deaths, I decided the best thing to do for my darling birds would be to build a extension, or run, on their coop to prevent more deaths. If anybody who has been through this process knows any tips, like the best supplies, it would help! I will include a picture of my coop below! Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

How many birds do you have?

What I'd do is buy a large dog kennel, at least 10x10, and put the entire coop inside for extra protection. The kennel needs to be reinforced with hardware cloth or small opening welded wire, and covered as well, but the chain link is a decent base material to build off of.

 

[black_cat]

What caused their deaths?

If it was predators, building a run won't prevent more from dying, as the original coop still won't be predator proof.

 

[Hei 20]

Hi, after some sad chicken deaths, I decided the best thing to do for my darling birds would be to build a extension, or run, on their coop to prevent more deaths. If anybody who has been through this process knows any tips, like the best supplies, it would help! I will include a picture of my coop below! Thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

I strongly recommend that you make the run walk-in height. The run on my first coop was only half-high and it was murderous to get in there to clean.

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire and fasten it VERY securely. I have a place in my hardware cloth where some predator -- either a dog or a large raccoon -- *almost* tore through the hardware cloth. It would certainly have gone straight through chicken wire.

 

[SiLkIe ChIcKeN LoVeR]

I strongly recommend that you make the run walk-in height. The run on my first coop was only half-high and it was murderous to get in there to clean.

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire and fasten it VERY securely. I have a place in my hardware cloth where some predator -- either a dog or a large raccoon -- *almost* tore through the hardware cloth. It would certainly have gone straight through chicken wire.

Thabk you we were planning on using Chicken wire so this was a big help!

 

[SiLkIe ChIcKeN LoVeR]

What caused their deaths?

We haven't exactly figured out, but we think they may have gotten into some type of plant that's posineous to them or maybe cat litter.

 

[the3quail]

Is that the coop ur building? I swear I have seen that pic on TSC website.

 

[SiLkIe ChIcKeN LoVeR]

Is that the coop ur building? I swear I have seen that pic on TSC website.

I bought it from Tractor Supply were adding a run to it for extra space.

 

[mcdze]

if i was adding a run, no doubt about it i'd build one of those cattle panel half-hoops .. for yours i'd frame it out right to the front of that .. i'd cover it with corrugated roofing metal lengthwise down to about 3' and run hardware cloth around the bottom ..i'd probably dig it out some once it was built, wire the bottom with 1" chicken wire and then back fill it with sand ...