Building a Run

[lfoose]

My DH and I are having trouble deciding the best way to build a run. Mine is more along the lines of Ft Knox where his isn't.

I'd like to frame it w/wood and then use some type of field fence for the bottom 3 ft of the run. then chicken wire for the top 3ft and the roof.

He hates working w/chicken wire. Do any of you have suggestions on something else to use? Something that isn't too expensive?

Also instead of using some type of fencing as the cover/roof of the coop, DH was thinking of using string or wire to create a criss-cross pattern. His thought being the hawks would have trouble judging between the spaces and wouldn't try to fly in to eat the chickens.

Any advise please?

 

[gumpsgirl]

Chicken wire is going to be your cheapest route. I would recommend the galvanized wire you buy in rolls, but to be honest, chicken wire will be much easier to work with and a whole lot easier on your pocket book. Galvanized wire would be much more up to specs when it comes to building a Ft. Know, however. Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Ask him how much money he wants to spend to a) replace chickens and b) buy even more materials to beef it up when a raccoon or dog gets through your chickenwire wall, which in Ohio I would think would be fairly sure to happen eventually

Also it is a lot less work to build it once than to build it and then have to repair and retrofit stronger structure.

If you have not guessed I would vote for something closer to Ft Knox

Have you priced 2x4 welded wire from the farm store, or even 4x4 if you cover the bottom 3' with chickenwire (small raccoons might still be able to get in though). Or chainlink, if you know more or less how to install it -- sometimes you can get used chainlink for cheap or even free.

The strings over the top idea is used by many BYCers, although I've not used it yet myself (*might* experiment this summer...). The consensus is that it takes a whale of a lot of string, but does seem to work reasonably well. It will not stop anything from climbing over the fence, though, so the chickens had better be locked up from dusk to dawn.

Good luck,

Pat