Building a run

[nihil]

Hello all,

I've just about finished the coop for our 1.5 week old chicks and am about to set out on building a secure run for them.

I'm planning an 8'x8' run 7' high on one side sloping down to 6' and had some questions:

For the "walls" of the run I plan on using pressure treated 2x4's and was wondering if one support in the middle of the 8' wall would be sufficient?

For security I was planning on 1/2" hardware cloth for the 1st 2.5' (with 6" buried) and then 2x4" welded wire for the the rest as well as for the "ceiling" of the run.

Is this secure enough? We live in the suburbs but have seen foxes and a fisher cat in the small woods behind the house. I'm starting to think 1/2" hardware cloth all over is a better plan (albeit more expensive).

Thoughts?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Why build a sloping run if the top is going to be wire?

I'd put at least 2 studs in the 8 ft span, and NOT bury any wire at all, but just do a simple apron which will serve the same purpose with a LOT less work.

2 X 4 wire will be fine

 

[nihil]

I was building a sloping run in the event that I want to put a partial roof on it (corrugated PVC) or a temporary tarp (1st time with chickens so I'm trying to keep my options open).

I'm also concerned an apron of wire would allow predators to starting digging 6" to a foot away from the "wall" and just kind of push up the wire until it got to the wall. Just me being over cautious? I really don't want to have to explain to my son that something got the chicks.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Make your apron at least 16 inches wide.
You can make the top level, and if you decide to add a solid roof later,, you can easily make rafters to give it the needed pitch without having to deal with all the angles of a slanted wall

 

[SPARKLESILKIE]

You can put the apron wire on the bottom of the run so nothing could dig under.

 

[SPARKLESILKIE]

We made our run a triangular shape... How big is your coop. It depends.......

 

[SPARKLESILKIE]

Could you post a pic of the coop? I can't wait to see the coop.

 

[garyk1398]

Here is what mine looks like.

 

[SPARKLESILKIE]

That's an amazing coop!!!!

 

[Baymule]

I built a hoop run with bowed over cow panels covered with hardware cloth. It went up real easy and I skirted it all around with 2"x2"x2' wire that I laid flat on the ground and hog ringed to the run/coop wire.