Building run up against house - what to watch out for.

[Kayla's Lunch]

I recently got my little flock of 12 chicks. They are almost 3 weeks old and are living in the garage. We will soon be building their outside home. The run will be up against the house. I am worried about predators since I don't know that much about them. I am in suburban Maryland, so no big scary predators. Is there anything that we should be aware of in terms of predators getting in where the run meets up with the house. Anyone build a run up against their house? Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

I've never built next to the house, but have comments in general.
You do have big predators! Think about large eager dogs and the damage they can do. We all have raccoons, opossums, foxes, probably coyotes, and the little ones; weasels and rats. Then the raptors.
Suburbia isn't high-rise Manhattan, so be prepared for everyone to love chicken, and build accordingly.
No openings larger than 1/2" diameter anywhere (difficult against siding?), a dig-proof foundation, and very secure walls and hardware cloth attachments.
Plenty of ventilation; an open south wall is good.
Secure latches on everything; nothing a child can open.
Mary

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Our yard is fenced, so there shouldn't be any stray dogs. We have dogs and I am hoping they will get along. We will be using 1/2" hardware cloth for the "walls" and putting an apron around it. There will be a roof over it. Where the run will meet the wall of the house is the area that I am most worried about. Not quite sure how to make sure there are no gaps bigger than 1/2". Do I have to worry about 1/2" gaps all the way to the top, or just near the ground? And what animal is the 1/2" trying to prevent? I've read about the 1/2" being important, but not why.

Thanks,
Trish

 

[PirateGirl]

Our yard is fenced, so there shouldn't be any stray dogs. We have dogs and I am hoping they will get along. We will be using 1/2" hardware cloth for the "walls" and putting an apron around it. There will be a roof over it. Where the run will meet the wall of the house is the area that I am most worried about. Not quite sure how to make sure there are no gaps bigger than 1/2". Do I have to worry about 1/2" gaps all the way to the top, or just near the ground? And what animal is the 1/2" trying to prevent? I've read about the 1/2" being important, but not why.

Thanks,
Trish

Hi Trish! You could consider attaching your fencing material directly to your house if you are concerned about gaps there, but I understand if you don't want to do that. The smaller your holes and gaps, the more creatures are blocked from entrance. Things like rats and weasels can squeeze down really tiny and get through small spaces. They can be dangerous to chickens. Also if other rodents like mice and squirrels get in, they might not harm your chickens, but will steal feed. Most of these critters can climb your fence posts to a higher spot. Larger openings allow for animals like cats and raccoons to reach through the bars, or it gives animals a good foothold to start prying at your fencing in attempts at breaking in and making a bigger opening. It is up to you to asses the structure and the potential predators and make the best plan you can. If you post of photo of the area you are concerned about others might have some more suggestions. Some people attempt to build fort knox others are at the opposite end of the spectrum and free range without the protection of a fully fenced run. Most people are somewhere in the middle. You have to do what you are comfortable with, this applies to risk, financial budget, and construction skills. Let us know if you have more questions!

 

[aart]

Better not to have the run that close to the house, give a couple feet between(for maintenance on both) and secure walls all around run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I also don't have it against the house but my main concern with that would be rodents. Make absolutely sure you stay on top of rodent control (if you see one, there's going to be more) because you don't want them moving on from the run into your home. Rodents are the primary reason you don't want any openings or gaps larger than 1/2" and why you want to skirt or have a good foundation under the run.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, up against the house is pretty much our only option. My yard isn't completely flat and we are downhill from our neighbors and we have wet areas. If we moved it away from the house, it would be in a wet area. We were planning on using something that has 2" x 4" openings for the predator apron. Do I need to use something else? I know that there are mice around, not in our house with the cat and 4 dogs. What would I need to do to keep up on rodent control?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Traps anywhere there's rodent activity. I personally don't like poisons however I do have bait stations on the backside of the house as there is some activity.

My apron is 1/2" hardware cloth primarily because I have had rats try and tunnel underneath, so this makes it much harder for them to do so.

Taking in your feed at night helps a lot too because feed attracts rats and mice.

 

[TK421]

The 2x4 apron:may be better off using hardware cloth. If you have to use the wall of the house I recommend also an interior apron because the chickens could dust bathe up against that wall and they might remove dirt from against your foundation. My first coop design th chickens dug down to expose a gap under the fence (which was the wall of their coop). When I redid my fence I did an interior apron and put rocks on top of it.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for the tip about an interior apron. I'm sure what exactly you mean, however. Would this be something like a 2 x 4 board running along the ground at the foundation of my house with the hardware cloth attached going into the run?

Trish