chain link dog run roofing ideas and suggestions

[flock 603]

Greetings everyone, my name is chris, new member to the site but have been using it extensively as an information resource in getting ready for my chicks!

I’ll give you a quick background before I ask my questions.

I live in southern new Hampshire where we have relatively rough winters and a wide variety of predators. Including but not limited to: raccoon, fox, fisher cat, coyote, brown bear, etc.

I plan on housing the chicks inside the coop I got for a great price off of craigslist, its practically brand new, and then a chain link dog kennel for the run. During the day they will reside in the run while we are away and then i will do some supervised free range, covering them with my AR-15 to let them enjoy our woods and stream, haha.

The run/fence and area under the coop will be fully sealed with hardware cloth (to prevent raccoons etc from reaching through) and is skirted out 2’ to prevent digging. I’m also covering the corners of the run, the gaps between the coop and the run, and the gaps around the door.
I’ve secured the wire to the chain link with these wonderful metal cage clips that make an extremely solid bond and I’ve staked the wire down with large landscape staples to help hold it down on the edges.

Pics below for setup.

I’m fairly confident on my building/protection measures I’ve taken or planned so far, that is until I hit the top of the run....




(staples below are temporary until i can screw/washer it, they are just a placeholder)



my buddy and our two helpers


the start of our wiring, the corner gaps, space around the door, and other gaps are all going to be covered with hardware cloth (this picture shows the shape of the run i am trying to cover)


worth the cash to pick up so far, easy to use and seems very secure


the hardware cloth is absolutely solid when attached like this as far as i can tell (there will be more cloth being wired above it to protect against predator reach through)


annnd....
5 of my 6 babies, though they dont seem like babies anymore (about 4 weeks) will need a safe home outside soon.



this brings me to my actual question, what would my best option be for roofing this?

is covering the square portion with a solid roof and the rest with wire a bad idea?

i want predator protection but also cover from the elements, particularly snow....

as you can see from the above picture using the coop as an additional wall gives my girls extra space to run around but creates a triangle on the edge of what would be a perfect, easily roofed, square.

thanks for any tips on this and any other suggestions you may have, this is my first experience with chickens!

cheers!

 

[nicole camp]

I covered my coop with wood around the dog run and it works great!

 

[flock 603]

plywood? 2x4?

i was thinking of a 2x4 or 2x6 frame and some home depot metal sheet roofing.

im just not sure about only roofing half of it. It seems like a good idea. the chickens can choose sunlight or shade, the chicken "salad bar" i build can grow its plants. etc.

 

[nicole camp]

Only half of mine is covered. I did use plywood, but I added a sealant to the outside to protect it from weather. I used 2x6 for ladder. Would you like me to post a pic?

 

[flock 603]

if you could, i'd love to see it. I have ideas, i am just trying to validate them or tweak them based of others' successes or failures.

 

[jetdog]

Greetings everyone, my name is chris, new member to the site but have been using it extensively as an information resource in getting ready for my chicks! I’ll give you a quick background before I ask my questions. I live in southern new Hampshire where we have relatively rough winters and a wide variety of predators. Including but not limited to: raccoon, fox, fisher cat, coyote, brown bear, etc. I plan on housing the chicks inside the coop I got for a great price off of craigslist, its practically brand new, and then a chain link dog kennel for the run. During the day they will reside in the run while we are away and then i will do some supervised free range, covering them with my AR-15 to let them enjoy our woods and stream, haha. The run/fence and area under the coop will be fully sealed with hardware cloth (to prevent raccoons etc from reaching through) and is skirted out 2’ to prevent digging. I’m also covering the corners of the run, the gaps between the coop and the run, and the gaps around the door. I’ve secured the wire to the chain link with these wonderful metal cage clips that make an extremely solid bond and I’ve staked the wire down with large landscape staples to help hold it down on the edges. Pics below for setup. I’m fairly confident on my building/protection measures I’ve taken or planned so far, that is until I hit the top of the run.... (staples below are temporary until i can screw/washer it, they are just a placeholder) my buddy and our two helpers the start of our wiring, the corner gaps, space around the door, and other gaps are all going to be covered with hardware cloth (this picture shows the shape of the run i am trying to cover) worth the cash to pick up so far, easy to use and seems very secure the hardware cloth is absolutely solid when attached like this as far as i can tell (there will be more cloth being wired above it to protect against predator reach through) annnd.... 5 of my 6 babies, though they dont seem like babies anymore (about 4 weeks) will need a safe home outside soon. this brings me to my actual question, what would my best option be for roofing this? is covering the square portion with a solid roof and the rest with wire a bad idea? i want predator protection but also cover from the elements, particularly snow.... as you can see from the above picture using the coop as an additional wall gives my girls extra space to run around but creates a triangle on the edge of what would be a perfect, easily roofed, square. thanks for any tips on this and any other suggestions you may have, this is my first experience with chickens! cheers!

Not to far from you, this is how I did mine, it would be easier if you were able to square it up the odd shape will be difficult to build a solid roof.

 

[jetdog]

 

[nicole camp]

 

[nicole camp]

They only sleep in my coop at night so it's smaller than most. Hope it gives you an idea

 

[bugflipper]

I'm a fan of 1" chicken wire for tops. It's strong enough for owls and hawks to dive into and not break. Looks pretty comical as they try to collect themselves and figure out what just happened. It also gives enough that anything startled inside will not get injured flying up into it. Of course if you want it solid you could go to a metal roofing company. They will cut it to the length you want it and it's generally painted. It looks better and is cheaper than the galvanized, old timey looking tin roof at the hardware store. The roofing can jest be wired to the pen to prevent it from blowing away instead of having to frame up wooden supports.