Chain link kennel run ???

[zekii]

We have a 10' x 6' chain link dog kennel that we would like to attach to one side of our coop to use has a run.
Has anyone here incorporated a similar chain link kennel in their coop setup to use has a run, and if so do you have any pictures you can post. We want to get some hints/ideas on how to attach the chain link kennel to the coop, roof covering options, and footing options to prevent any unwanted aninmals from digging under or crawling thru the kennel. Any other hints that you have found using this type of run would be very helpful.

Thanks,
:Clint:

 

[BWKatz]

Great for keeping out larger animals but still need to put hardware cloth around bottom 2 ft to keep raccoons & snakes out. Can attach using U clamps. Roofing depends on weather & part of country ...reccomend covering at least part of roof to keep rain & snow out. If u have alot of snow u need to provide good support for it.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have seen a few threads on it in the past so you could do a search for it and probably find lots of info.
I have chain link pens but just have a house inside them for my birds. It is partially covered with tarps but you can also use the PVC roofing or some such laying across 2x4s. We wired the the 2x4s to the top and thought about using the PVC roofing but with a little house in there they didn't need it.

Good luck. They can be very useful.

 

[lilchick]

We attached our dog kennel pen to the coop with clamps. First nailed a treated 2 by 4 onto coop and attached panels. We use netting on top and attached it with zip ties.
For shade in summer I just use shade cloth attached over the top of netting and remove it in the fall.
I think the dog kennel panels look clean and neat and much easier to maintain than fencing. We used driveway stone to set the panels onto so less digging. And ended up using stone for the pens to lessen the muddiness.
I do not worry about using hardware cloth along bottom cause no predators lurk around in the daytime to pull them thru. We close them up in the coop at night.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
I set my run fence in cement. See 'My BYC Page' I added chicken wire to the bottom 24" all the way around to keep my chooks from sticking their heads out to nibble at grass. A coon will decapitate one and dismember it alive if you do not do this. Also, you need to keep weasels out. I electrified my run with four hot wires. One hot wire is at 8" ht. I hoped it would discourage any thing including a weasel. Small weasels can get thru chicken wire and weasels are chicken vampires. Hardware cloth mesh 1/2 x 1/2 is best to discourage both weasels and snakes. But, it does cost lots more than chicken wire does. It is the only wayl to go for window screens and vents.

 

[70monte]

I used dog kennels for my run but I put my coop inside of it. I have two 10x10x6 kennels put together to form one big one. Here is a picture.

 

[bburn]

I live in a very rural area. Our first run was built from an old chain link dog pen....it is huge and I am not sure of the size. We used tin from an old barn that fell down and put it all the way around the pen at the bottom to keep anything out. Our 'dirt' is mostly rock...you can't even dig a hole to plant a tree without a pick. We have not had any digging problems but we also put the tin on and attached it so that it cannot be raised.

Then we built the coop on the outside of the pen.

Later we attached another chain link fence and made the coop a duplex so we could have two flocks. The tops of both runs are covered with 2x4" wire and plain old chicken wire over that. Remember we are rural.....for shade inside the run we have an old satillite dish that the chickens can and do get under for shade and they take their dirt baths there.

All and all it works well for us and has been secure for the chickens. So, yes the dog pens work. And I am looking for another one. Bought 7' chain link at an auction for $50 and it was the second addition and has served us well.

 

[gsim]

Very neat. Sharp looking coop. However, I would point out two problems that I see. First, I would run 24" tall chicken wire or better yet, hardware cloth around the entire run, attached at ground level to the fencing. Second, I would elevate that coop to a minimum of 12" or so. Will keep rodents and snakes from making a home there, and will give the chooks a little more space in their run.

 

[BooBear]

This is a temporary setup while the chickens are waiting for their main coop to finish. We are using a 10' x 10' kennel around the brooder hutch. We covered the top to keep flying predators out. At night the chickens are locked up in their hutch.

 

[patandchickens]

Chainlink panels make a *great* smallish run. Modifications required for decent safety would be: add something small-mesh to the lower 2-3' of all sides, do something for digproofing (see below), and block any gaps that exist at corners or around door/gate frames.

We want to get some hints/ideas on how to attach the chain link kennel to the coop,

Go to the plumbing section and look for the U- or lollipop-shaped brackets used to attach pipes. Make sure you use as large and long a screw as possible, and are screwing into a good thickness of good lumber... a connection is only as strong as its hardware AND the wood the hardware is holding onto!

roof covering options

There are a bazillion threads on this that discuss it in way more detail, try 'search' or just browsing. They are typically called things like "how to put a roof on chainlink kennel?" or such. The big factor is whether your area gets any snow. If it does, you may well have to add wooden posts (can attach to kennel panels to keep them upright) and build a rafter-based roof just like you were building a shed. If you live somewhere that never gets any snow, you may be able to get away with just a top that rests on the chainlink frames themselves. The best designs of that type that I've seen are either hoop-style or a triangular frame of 2x4s to which the roof panels are attached.

It is a whole big can of worms with many possible solutions, some of which have many pitfalls

, so I would suggest consulting threads dedicated specifically to that topic.

and footing options to prevent any unwanted aninmals from digging under

By far the easiest and most effective thing, when using kennel panels, is to do an apron (rather than burying wire). I would suggest something like 2-3' wide mesh, either 1x1 or 2x4 but it has to be high-quality galvanized and it has to be heavy gauge. Lay it on the ground outside the foot of the kennel panels, attaching it very firmly to them (sewing with wire, or whatever else). Turn the outer edge down so it doesn't catch peoples' toes or invite animals to experiment. Then either just peg it down good and let the grass grow up thru it (you can mow over it as long as you're careful that none of it sticks up to mower-blade height) or put something on top of it, like mulch or gravel or pavers or rocks or whatever.

Alternatively if you happen to have a lot of VERY LARGE (at least 18x24") pavers lying around, you can make the surface dead-flat and then install them all around the edges of the chainlink. This is nearly as good as a wire apron. If you do this, in areas that get hurricanes or other big storms you may want to add stakes or ground anchors to keep the chainlink panels from being able to lift up or move.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​