Change of plans

[Ext 918]

My Ladies just went from palace to poor house.

I had an unexpected vet bill of a little over 4k. The run budget was sacrificed to help pay for it.

The short term solution is an Amazon prefab19x10x6.5 dome roof. We have block walls on 3 sides and a new wood fence along the back. Predators are not a major concern. I have indoor/outdoor cats that chased away the 1 raccoon brave enough to come into the back yard during our 12 years here.

This is temporary and the plan is to build the run when financially feasible.

We'll build nice roosting areas and buy prebuilt nesting boxes.

Has anyone else purchased one of these cheaper runs and had a good experience?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Link to the run?

Main concern with these prefab runs is usually that they're covered in chicken wire, which isn't secure against most predators (since you mentioned a raccoon) and they don't do well against snow load or high winds, which may or may not be an issue based on your climate and how long you plan on using it.

If it's in the budget I would add hardware cloth around the bottom 2-3 feet to make it a little more secure against raccoon reach through, and pin it down to the ground with an apron to help secure it in place and deter diggers.

 

[Ext 918]

Link to the run?

Main concern with these prefab runs is usually that they're covered in chicken wire, which isn't secure against most predators (since you mentioned a raccoon) and they don't do well against snow load or high winds, which may or may not be an issue based on your climate and how long you plan on using it.

If it's in the budget I would add hardware cloth around the bottom 2-3 feet to make it a little more secure against raccoon reach through, and pin it down to the ground with an apron to help secure it in place and deter diggers.

https://a.co/d/3iZjBJb

Link to the run?

Main concern with these prefab runs is usually that they're covered in chicken wire, which isn't secure against most predators (since you mentioned a raccoon) and they don't do well against snow load or high winds, which may or may not be an issue based on your climate and how long you plan on using it.

If it's in the budget I would add hardware cloth around the bottom 2-3 feet to make it a little more secure against raccoon reach through, and pin it down to the ground with an apron to help secure it in place and deter diggers.

https://a.co/d/3iZjBJb

Yes, it only comes with chicken wire. Which i would consider useless if i were in an open land situation. The raccoon was last seen 4 years ago. Even with cat food left on the back porch, we've seen nothing more than the occasional neighborhood cat wander in.

Our weather is a blessing and a curse. Central Valley CA. No snow, but our Summer temps are well above 100 degrees for most of the summer. Wind shouldn't be a problem.

This prefab only needs to last until I return to work in April or May. Then it's just a matter of putting in the overtime to build my savings back up. Hardware cloth is a possibility in a couple of weeks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Our weather is a blessing and a curse. Central Valley CA. No snow, but our Summer temps are well above 100 degrees for most of the summer. Wind shouldn't be a problem.

This prefab only needs to last until I return to work in April or May. Then it's just a matter of putting in the overtime to build my savings back up. Hardware cloth is a possibility in a couple of weeks.

Well at least snow won't be an issue! The shade cover will probably get wrecked by the summer sun but since this isn't a long term solution it should do well enough.

Will this also do double duty as an open air coop? If yes, then I would definitely see about adding hardware cloth as you can for the extra security overnight.

 

[Ext 918]

The sun is murderous. Nothing plastic or fabric lasts more than 2 years in it.

Yes, it will be an open air coop.

Thanks for your feedback.