Chicken Run Ideas, would love to see your pics!

[MIKE555444]

My run is plain but effective... this one is chain link fence with landscaping timbers and was free...

I am adding new one that will be 2" x 4" welded wire since it is sooo much cheaper

 

[workaholic90]

do you have pics of the new run u were going to do?

 

[piopio123]

Nice to see all of your coops and runs before building ours. There are so many great ones. : )

 

[RIRdad]

I realize that this is an older thread, but I appreciate the ideas. Luckily, I work at a wood treatment plant, so I'll be able to reduce the costs on the framing anyhow. I don't consider myself a builder by any means, but I guess as long as it is sturdy and secure, the chickens will not mind how it looks

 

[folmar25]

Super cute coop. We built a walk in run with holes for the existing coops. You could do this too which would allow you complete access to the coop on the outside of the run and also an easy to clean space for the girls to roam. Here are pictures of ours...


The run by Raven Wren Designs, on Flickr

what stain did you use on your run ive been trying to find a stain that's close to that color

 

[Sunsetlake]

I had a couple questions, as I am looking to re-do the run. The run is about 55x55 ft. Right now we have deer netting. Has worked pretty well, but the elements have beat it up pretty bad over the past year and a half. I am replacing it with the galvanized metal fencing. I have never had predatory problems, but want to be safe. I was wanting to do electric fencing for predator proof. Has anyone ever done this around the bottom to keep predators from digging underneath? If so, about how high off the ground should the electric wire be? I also am putting another electric wire around the top to be sure if they jump past the one on the bottom and try to climb over the fence they get zapped too. I decided with the electric fencing becasue it's pretty cost effective. It supposedly doesn't cost more than about $10 a year in electricity to run it. And luckily the previous owners of our house already had all the stuff - fence posts, wire, hangers, etc.

I've seen on here where others do the apron fencing around the bottom, but if I'm doing electric fencing on top, it's cheaper for me to just buy more electric wire than to buy more of the galvanized metal fencing to put around the bottom. Unless someone out there has a cheap website/outlet for the metal fencing??

FYI - Also, what I have with my current run, ( and I plan to do so again with my new one,) instead of putting a roof on we just used heavy duty fishing line to zig zag all over the top to keep the chickens from flying out. (Got the idea from people with pools wanting to keep seagulls away). It really has worked well and was cheap too. I've had no more escapees since I've done that. And I'm sure it's a great deterrent for Hawks and such too.

thanks for your help!

 

[aart]

I had a couple questions, as I am looking to re-do the run. The run is about 55x55 ft. Right now we have deer netting. Has worked pretty well, but the elements have beat it up pretty bad over the past year and a half. I am replacing it with the galvanized metal fencing. I have never had predatory problems, but want to be safe. I was wanting to do electric fencing for predator proof. Has anyone ever done this around the bottom to keep predators from digging underneath? If so, about how high off the ground should the electric wire be? I also am putting another electric wire around the top to be sure if they jump past the one on the bottom and try to climb over the fence they get zapped too. I decided with the electric fencing becasue it's pretty cost effective. It supposedly doesn't cost more than about $10 a year in electricity to run it. And luckily the previous owners of our house already had all the stuff - fence posts, wire, hangers, etc.

I've seen on here where others do the apron fencing around the bottom, but if I'm doing electric fencing on top, it's cheaper for me to just buy more electric wire than to buy more of the galvanized metal fencing to put around the bottom. Unless someone out there has a cheap website/outlet for the metal fencing??

FYI - Also, what I have with my current run, ( and I plan to do so again with my new one,) instead of putting a roof on we just used heavy duty fishing line to zig zag all over the top to keep the chickens from flying out. (Got the idea from people with pools wanting to keep seagulls away). It really has worked well and was cheap too. I've had no more escapees since I've done that. And I'm sure it's a great deterrent for Hawks and such too.

thanks for your help!

About 6-8"....a top hot wire won't work unless there's a ground wire there too or the metal fencing itself is grounded.
I can't give specific details who to do that, maybe start a new thread.."how to hot wire my run" with some pics of the run and it's fencing.

 

[Chicken girl lover! 101]

Percysmom it think your chicken run is epic! so unique !

 

[Kwarner12]

My coop and run are temporary. I bought the chickens on a whim and we had to order a coop. Then I didn't like that the run was so small so we built an extension. My husband is in the process of planning a larger, more sturdy coop with a larger run, but this is what I have now. Still adding things for them to climb on and play with

 

[YayasChooks]

I have a 10x10' dog run covered in chicken wire at the top to keep airborne predators out. That's on the OLD coop. Still trying to get the flock into the NEW coop & then I'll drag that beast of a run over & attach it to the side. At the new coop it will have hardware cloth attached at the bottom down about a foot, and in about a foot. And when I get some MORE $ I want to wrap the whole shabang in chicken wire. I've got 3 ducks, 2 chickens, 1 rooster & 1 guinea all living together.
My main concern here is weasels, raccoons, bobcats, bears & hawks. In winter, when I only had the guineas (I lost a hen when she got scared to death by the bobcat last spring) I didn't let them free range in winter. We have up to 14' of snow & I was worried. So I kept those 2 in the coop all winter. It was big enough for just them to hang in. But now that I've been gifted the rest of my flock, I figured a big run was in order. The new coop has lots of room (10'x8') & with the big run, I'm hoping it will be ok for them. I'm pretty sure it will be. All but the guinea were raised from pups together in my bathroom. And now they're one big happy flock.