Chicken Run

[tashaner]

I getting close to finishing the coop and am starting to look at the run design. I can't sink posts due to location near buried power lines and need to come up with a sturdy design. It doesn't need to be predator proof as it is a daytime run only.

My thought is to build a base from from 4x4's and then build 2x4 'walls' on top of that. Sort of like a coop without a floor and wire walls. I plan on having a roof over half of it, with the other half covered with wire or such.

Anyone build such a run? I'm wondering if will be solid enough (vs sinking posts in the ground)

 

[le_bwah]

An alternative to posts I've seen floating around is a cinderblock/paver/landscape tie foundation. Sink it in the ground a bit, leveled on sand (wouldn't need to be sunk that deep but viability depends on how deep those lines are). As long as you brace your uprights and the roof isn't too heavy, I can see it working. By 2x4 "walls" do you mean a single layer, or the walls of the run boarded up in 2x4? Hope someone with more build experience can chime in.

 

[tashaner]

An alternative to posts I've seen floating around is a cinderblock/paver/landscape tie foundation. Sink it in the ground a bit, leveled on sand (wouldn't need to be sunk that deep but viability depends on how deep those lines are). As long as you brace your uprights and the roof isn't too heavy, I can see it working. By 2x4 "walls" do you mean a single layer, or the walls of the run boarded up in 2x4? Hope someone with more build experience can chime in.

By 2x4 walls I mean sort of like a stud wall, but with the studs further apart. Imagine a framed house. What I'm concerned with is the 'walls' racking or leaning - in standard construction is the sheathing that gives it strength and in this case, the 'sheathing' would simply be hardware cloth.

I'm basically looking for an alternative to sinking posts.

 

[jreardon1918]

My run just rests on the ground. It is attached tothe frontof the coop. The hardware cloth goes down 6-12 inches and out 2 feet. The roof is sheetsof plywood. Framing of the run is 2x3. See my coop build article.

 

[tashaner]

My run just rests on the ground. It is attached tothe frontof the coop. The hardware cloth goes down 6-12 inches and out 2 feet. The roof is sheetsof plywood. Framing of the run is 2x3. See my coop build article.

I looked at the article, but it doesn't go much into the run build or design. Basically a framework of 2x3's? Is it a 2x3 that rests on the ground as well? Pressure treated I assume.

How stable is the run in terms of the door, and in the wind and weather?

 

[8081808]

I plan to do this. Ill be starting this week.

2x4 walls and 4x4 corner pieces not sunk.

 

[jthornton]

By 2x4 walls I mean sort of like a stud wall, but with the studs further apart. Imagine a framed house. What I'm concerned with is the 'walls' racking or leaning - in standard construction is the sheathing that gives it strength and in this case, the 'sheathing' would simply be hardware cloth.

I'm basically looking for an alternative to sinking posts.

Corner bracing will stiffen up an open wall structure. Look at @jreardon1918 photo you can see the corner bracing. Bracing can also be attached to the inside of the framed wall (a bit easier to do).

JT

 

[tashaner]

That makes sense. I was going to use 2x6's but I'm thinking 2x4's would do the job. I also think I only need pressure treated at the foundation and can paint the rest to protect it. That will same some cash..

 

[jreardon1918]

I looked at the article, but it doesn't go much into the run build or design. Basically a framework of 2x3's? Is it a 2x3 that rests on the ground as well? Pressure treated I assume.

How stable is the run in terms of the door, and in the wind and weather?

the run is attached to the coop.
The roof is plywood. That makes it very sturdy.the roof plywood is PT. As is the bottom boards. I stand corrected, the run is all 2x4. The walls are 6’ tall. The angle braces are left over pieces from cutting the walls to 6’. The hardware cloth I bought was 2’ x 100’. The studs are spaced at 2’, so the attachment worked great.

Edit to add gate info... The gate is very sturdy. I am not very handy. I bought a gate kit from Home Depot. It is called easy gate. It was easy and a year later still square.