Constructing a run that is 6' tall?

[Zahboo]

I am planning my summer coop. You can't make it through a year without spending $1,000 on a coop can you??? Oh my, chickens are an expensive addiction! Well, they can be

Anyway. I have plans for a 8x12 coop. There will be 2 runs. Each run will be 16'x4'. The runs will share a 16' side. What should I build these out of so that they are strong enough to be predator proof, but hold in bantams and juvinele chicks. Would 1x3 welded wire work. I know chicken wire isn't strong enough and I can't afford 2 types of wire stacked onto each other. There will be a wire roof, to keep the hawks away.

The run will be 6' tall, so I can walk in and have space to stand up. I really hope I can get everything done I want. ANY pictures and advice is helpful.

The coop is taking shape

 

[EweSheep]

Would this help?

 

[Zahboo]

A little. I don't have a chainlink thing. I was looking for pictures of homemade kennels, you know the wire and wood posts. LOL. Thanks for the picture though. Can you send some of that white stuff on the ground? I want some

 

[EweSheep]

Well snow is gone now!

Just an idea that if you do find some of those chain link ones, that would do you in a pinch.

 

[KrisRose]

I used 4x4" posts every 8 ft. and reinforced with 2x4's. Also cemented in the corner posts. My run is 6 ft high and I used hardwarecloth, on bottem 4 ft high fencing then on top the 2 ft high fencing. Covered it in netting. Good luck.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I used 8' landscape timbers sunk 2' in the ground with 2 x 4 cross beams top and bottom. I used poultry netting on the inside and field fencing topped with 2 strands of barbed on the outside. Then I added 3 strands of hot wire (low, medium, and high). Oh, and I have a top, too. Each of my runs is 10 x 24.

We have bobcats, raccoons, deer, foxes--you name it. So far nothing has bothered it except some of those nasty 2-footed predators. After THEIR visit, I added cameras and silent alarms.

Rusty

 

[Zahboo]

I like the idea of the 2x4s reinforcing it. The pen is located inside the dog yard, but the dog is so old, he is too old to care and was raised around delicious pets. Every 8 feet, I could put a 4x4 like listed. This isn't a bad idea! Thanks. Can you get pictures?

 

[winniegirl]

Our run is 8 x 8, hardware cloth on the bottom foot and chicken wire all sides and on top. And before you ask, yes I WISH we had made it larger!! Everyone said to do that, but as usual, I didn't listen

Those are 4x4s on the corner and door, and 2x4s everywhere else. We didn't cement the end posts, DH just dug down 2 feet.

 

[ThreeGlovers]

TSC has a roll of what they call predator wire. it looks like chicken wire but is heavy gage. It is 5' tall with a 1' apron to lay on the ground to prevent digging. You could unfold the apron to make it 6' tall if you wanted. It cost about $170 for a 150 foot roll. Maybe this will work for you

Bo

 

[Big Red]

Check out my Page, maybe you can get some ideas from my run setup and build something nicer.