Converting a pre-fab dog run to a chicken run?

Quote:Use 1/2-inch hardward cloth; most predators can rip chicken wire to shreds.
Make the apron at least 36", and cover it with dirt.

ETA I know a guy who used chicken wire, and a raccoon reached through, grabbed a chicken, and literally ate it alive one small piece at a time through a one-inch opening in the wire.

 

I don't think the spaces around the gate will be a problem, as long as you put up hardware cloth around the rest to prevent the coons from reaching through. The chickens need a place to get away from those reaching paws. I have always heard that you should have at least one corner in a run that has a solid barrier--wood-- so that the chickens have a completely safe corner to run to. I know mine tend to stay in their safe corner when there is any sign of unrest in the yard. (Hawks, dogs, strangers)

 

I dont think 4 ft is high enough. If you are buying new, go for 6 foot. Also you can cover the gate with 1/2" wire, swing the gate the opposite direction and step over.

check Craigslist for used ones.

 

Yeah, 6 footer. I see them advertized all the time at different places for around $269. Much easier on your back. Look at Home Depot, Tractor Supply, feed stores..........Pop

 

About the gate problem...here's what you could do. That gate opens outward, right? So construct an inner hardware cloth panel as sort of a door jamb, with an opening smaller than the gate frame but still large enough for you and the chickens to get in and out of. You can use some kind of spring clips or something similar when the gate is closed to hold the gate close to this hardware cloth door jamb. That should do it.

 

I just took a 10 x 10 x 6 prefab dog pen and turned it into a chicken run. I put my coop inside the run and since it was about 7 foot tall, I couldn't just put wire across. I built 4 trusses and sat them on top of the run. I attached a 1x6x10 board on each side of the peak at the top and on each edge. I then took 1/2 " hardware cloth and covered the top. since the coop was on the inside and it is 10x10, I didn't worry about lining the chain link. We just built in, so hopefully it works for us.

 

Quote:This is what I did. You actually have to push the gate into this panel to close the door latch and lock it. Neighbor of mine didn't use the panel and a family of possums slid through and took a over 40 chickens in one night. Nothing has made it into my coop or runs but a black snake and a couple of field mice

 

Keep your eye open on Craigslist for Dog Kennels.. bought mine, which looked new.. but was a couple of years old.. for $100.00 locally. Beats almost $300.00 for a new one.

 

We also bought a new ASPCA dog kennel--4x8x6. It came with a very nice cover for the top & at 6 feet high, is easy to walk around in. We secured ours with hardware cloth using heavy duty zip ties. The only piece we left with any gaps was at the door, where we cut a panel to the size of the door so that we could still open it. We also have made an apron of hardware cloth around the edges & finished it all off with landscaping bricks to give it a secure but somewhat completed look. Our current project is trying to make use of the empty space we have that's human height, but not chicken height. I've installed 2 roosts over the weekend & am thinking about some sort of shelving system with little ladders so that the chickens can have more places to hang out.