COOP ADDITIONS???? ANY IDEAS???

[buddyellie]

Below you will find a picture of the chicken coop and enclosure. The enclosure is 6 ft x 6 ft. We are not allowed to free range chickens here. I am trying to come up with an idea to add an addition that can be light and easy to move. In order to do this I need to create some kind of tunnel for them to pass through and another enclosure at the other end. I thought the enclosure frame could be made with about one inch PVC pipes covered with chicken wire or hardware cloth. The only thing I can't figure is what to use for the tunnel. It would be attached to a panel that will open in the back of the main enclosure. I am thinking of something like a clear plastic with some kind of rings spaced evenly inside for support. Any ideas to add to this will be greatly appreciated by me and the girls.

 

[Folly's place]

There's a conflict between 'light weight' and 'predator resistant', so be aware before going for something that's just a chicken trap for predators!
Have you looked at the cattle panel hoop house designs?
How about electrified poultry fencing? It's movable, although there's no roof for raptor protection.
Chain link dog fencing can be a start too, although again, it's not predator proof.
Chicken wire is a poor choice, skip that!
Sorry I can't be more helpful...
Mary

 

[Cryss]

When you say “enclosure” are you referring to the run, or to the run and coop together? How many chickens? How big is the coop? These factors can be very important.
Please don’t use chicken wire. Chicken wire is for chickens. Chicken wire is not for any other animal commonly known as predators. I call them critters. You wouldn’t use chickenwire as a fenced run keeping a dog, or a wild critter like raccoons and bears. Heck, I could rip my own way out of chicken wire if I were motivated enough. Critters are stronger than me, food is a huge motivator, and chickens taste good! If chicken wire won’t keep critters in a run it certainly won’t keep them out. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth. This is double, triple, quadruple, infinity true for ring supported plastic!
May I ask why you need to tunnel your chickens away from one run to a second run? I can’t free range my birds either for critter reasons. I had a 10X10 run and expanded it to 10X30. Can you not just expand your run?

 

[ColoradoPip]

Small diameter PVC will bow/bend and not break. You could easily form a "U" out of a length of PVC, then attach any kind of netting/fencing/wire to it in order to create a tunnel. Use long "U" style spikes (like people use to keep lawn/Christmas ornaments in the ground) to attach the tunnel to the ground. Done. I could draw a picture but I think you get the idea.

Similar to this and attach wire to the outside:

Here;'s another idea that requires no building:
https://www.amazon.com/Peppermint-Store-Transparent-Tunnel-Greenhouse/dp/B07RZBW31W

 

[Cryss]

That picture is a great example I’d advise to cover it with 1/2 inch hardware cloth and don’t forget the apron.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Use your coop as the "tunnel." Close 2 sides and put addition adjacent to whichever side of coop you need

 

[buddyellie]

When you say “enclosure” are you referring to the run, or to the run and coop together? How many chickens? How big is the coop? These factors can be very important.
Please don’t use chicken wire. Chicken wire is for chickens. Chicken wire is not for any other animal commonly known as predators. I call them critters. You wouldn’t use chickenwire as a fenced run keeping a dog, or a wild critter like raccoons and bears. Heck, I could rip my own way out of chicken wire if I were motivated enough. Critters are stronger than me, food is a huge motivator, and chickens taste good! If chicken wire won’t keep critters in a run it certainly won’t keep them out. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth. This is double, triple, quadruple, infinity true for ring supported plastic!
May I ask why you need to tunnel your chickens away from one run to a second run? I can’t free range my birds either for critter reasons. I had a 10X10 run and expanded it to 10X30. Can you not just expand your run?

Thanks for the reply. We can't go bigger than a 100 sq ft total for the chicks. Their current coop and run is about fifty sq ft. I am trying to give them as big an area and also keep them entertained and happy. Don't worry about the chicken wire. I used it on my previous coop years ago and the chickens got through the wire under the coop in short time.

 

[buddyellie]

Small diameter PVC will bow/bend and not break. You could easily form a "U" out of a length of PVC, then attach any kind of netting/fencing/wire to it in order to create a tunnel. Use long "U" style spikes (like people use to keep lawn/Christmas ornaments in the ground) to attach the tunnel to the ground. Done. I could draw a picture but I think you get the idea.

Similar to this and attach wire to the outside:

Here;'s another idea that requires no building:
https://www.amazon.com/Peppermint-Store-Transparent-Tunnel-Greenhouse/dp/B07RZBW31W

Well, thanks Colorado Pip. This is a great idea and probably the cheapest. I will check out Peppermint Store Tunnel.

 

[buddyellie]

That picture is a great example I’d advise to cover it with 1/2 inch hardware cloth and don’t forget the apron.

Thanks for your reply. I know what hardware cloth is but what do you mean by the apron. Is it the border at the bottom.

 

[buddyellie]

There's a conflict between 'light weight' and 'predator resistant', so be aware before going for something that's just a chicken trap for predators!
Have you looked at the cattle panel hoop house designs?
How about electrified poultry fencing? It's movable, although there's no roof for raptor protection.
Chain link dog fencing can be a start too, although again, it's not predator proof.
Chicken wire is a poor choice, skip that!
Sorry I can't be more helpful...
Mary

Thanks for taking time to reply. We have a hawk that lives in the area so anything I do needs a strong cover. Part of my backyard is woods so that comes with other predators. I bought a Predator Guard and it seems to do the job. I had one with my first flock and never had a problem. Where I have my coop this time doesn't get much sun, so I keep the screw that keeps it attached to the coop loose and just put the guard in the sun during the day and then put it on the screw at night.