Cost Effective Run Fence

[mossy_oak23]

First I will start out asking if my chickens have access to the run on there demand do I need a roof on the run? If i didn't i would think a coon would get in and use the same door my chickens do and eventually just walk into the coop.

With that in mind what is a cheap way to make a run for my chickens as far as the fence goes? Keep in mind i made my coop with scraps around the farm with a total material cost of 0 dollars

The cheaper I can go the better. This isn't a permanent coop and will have to last from march 2010 to november 2010.

Ideas?

 

[mossy_oak23]

 

[Kittymomma]

Hardware cloth is really the way to go. It's not inexpensive, but maybe you can find a deal on CL or freecycle? I totally understand the need to keep cost down, but unfortunately unless you find a deal somewhere cheep and safe don't often go together. If you have a fence charger you might be able to get away with poultry netting (I know

) with several strands of hotwire around it. Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Most people would lock their chickens in the coop at night if they did not want a raccoon to eat 'em. It is WAY WAY easier to predatorproof a coop than a run (esp. a large run).

If you do not lock your chickens in at night, then yes, you want to spend as much effort/materials on your run as possible to try to predatorproof it, but honestly a lot of people still lose chickens under those conditions.

The most secure top for a run is a (good, wellbuilt, well engineered for your climate) roof. A wire mesh top can be made virtually as secure but at that point ends up costing almost as much

A wire mesh top built in a more lazy or hopeful fashion, or built of chickenwire, is not much protection at all; and netting (aviary-, deer-, trellis-, whatever) really only protects against hawks, it offers no meaningful deterrence to raccoons or dogs or that sort of thing.

(e.t.a. - your cheapest, reasonably-secure bet is to see what you can scrounge in the way of HEAVY GAUGE 2x4 welded wire, or chainlink, or anything smaller mesh that is still heavy gauge, NOT chickenwire. Install it on a goodly number of very well-set posts. Run something smaller mesh inside the bottom 2-3' to prevent reach-through. And then lock your chickens up at night, without fail, since this is very NOT-coon-proof. You can add electric if you want for extra margin-of-error, but I would really not suggest RELYING on a hotwire, as they all fail sometimes, usually at the worst possible moment.)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[CityChook]

Even hardware wire on a run without a roof, won't protect your chickens against raccoons all night in an opened coop. They are very very skilled climbers. If you're looking for the cheapest option, it's to simply lock your chickens inside a closed door every night.

 

[mossy_oak23]

Quote:
not a possibility they are way back on my farm and some nights I cant get out to them.

 

[IDIOT HUSBAND]

I lock my chickens up at night to be safe and from what I have heard that is the safest thing to do. My run is movable so I really have no choice but to lock them up at night. The girls have gotten use to the routine so they don't mind it too bad, especialy when I feed them at the same time. good luck.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

You may want to consider an electric hot wire(s) option with poultry mesh. A 48" tall welded wire run will cost about $4 per linear foot while poultry mesh is about $1.75. Once you have an electric fence charger, the cost per foot to electrify is almost negligible. A 100 sq. ft run is about the break even point. Anything larger is cheaper to use poultry mesh and electrify. Anything smaller is cheaper with welded wire. These figures are all approximate and with the assumption that a charger costs about $70 and typical costs for wire and posts. YMMV.

 

[mlm1965]

Quote:
And I learned the hard way this week that a dog will climb a fence too! Wiped out the whole flock while at work!