Covered Run Advice/Tips

[Happy Dad]

Here is a sketch of the portion of our run that I will be making "predator proof". I'm hoping the 10' spacing is not too much and would liket to hear feedback if you have 10' spacing or greater and what your results have been.

The circles with squares around them are where the 4"x4" posts will be placed.


Here I have sketched in where I will place the 2"x4" cross members that the welded wire fencind will be attached.

 

[ONSTAD1]

I have 4 ft spacing. I was careful to put 1/2" hardware cloth on "tight". After a month of "shifting" have small bows in cloth.Major difference though is mine is freestanding no posts into the ground. Surely, yours will shift less ...for what it's worth.

mo

 

[teach1rusl]

Our secure run is 16ft. x 36 feet. We did 4 8ft. panels and a four ft. panel on the length. The 16 ft. of the roof/ceiling was not too difficult - we did it similarly to what you're planning (at least if I'm reading your plans/explanation correctly). We sunk posts 8 ft. across to span the 16 ft. Using 2x4s (2x3s would work if you have them available), I built 8 ft. wired frames that I simply screwed onto the posts. The same type of frames were mounted as the ceiling/roof.
There are pictures on my main coop page (the My Coop link below my avatar). Yours will be more intricate due to not being a simple rectangle, but very doable. You shouldn't need to sink the three posts touching your coop - you can just use 2x4s screwed to the coop as your post, and run a 2x4 horizontally between each of those pairs to connect your frames to. Our run is connected to one of our outbuildings similarly. For simplicity's sake, I might square up that one side rather than angle it...

 

[Jakoda]

here's mine it's 12 x 20 ,(sorry the wire is looking awful, my photography skills are lacking) 1/2 inch mesh all the way around each section is 4 feet, the door is 3 feet , the back section is 6 feet . Mine secured pretty tightly mostly because of the cross boards I would think.

 

[Happy Dad]

Our secure run is 16ft. x 36 feet. We did 4 8ft. panels and a four ft. panel on the length. The 16 ft. of the roof/ceiling was not too difficult - we did it similarly to what you're planning (at least if I'm reading your plans/explanation correctly). We sunk posts 8 ft. across to span the 16 ft. Using 2x4s (2x3s would work if you have them available), I built 8 ft. wired frames that I simply screwed onto the posts. The same type of frames were mounted as the ceiling/roof.
There are pictures on my main coop page (the My Coop link below my avatar). Yours will be more intricate due to not being a simple rectangle, but very doable. You shouldn't need to sink the three posts touching your coop - you can just use 2x4s screwed to the coop as your post, and run a 2x4 horizontally between each of those pairs to connect your frames to. Our run is connected to one of our outbuildings similarly. For simplicity's sake, I might square up that one side rather than angle it...

Thanks! I checked out your link and your run is very similar to what I have pictured in my mind. I love the landscape timbers in the center of the run, much more pleasing to the eyes, I'll be stealing that idea. The three posts on the run that are touching the coop will actually be the coop. I'm going to build it pole barn style, this baby ain't movin'

I noticed you ended up putting a roof on the run, how did that go?

My largest top panel will be 10x8, maybe I should add a cross brace and make two 5x8s. I need to leave the angle to maximize the land that I had leveled. I live on a hill and recently had dirt work done to make this flat spot. Here is the area past the predator proof run.

 

[Happy Dad]

here's mine it's 12 x 20 ,(sorry the wire is looking awful, my photography skills are lacking) 1/2 inch mesh all the way around each section is 4 feet, the door is 3 feet , the back section is 6 feet . Mine secured pretty tightly mostly because of the cross boards I would think.



Very clean, I like it. Did you use 2x6 around the base? Cool roof also, I may have to add that one of these days.

 

[teach1rusl]

We built our run three years ago, and it's held up well. We used treated boards, but ONE board has bowed/is sagging across one of our 8 ft. spans. So my concern would be about a 10 ft. span w/2x4s (assuming only supported at ends of the span) So yes, I'd consider a cross brace/breaking those sections down a bit, as you suggested. Your run will kick butt when you have it completed!

 

[Mass Mike]

with 4x4's sunk into the ground...10 ft shouldn't pose a problem. It may be tough to get/keep the fencing tight, there may be a few inches of back and forth in the middle of that span, if you were to stick your fingers into the run fencing and push it in and out (something to keep in mind if you have young kids who are gonna be around the coop alot...they love sticking their fingers in there or grabbing the fencing...force of habit, I guess). You may need to tighten it up a bit after everything settles. We put ours at 8ft oc b/c we live in New England and, in the event of a huge blowing snowfall, wanted to be able to attach 4x8 sheets of plywood to the bottom portion of the run so the girls could still get out without getting stung/buried by snow.

 

[Happy Dad]

Thanks for the tips and advice, I think I'll add the cross bracing for insurance and also along the fence portion to help tighten it up some as Mike mentioned. I am currently thinking a 6' tall run with 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth on the bottom 3' then 2"x4" welded wire on the top 3'. The cover will also be 2"x4" welded wire.

 

[threebabychicks]

LOVE YOUR SETUP. AWESOME JOB. I AM WORKING ON MY FOREVER GROWING CHICKEN AREA/COOPSOME MORE TODAY. WOOHOO. I NEED TO TAKE SOME CONSTRUCTION CLASSES. LOL ., STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO UPLOAD A PICTURE DANGIT.