Dog Kennel Coops

[CoyoteMagic]

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I'm thinking of redoing my big coop like yours. I have a 10x10 that I use as a mini run attached to my coop. I have an additional run that is one whole corner of our yard. I'm looking at going with a smaller kennel that I can make a tractor out of.

 

[mom2joshcanpark]

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I have a kennel as well and lost a chicken and duck due to opposum going through the chain link.
Not safe in my opinion.

 

[CATRAY44]

Quote:
I have a kennel as well and lost a chicken and duck due to opposum going through the chain link.
Not safe in my opinion.

Cover the bottom half with hardware cloth, and everything else with chicken wire, top, too. Bury HWcloth or let it fold out away from the run an extra 12 inches. Mine is the same setup, but completely wrapped...

 

[Rosewynd]

All kennel panels are not created equal.

I raise Akitas. My kennels are 9 ga. chain link LACED onto 40 ga. pipe. I could put tigers or bears in those kennels and not have them break through.

To prevent digging, I lay wire (rabbit wire fencing works for this) flat on the ground, then set the kennel panels on top of it.

The home depot type kennels are only 13 ga. and they just fasten the chain link down with a few ties. My dogs go through that like it's nothing.

The older, heavier kennel panels are best. When my coop is finished, it'll have chain link with a hot wire run on the outside. I don't even want the dogs thinking they can work the fence.

 

[Kari]

Agreed. Not all dog kennels are created equal. I have an older one (10 years old) in my backyard that I kept my Rotties in. They absolutely could not get out of it. And one was always pulling at the bottom. I have a newer one set up on the side of my house, (bought in the last 3 years) and my German Shorthair has pulled out the bottom in several locations and gotten out. Just to be safe I would put something else around the bottom.

 

[chicchick]

I am also trying to do the coop thing as cheap and as safe as I can. Question: Do you just have roosts in the dog house? Where do they lay? Is the food and water in there with them, or is it outside all the time? I'm trying to picture the set up inside. Thanks!

 

[Nini]

I purchased 4 12' dog kennel panels initially for the run enclosure. I will line the chain link with hardware cloth or something similiar to about 3' up from the ground. The chickens haven't arrived yet and I have no experience with the kind of predator problems I will face, although I know skunks and fox may be lurking around our area (mostly hills and cow pastures).

Has anyone come up with a great idea for how best to cover/secure/close up the spaces in the people size door that comes with the kennel panel in a way that still allows the door to be opened and walk in?

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

We bought a 7' x 13' ft kennel for $100 on craigslist and then built onto it. Here's our dog kennel coop (we live in a warm climate):

This is before nestboxes:

Here are the nestboxes we added last week (made from old cabinets):

The left side holds 50 lbs of chicken feed - extra storage above nesting areas also:

 

[FarmGirl01]

Here is a pic of mine. I will only use a kennel coop if the birds can be compelety closed up at night. I have had racoons get thru the smallest gaps. I have really enjoyed looking at all the others on this post. Alot of great ideas and suggestions.

Just a few more tweeks and the job is complete.

 

[mom2joshcanpark]

Quote:
I have a kennel as well and lost a chicken and duck due to opposum going through the chain link.
Not safe in my opinion.

Cover the bottom half with hardware cloth, and everything else with chicken wire, top, too. Bury HWcloth or let it fold out away from the run an extra 12 inches. Mine is the same setup, but completely wrapped...

We are moving next month and I am completely redoing it. WE had ducks and chickens in the kennel for 2 years without any preditors, once they got one they kept coming back. Right now I Have them all in dog houses and crates on my back porch, not much of a life for them, but they are alive. We are moving and the place we have has a barn and my husband wants to just set the kennel up in the barn, I don't trust that, raccoons and opposums would get in and I would never know then. I am going to build a wooden shed for a coop, dig a pond like one of the pix show (awesome and beautiful), right now they have a pool but not deep for the ducks and then going to put the gabrel roof on it and wire it all in chicken wire and hope for the best. Another farmer told me that raccons strangled his chickes even through the chicken wire.
I am also impressed by someones floor that has blocks, we have mud alot and that has become a problem, that is something else I am going to add.
I love this site, it is so helpful for me, I just wanted to add my loss so everyone knows to not rely on just the chain link itself, as it isn't safe just alone.