Fencing in a 10x20ish run. Need suggestions please.

[NancyNurseCxMama]

We do door stops around door openings---they add to predator-deterring and allow wood to expand and contract with the weather. No need to make the doors super tight against the posts. Doing so makes them warp and stick.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi toothpick ,
here's what we did .we live in a Township where if you go into the ground you need building permit .we didn't want to do that so we made our run sitting on the ground with 2 x 4 panels .
here's how we did it .
your modular panels should be 5 ft long by 6ft High. use 8ft boards, cut them to fit in a rectangle. use the cut off ends as braces across all four corners .take another 2 by 4 and make a cross brace halfway up.
Use 4 foot high chicken wire. staple it to the bottom half of the panel so you have a foot extra sticking out the bottom of the panel. bury this one ft. in the ground to discourage digging into the Run.
the extra one foot that sticks out the top of the panel, you'll staple over the roof *after* the roof wire is laid so that there's no opening between the top of the panel and the roof.
Make all your panels and set them up vertically, Carriage bolting the uprights together. At the corners of the Run you want to stand a vertical 4 x 4 on top of the ground. carriage Bolt, or using long screws, attach the panels to the 4 x 4's.
leave one panel open. make a smaller panel to fit and that's your door.
Now for the roof.
buy some 2 x 4 x 12 . Cut them to fit and screw them across the top of the Run not quit 4 ft apart. use your 4 foot high chicken wire and staple it to the two-by-fours to roof your run. Now staple that extra foot of chicken wire protruding from the top of the panels over that chicken wire roof and staple it down to the roof braces.
Now to keep the rain out .
buy a nice quality tarp and lay it across the top of the roof. Add tarp clips everywhere the tarp intersects an upright pillar . screw a heavy-duty screw into upright pillar about 8-10 inches below the tarp. go to Walmart and buy the bungees with red ball on the end.
run the Bungers thru the holes in the tarp clips and loop the end around the screw. the tension will hold the tarp on but the bungee will give the tarp enough "give" so that your tarp does not rip if it gets caught in the Wind .this is worked great for us.
Now you have a nice, sturdy modular run that can be extended in multiple directions just by adding more panels. it's great.
Best,
Karen and the Light Sussex in Western Pennsylvania

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Hi toothpick here's what we did we live in a Township where if you are World Township where if you go into the ground you need building permit we didn't want to do that so we made our run with 2 x 4 panels .
here's how we did it .your
modular panels should be 5 ft long by 6ft High. use 8ft boards, cut them to fit in a rectangle. use the cut off ends as braces across all four corners .take another 2 by 4 and make a cross brace halfway up. Use 4 foot high chicken wire. staple it to the bottom half of the panel so did you have a foot extra sticking out the bottom of the panel. bury this one ft. in the ground to discourage digging into the Run.
the extra one foot that sticks out the top of the panel, you'll staple over the roof after the roof wire is laid so that there's no opening between the top of the panel and the roof.
Make all your panels and set them up vertically Carriage bolting the uprights together leave one panel open make a smaller panel to fit and that's your door.
Now for the roof buy some 2 x 4 x 12 got them to fit and screw them across the top of the Run use your 4 foot high chicken wire and staple it to the two-by-fours to roof your run.
Now to keep the rain out buy a nice quality tarp and lay it across the top of the roof. Add tarp clips everywhere the tarp needs an upright pillar screw a heavy-duty screw into the pillars upright pillar about 8 inches below the tarp. now go to Walmart and buy the bungees with red ball on the end. Okay run the Bungers thru the holes in the tarp clips and loop the end around the screw. the tension will hold the tarp on but the bungee will give the tarp enough "give" so that your tarp does not rip if it gets caught in the Wind .this is worked great for us.

Pics please?
I am a worrywart. Chicken wire and a tarp---I would be worried about predators and snow load.
But that is just me....

 

[Toothpick]

I'd love to see a pic of that as well.

 

[aart]

I went 8' wide and 30' long to start.
The 8' was what fit my design of conduit 'rafters'.
Posts/rafters are 68" apart to accommodate the 2x4x72" welded wire fencing that forms walls, roof, and aprons of run. More details on My Coop page.

Used a home made water level, 1/2 clear tubing with colored water and a couple rubber stoppers, clamps to hold in place. Kinda fussy to use, but works well and cheap.

 

[Toothpick]

That's a nice run too! Some really great ideas and ingenuity here.

 

[tigger19687]

I'm so stealing that run !!!!
Great looking job !

 

[User395221]

I'm so stealing that run !!!!

I'm so kidnapping aart and getting him here to make my girls a better setup.

 

[aart]

I'm so kidnapping aart and getting him here to make my girls a better setup.

She, but ferocious, and will not be kidnapped
Fabrication details are on coop page, pretty easy,
only special tools are a conduit bender and gravity angle indicator.

 

[User395221]

only special tools are a conduit bender and gravity angle indicator.

Step one: find out what a conduit bender is. Step two: find out what a gravity angle indicator is. Step three: find out how to use them.