How can I make/attach a run gate to my coop?

[bocephus]

I'm making large runs with t post and welded wire. The coop is going to be a 2x4 frame like a shed with exterior plywood walls. Below is what I'd like to do, red box is coop, blue line is fence, green line is gate on it's pivot point.

Could I attach a pre-made chain link gate or maybe make a simple gate out of 2x4's and fencing? Preferably it would be something I could attach right into the existing structure without putting in extra posts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can do a gate like that. I did something like that, but put the hasp on the shed side and put the hinges on the post side.

For your run, I suggest corner posts and the post by the gate be a heavy wooden post, not a T-post. T-posts are great for intermediate posts, but not much good for structural support like you need at corners and at the end. Brace your corner posts with diagonals in line with the fence. There is a surprising amount of force on those from the fence. Brace the corner posts with diagonals before you stretch your wire and never try to stretch your wire around a corner. Always stretch it in a straight line. Otherwise you will break your posts.

To attach the welded wire to the building on the side away from the gate, I temporarily attached the wire to the end of the building with staples, but then put up a 1x4 over the end of the wire. I used long screws and screwed the 2x4 tightly to the building. Those screws were placed where they went through an opening of the wire fencing as insurance, but that is probably unnecessary. If you tighten it down, it won't go anywhere. I predrilled pilot holes to keep from splitting the 1x4. An advantage to this is that the sharp edges of the wire fencing are covered. I snag my clothing and skin less often this way.

Something else I did. That fence post at the gate needs support, especially if you hang the gate on it. I made that post "tall" and ran a horizontal brace over to the coop to keep it from shifting over time.

To hang the gate from the coop, you might need to first put a fairly wide board on the outside of the plywood to hold your hinges. This can be part of your corner trim.

 

[bocephus]

As far as the fencing, I'm trying to go semi permanent. This is with the idea that, will I want the run in the same place say 2 or 3 years from now. I'm not saying I won't, it may stay there for quite a while but I'm trying to keep my options open so I planned on avoiding anything other than t post because t post is a lot easier to remove.

So for the corners of the run I thought I'd space the t posts closely in a L shape, around 2-3 feet apart and look into rigging up some sort of H brace for them. I hadn't considered how I'd brace the end near the gate though, maybe 2' spacing with a H brace or buy one of those bracing systems from tractor supply?

 

[Ridgerunner]

That bit of information changes things. You might want to look into electric netting. I'm not sure how it will stand up to your snows with blowing winds, but you can probably work that out with decent bracing. In used some electric netting this winter but we had a real mild winter.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/

I would suggest you consider guy-wiring your corner posts instead of that H-brace. Think about how you brace a tent with tent pegs. Put two pegs about 90 degrees apart and in line with the fence and tie off to that.

I have not tried the H-brace with T-posts, but I have worked with T-posts as intermediate fence posts. I'm dubious as to how well that would work with a decent sized run.

 

[bocephus]

You think one of those diagonal brace systems would work?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I haven't tried it so I can't say from experience. I'd trust it more than the H-brace.

I'd put the lower connection as low to the ground as I could. The high end of that diagonal should be on the corner post.