It Is Time To Run

[nxb161]

I want to make run for my coop. The one it came with is quite tiny. I was thinking about tall enough to walk under to 6' maybe a little higher so taller people can go in there to. I'd like 8' or 10' long. I guess my question is what do you think the smallest size wood could I get away with using. I plan on putting the 1/4" hardware cloth for the screen. I guess I'd have to put a door in there as well

I'm not much of a carpenter, but I figure it shouldn't be too bad to do and I have a cordless staple gun for fasten the screen. I've been trying to look for run designs, but I must be looking at the wrong place. Any help would be great!

 

[Trefoil]

Unless its a pneumatic gun, the staple gun won't hold strongly enough to protect your chickens. You didn't say how many chickens you've got. The easiest run to make is a pvc hoop, using your 1/4" hardware cloth around the perimeter and chicken wire for the top. You will need to put a couple of 4" x 4" s in the middle to support the pvc that supports the chicken wire. Instructions here:
http://www.utm.edu/departments/cece/idea/mopens.shtml
but don't use the big hole wire and bury hardware cloth around the perimeter. I would also make the door person height. Don't use smaller pvc, it will be too flimsy. I've had mine 2 winters here in Michigan, and after I sank the 4" x 4" to support the pvc arches that I hooked the chicken wire to it works great, and is much cheaper than a regular run.
Several people have posted both pvc runs and coops on this forum as well, you can do a search to find them.

 

[nxb161]

3 Hens. I think it'd be hard to put a cover on something like that. I am looking for something that would be fairly prey proof, I don't trust hawks and owls in the area. I was thinking more like a wooden rectangle with a door type run. I'll have to test out the staple gun, if it doesn't work I'll use washers and screws if I have to.

 

[chfite]

2 x 4 are probably the cheapest and easiest to work with.

I would consider stronger predators when thinking about protection. Birds cannot tear through wire, but there are plenty of dogs, coyotes, and raccoons that can make short work of chicken wire. 2 x 4 welded wire works well to keep out dogs and hawks, but the lower 24 inches is subject to a raccoon reaching through the holes and grabbing a chicken. A smaller mesh at the bottom is in order.

Lay an apron along the perimeter of the run, 24 inches out from the bottom. This will prevent digging under the perimeter of the run.

Attaching wire with a stapler will necessitate using a rather long staple to work well. Poultry staples are cheap and work well, Use a pair of pliers to hold them to drive them in place.

Considering bio-security, letting outsiders casually wander into the run might be a bad idea.

Chris

 

[nxb161]

So here is panel 1 of my 8' x 8' chicken run. The coop I got only has a 40" W x 59" L x 29" High run, i didn't think that was big enough.
I ended up with 2x4s and pressure treated plywood. I'm going to paint it to help seal it better. I used regular chicken wire with the staples you hammer in, and then used staples from my nail gun to help fasten it even more. Then the bottom 2' is 1/4" by 1/4" screen. The sucky thing is I couldn't lift it out of the garage...Thankfully it is built well that I was able to drag it into the driveway. 3 more to go... One more mirror of this, another one with all screen except a 3' by 3' gap to join the runs, then the back will by all wood covered with a door. Excited to be getting this going, just hoping it won't be a super pain to get it where it needs to go. Oh that empty bag in the top left was just my kneeling pad.

 

[JanetS]

This is our run that we just finished. We had to add on because our girls can no longer free range because of bobcats. This is made out of 1/2 hardware cloth, 2 x 4's, and a couple of 4 x4 's. We also buried patio stones sideways in the ground all the way around to keep out digging predators.

 

[nxb161]

This is our run that we just finished. We had to add on because our girls can no longer free range because of bobcats. This is made out of 1/2 hardware cloth, 2 x 4's, and a couple of 4 x4 's. We also buried patio stones sideways in the ground all the way around to keep out digging predators.

Very nice Janet. I plan on burying wire around the edges, when the ground thaws of course. I'm trying to figure out the door for my run. That side is going to be board instead of screen. I want to make sure it is tight to keep out predators, but not too tight that'll could swell and not open.