Kennel for run?

[dnatxsp]

I saw a 10(w)x10(l)x6(h) dog kennel in Tractor Supply's ad for $250. The reviews on it are good and the price doesn't seam to bad. Would it work just like it comes or would I have to put chicken wire or hardware cloth inside it for like the bottom 3 feet? I appreciate any advice. Thank You.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

One of my coops is an old chain-link dog kennel, and I put feed bags around the bottom 3 feet of one end one end and cheap plastic netting around the rest so that raccoons and such can't reach through. And on one half (the side with the feed bags) I put roofing tin on top and over the rest more plastic netting. The more enclosed side has roosts and nest boxes and there is no real coop/house, just a run with a sheltered area. Depending on predators in your area, plastic netting or hardware cloth might be a good idea. Also, very small bantams or young birds might be able to squeeze through the chain link.

 

[dnatxsp]

We live in the woods. The chics are inside at the moment, coop is being delivered tomorrow. A bear ate my garbage last night and critters are always around. If I use the kennel with 3 feet high of hardware cloth all the way around the bottom 3 feet, should I be good?

 

[Fleabuskitty]

We live in the woods. The chics are inside at the moment, coop is being delivered tomorrow. A bear ate my garbage last night and critters are always around. If I use the kennel with 3 feet high of hardware cloth all the way around the bottom 3 feet, should I be good?

That will work for keeping out raccoons and such, yep. I don't know anything about bear-proofing chicken coops, though

By the way,

 

[dnatxsp]

Thanks. I have been trolling the site for months. I was going to build a coop myself and loved the designs other people did. But I found a local Amish shop that makes BEAUTIFUL 4x6 coops with 2 windows and external nesting boxes for a nice price. I am so excited about raising my new chics. I have always loved chickens. After I have these a while I want to buy some other types that I think are pretty.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

We usually make our own tractors, but we happened to have an old dog kennel, so why not turn it into a chicken coop

I'm using it as a grow-out pen for young chickens now, and the only bad thing about it is that during a rain storm a few months ago, part of one of the rod things at the top bent and the whole thing caved in. Luckily, the chickens were unharmed and we were able to fix it with a couple of t-posts.
What breed(s) are the chickens you have now?

 

[aggiemae]

I don't know anything about bear-proofing chicken coops, though

By the way,

My fist husband was a Forester and we lived in Yosemite for three winters. Bears don't kill chickens, our biggest problem aside from raccoons were eagles and hawks. I hope that builders clot on the bottom half and chicken wire on the top half works since we are planning to do the same thing when (if?) it stops raining.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Yeah, I figured bears probably aren't a big problem with chickens. If they were, it would be nearly impossible to keep them out, wouldn't it?
Really you only need chicken wire around most of it (would have used chicken wire on the bottom of my kennel coop but netting was cheaper) with one corner enclosed because raccoons will reach through and chickens will run into a corner, which can be bad if there are multiple raccoons, but if there is an enclosed corner they'll be able to run there.
We have a crazy number of hawks here, I can't go outside without seeing one flying around, but they've never bothered our 11 free-ranging chickens, possibly because my Buff Brahma roo is about the size of a hawk

 

[3forfree]

I have raised pheasants in a dog kennel and put a wire apron at the bottom and haven't had any problems. I covered the top with chain link that I had junk picked and tied down with wire ties. this worked good also.
I'm building a chicken coop now inside the kennel, 4x4 raised coop.

 

[DuckyLou]

I am also in the process of converting a 10X10X6 dog kennel into my chicken pen. Has anyone ever put wheels on their's so they can move it around? I'm trying to figure out how to do that without lifting the pen up off the ground.