Looking for Easy Run Ideas

[itsmaddiejohnson]

Hi everyone. My chickens are free-range however, a fox came and took away two of my silkies tonight. Therefore, I have decided to keep them in a run from now on to prevent any future predator attacks.

Does anyone have any recommendations or ideas for easy and large chicken runs? I have never built anything before but I'm willing to give it my all!

I just want to keep my babies protected and to not have to experience this incident again.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi everyone. My chickens are free-range however, a fox came and took away two of my silkies tonight. Therefore, I have decided to keep them in a run from now on to prevent any future predator attacks.

Does anyone have any recommendations or ideas for easy and large chicken runs? I have never built anything before but I'm willing to give it my all!

I just want to keep my babies protected and to not have to experience this incident again.

Thanks in advance!

Im so sorry for your loss... I love my little Silkies. My heart breaks for you...


Hoop coop! I just made one the other day for my goats, actually. Google it or search BYC.

 

[raingarden]

If you have never built anything and the fox is still out there then maybe look at a kit and modify it as needed. Something like this perhaps.

 

[Kiraeh]

If you have more money than time, you can have electric netting set up tomorrow, it's supposed to be very effective against ground predators, and as an advantage you can move it to give them them fresh forage. It does take a bit of upkeep to make sure the wire is always live.

Hoop coops are great too! Not too hard to build.

 

[DobieLover]

it's supposed to be very effective against ground predators

They are. I have never had a ground predator attack inside my pen. I have all the local cast of characters passing by including fox, coyote, neighbors rotten dogs, bob cats, raccoons, fisher cats and even a momma black bear that has been seen on my property several times over the years, once right outside my bedroom window peering in.
I set my net up to be more permanent and jumpered three 164' nets together to enclose 1/3 acre. It took 2 days to set the posts/insulators, string the fence, drive and jumper the ground rods and build the enclosure for the charger. I already had electric run to where I was going to plug it in.

 

[3KillerBs]

Electric poultry netting is definitely the easiest -- though, of course, it offers no protection from aerial predators.

 

[linguini]

We use T-post, chicken wire, hardware cloth apron around the run. And covered with aviary netting.

Tried to figure out electric netting - too complicated with our set up, especially with snow in winter. The hardware cloth apron turned out to be easiest to keep the foxes out.

 

[3KillerBs]

We use T-post, chicken wire, hardware cloth apron around the run. And covered with aviary netting.

Tried to figure out electric netting - too complicated with our set up, especially with snow in winter. The hardware cloth apron turned out to be easiest to keep the foxes out.

The problem with chicken wire is that dogs, coyotes, and raccoons can go right through it.

 

[linguini]

Luckily we don't have dogs nor coyotes during the day. And chickens are locked in a totally predator proof coop/run at night.
Foxes and hawks, however, are around often during the day!!

 

[StinkyAcres]

+1 for cattle panel hoop run.