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!

 

[DickMidnight]

I would allocate about 4 sq. ft./ bird of run space

10ft at minimum, with more being better.

 

[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.

 

[Krugerrand]

If your central FL ground can support using T-Posts, then you don't even need a base frame to go the hoop run route.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/motel-chix.67240/

If completely covered in hardware cloth, they're pretty much everything-proof except for bear. However, if you're looking for something even bigger than that, then electric fence is likely your easiest option. As previously mentioned, you'll want bird netting on top of that or will need to use other strategies.

 

[perkolator]

I have all the common predators in my area and have lost many chickens over the years, usually when free-ranging. At first I built a simple extra run, just T-posts and 5ft fencing - worked great for a year or so but the chickens could jump over it if they wanted to, and then the local bobcat figured out it could just go over the top of the fence and get dinner. Ended up having to enclose over the top of the run - I used chicken wire supported by bamboo poles from our yard. So far nothing has been able to get into the 2nd run.

IMG_3866.jpg

• perkolator
• Jun 29, 2022

Improving a chicken run with hardware cloth perimeter and overhead chicken wire to keep the...

 

[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.

 

[3KillerBs]

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

 

[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.