Need help with a cheap chicken run for 5 chickens

[Chickenreds]

Pics of the coop?

Kinda like this one the left run section is removed and the empty space was put up against the house to cover it.

 

[Chickenreds]

Raccoons (and almost everything else) can rip through chicken wire, don’t use it. They can’t get through chain link, so you could use a large outdoor dog kennel/run. Do know that raccoons can reach through that to grab birds by the edge so you’ll want to add hardware cloth to the bottom portion.

https://a.co/d/gGGj3Bf
Hey is this any good?

 

[DIYGuy24]

There's an app I use called freebie alerts. It sends you a notification when someone lists something for free on a couple websites. With your budget this could be a good way to get some stuff to upcycle.

I have a chain link fence and t posts with bird netting on top. I've seen foxes in my yard(at night), plenty of possum, coon, skunk roadkill around, and at least one hawk that has flown 2 ft over my run while my chickens were out. So far no loses but I'm not ignorant to the fact that I could any day since it's more of a deterrent than actually secure. Building my fort Knox currently as my budget allows.

 

[Chickenreds]

There's an app I use called freebie alerts. It sends you a notification when someone lists something for free on a couple websites. With your budget this could be a good way to get some stuff to upcycle.

I have a chain link fence and t posts with bird netting on top. I've seen foxes in my yard(at night), plenty of possum, coon, skunk roadkill around, and at least one hawk that has flown 2 ft over my run while my chickens were out. So far no loses but I'm not ignorant to the fact that I could any day since it's more of a deterrent than actually secure. Building my fort Knox currently as my budget allows.

Alright I'll get the app to check it out thank you.Good luck with your fort Knox!

 

[chooki]

I heard raccoons can break through wire mesh though. I could just put the chickens into the run at daytime and then take them out but I heard sometimes there's a chance they come at day though and I'm not trying to lose the whole flock.

There are many kinds of wire meshes.

I have posted this before else where:

Interconnected wire mesh on the inside and pallets connected with screws on the outside. Also 0.5 metre metal mesh skirts outside the pallets to stop digging. Farm is unmanned 2-3 days at a time, so far no bird was lost to predators when they are inside.

One main problem is the rats, they can go in and out without much problem.

 

[Chickenreds]

There are many kinds of wire meshes.

I have posted this before else where:

View attachment 4031426

Interconnected wire mesh on the inside and pallets connected with screws on the outside. Also 0.5 metre metal mesh skirts outside the pallets to stop digging. Farm is unmanned 2-3 days at a time, so far no bird was lost to predators when they are inside.

One main problem is the rats, they can go in and out without much problem.

Alright thank you, I might make a coop similar to this after I wait a few days and weigh all my options.

 

[McChooky]

There are many kinds of wire meshes.

I have posted this before else where:

View attachment 4031426

Interconnected wire mesh on the inside and pallets connected with screws on the outside. Also 0.5 metre metal mesh skirts outside the pallets to stop digging. Farm is unmanned 2-3 days at a time, so far no bird was lost to predators when they are inside.

One main problem is the rats, they can go in and out without much problem.

This type would works very well especially to ward off coyotes. It would also block cold winter winds.

 

[DIYGuy24]

There's an app I use called freebie alerts. It sends you a notification when someone lists something for free on a couple websites. With your budget this could be a good way to get some stuff to upcycle.

I have a chain link fence and t posts with bird netting on top. I've seen foxes in my yard(at night), plenty of possum, coon, skunk roadkill around, and at least one hawk that has flown 2 ft over my run while my chickens were out. So far no loses but I'm not ignorant to the fact that I could any day since it's more of a deterrent than actually secure. Building my fort Knox currently as my budget allows.

In regards to predators I should have mentioned that my coop that they are in at night is solid wood with hardware cloth vents and an auto door to help keep them safe other than just the mentioned fencing.

 

[McChooky]

I attached used windows on one end of my run because it gets a lot of sun for dust baths but the rest of the run has slated sides or pallets.Their safer in a run like this and will usually spend more time in them.Open mesh coops put chickens on display

 

[SourRoses]

My preference is to give chickens more space than a typical run, so instead of an enclosed one we've stuck with big yards made of 2x4 4-6ft high "no climb" wire.
What saves them in this setup? They do. Since they have lots of room to get away, they don't hug the fences. They keep an eye on the sky and ground and skedaddle to the coop or under cover at the first sign of trouble.

There is a lot of tree and plant cover and I believe that helps a bunch too.

We have coons coming around at night, possums that dig in the yard for any flung food, etc. Hawks overhead by day... although they are usually driven off by the helpful crows. And neighboring farm cats sometimes prowl the fences during the day. The chickens make a racket with alerts over that so we come out to check and shoo them away.

I believe chickens skill with staying alert to predators is a generational learning thing. The juveniles we continually add to the flock from our protected brooder / HW cloth run situation, often come out acting like ninnies. When they hear the alert they don't know what to do with themselves at first, and some just ignore it. But soon enough they learn from the Bigs and react properly, then start keeping an eye out.

This would be, as Stormcrow aptly puts it, a higher risk tolerance situation. Yet, I have not lost any birds to daytime predators who were inside of the yard (some escapees over the years have not made it). And the coop is very secure against nighttime predators with HW cloth and multiple latches, etc.
Oh, I did lose a chick to a pencil thin corn snake who somehow squeezed into the brooder... but that's it.

If we frequently left the property for long stretches, we would be more interested in a secure run. But for our situation and budget this has been working and hopefully will continue to.