Need ideas for portable run, with no tractor.

[LMVB]

We have a nice coop inside a 16x16 foot run. This is surrounded by an unused dog fence, which we occasionally, when we are home, let the chickens out into to give them more to do. The dog fence is a typical 4' cyclone fence. I'd like to let them free in our yard, we have 1 acre and a good half of that would be heaven for them. However, there are predators, tho I wouldn't do this until home/outside myself. There's also the issue of getting them to and fro. This needs to be a fairly simple project: my hubby is DONE with the chickens ("just let them roam, and see who comes back"!) so the project needs to be something I can mostly do myself, a woman in my late 50's. Not useless but still, can't do heavy lifting. Any ideas or solutions? Thanks for any input!!

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

PVC with netting over it works good. Not very predator proof, but it keeps the chickens from getting away. Do you have fence around your perimeter? That may be the best solution. If so, you can probably just clip their wings to keep them from getting out.

 

[LMVB]

PVC with netting over it works good. Not very predator proof, but it keeps the chickens from getting away. Do you have fence around your perimeter? That may be the best solution. If so, you can probably just clip their wings to keep them from getting out.

 

[LMVB]

No, we don't have fencing around the entire lot, unfortunately. Thanks for the PVC netting idea, tho, figuring out how to do it is another kettle of worms!

 

[TalkALittle]

How about a hoop structure and a "chunnel"? It's a chicken tunnel that you could run from the main run out to wherever you park a portable run. The run can be made from hoops of pvc pipe arching up from a wooden frame. If you cover it with chicken wire or plastic mesh it would be very lightweight (though not very predator proof).

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Another thing you could do is get a folding, wire dog cage and put a top on it. It's light, and goes away when you don't need it.

 

[paintedChix]

electric poultry netting.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

 

[LMVB]

electric poultry netting.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

 

[LMVB]

Like but way to expensive at this point for us. Thanks for the info, tho!

 

[paintedChix]

I certainly understand!

Facing the same things... We lost a whole lot of birds after we moved to this new property. We were so EXCITED! The birds, when they were allowed to start free ranging, learned to hide from large flying predators. It never occurred to us that marauding dogs would dig UNDER our field fencing and just "murder" and leave the birds dead - spread out over the whole 7 acre field!

We have put in regular strands of electric wire in the past with the ponies/horses. Netting is so much more pricey.

What about using the wire fencing - the less expensive, welded wire type - and putting it up with temporary posts? Even the step in's might work OR build you own? Like this one - http://www.ranch-coop.com/Portable-Fence-Posts.html . There was another post I was following that the guy had built one similar - he made posts out of PVC - the idea was the same. I'm not sure which post it was?