Need run advice! :)

[caprice859]

I am in need of advice about a run. I want to use T posts and galvanized fencing. I want it to be high so I'm thinking 6-7 foot? I'm not overly concerned about predators on the ground (raccoons, opossums, etc) because we rarely see those in the city. My neighbors have had no issues with them. But I know it's still possible so I'm going to close my girls in at night. What I am concerned about are hawks so I want to put a cover over the run. I am attaching a photo of the coop and the area for the run. As you can see there is a wall behind the coop. I've been nervous about this part of it because I've never built a fence by myself before. And I have no idea what to use for door. I could build something but with a toddler I was trying to do this as easy as possible.

Any advice would be welcome and appreciated.

Thanks!
Dahn

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Well, the first issue I anticipate is that its hard to find T posts much bigger than 6' (which aren't actually 6' above ground once installed, much less 7 or 8), and the second problem is that most livestock fencing and similar is typically 4' tall. Even off the shelf chain link is usually either 4' or 5' high. So will have difficulty reaching your desired heights without considerable expense in a niche product. Third problem will be reinforcing the corners - the taller it is, the less stiff it is, and the additional weight you'd be carrying to reach those heights is a further factor - unless you have some fencing material in mind I'm not aware of (and really good soils, or a plan to concrete in each post to provided greater resistance to movement).

After that, I know a number of decent products for attaching high tensile wire to posts, but my experience with using t-posts for any reason other than vertical support has been "poor" - I currently use 6' tposts to support two pieces of chicken wire woven together around my rabbit runs - and there is enough flexibility, that even using short strand offs, the electric fence wire around the outside still shorts to the chicken wire on occasion.

Most skip the Tposts and go straight to wood frame construction - 4x4s set in concrete, wood framing around a roof, and then attach either netting, poultry wire, or hardware cloth across the top as an aerial predator deterent, with horizontal supports at the "roof" line, depending on size of the covered area. The alternative to that is usually some form of metal construction, like a metal dog run. PVC structures have alot of flexibility at those height, but are sometimes used as horizontal supports under compression, so they are forced to bow upwards, with the outer "roof" framing under tension, to keep it from bowing outward.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

If you put your general location into your profile people can give better-targeted advice because climate matters for many things.

In an urban/suburban environment one of the biggest threats comes from stray dogs -- so make sure any fence you put up will stop a German Shepherd.

The usual recommendation is to use 1/2" hardware cloth because the popular green 2x4 fencing allows rats, snakes, and weasels to get in and because raccoons can and will reach through the wire and pull the chicken through bit by bit.

But if this is a day run only the 2x4 wire will keep the chickens in. How well it keeps dogs out will depend on how well it's fastened to the posts and how strongly the posts are set. Also, an anti-dig skirt is useful to prevent various predators from going under the fence.

Most adult chickens of most dual-purpose breeds don't fly well -- though there are some exceptions. Netting to keep hawks out would also serve to keep the chickens in. I'm afraid I don't know much about netting. The tradeoff for the flexibility and space I get from my electric poultry netting is that I can't secure my run against hawks.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and for what its worth, I put the electric fence line around the top of my rabbit run because a few of my dual purpose birds (substantially all of which can launch themselves to a height of 4' and land on top of almost any horizontal surface, even livestock fencing!) would launch themselves at the chicken wire then continue to flap as they walked up a 6' height of the stuff (as high as I could get with 8' t posts) and then go over, to get at the rabbit feed and the feed I offer my hatchling chicks inside the fencing.

 

[3KillerBs]

and for what its worth, I put the electric fence line around the top of my rabbit run because a few of my dual purpose birds (substantially all of which can launch themselves to a height of 4' and land on top of almost any horizontal surface, even livestock fencing!) would launch themselves at the chicken wire then continue to flap as they walked up a 6' height of the stuff (as high as I could get with 8' t posts) and then go over, to get at the rabbit feed and the feed I offer my hatchling chicks inside the fencing.

I think that a side effect of breeding for free-range survival is breeding for intelligence and problem-solving.

 

[caprice859]

Welcome to BYC.

If you put your general location into your profile people can give better-targeted advice because climate matters for many things.

In an urban/suburban environment one of the biggest threats comes from stray dogs -- so make sure any fence you put up will stop a German Shepherd.

The usual recommendation is to use 1/2" hardware cloth because the popular green 2x4 fencing allows rats, snakes, and weasels to get in and because raccoons can and will reach through the wire and pull the chicken through bit by bit.

But if this is a day run only the 2x4 wire will keep the chickens in. How well it keeps dogs out will depend on how well it's fastened to the posts and how strongly the posts are set. Also, an anti-dig skirt is useful to prevent various predators from going under the fence.

Most adult chickens of most dual-purpose breeds don't fly well -- though there are some exceptions. Netting to keep hawks out would also serve to keep the chickens in. I'm afraid I don't know much about netting. The tradeoff for the flexibility and space I get from my electric poultry netting is that I can't secure my run against hawks.

I tried adding my location but couldn't figure it out. I will look again!

We don't have a stray dog problem. And I have a fenced in yard so there's no issue there! We do have stray cats though. So I'm worried about them jumping on the coop from the top of that ledge. :/

I have a whole roll brand new netting I was going to repurpose for over the top.

 

[3KillerBs]

I tried adding my location but couldn't figure it out. I will look again!

We don't have a stray dog problem. And I have a fenced in yard so there's no issue there! We do have stray cats though. So I'm worried about them jumping on the coop from the top of that ledge. :/

I have a whole roll brand new netting I was going to repurpose for over the top.

There is a place for that in your account -- where you fill out various kinds of information.

 

[caprice859]

Well, the first issue I anticipate is that its hard to find T posts much bigger than 6' (which aren't actually 6' above ground once installed, much less 7 or 8), and the second problem is that most livestock fencing and similar is typically 4' tall. Even off the shelf chain link is usually either 4' or 5' high. So will have difficulty reaching your desired heights without considerable expense in a niche product. Third problem will be reinforcing the corners - the taller it is, the less stiff it is, and the additional weight you'd be carrying to reach those heights is a further factor - unless you have some fencing material in mind I'm not aware of (and really good soils, or a plan to concrete in each post to provided greater resistance to movement).

After that, I know a number of decent products for attaching high tensile wire to posts, but my experience with using t-posts for any reason other than vertical support has been "poor" - I currently use 6' tposts to support two pieces of chicken wire woven together around my rabbit runs - and there is enough flexibility, that even using short strand offs, the electric fence wire around the outside still shorts to the chicken wire on occasion.

Most skip the Tposts and go straight to wood frame construction - 4x4s set in concrete, wood framing around a roof, and then attach either netting, poultry wire, or hardware cloth across the top as an aerial predator deterent, with horizontal supports at the "roof" line, depending on size of the covered area. The alternative to that is usually some form of metal construction, like a metal dog run. PVC structures have alot of flexibility at those height, but are sometimes used as horizontal supports under compression, so they are forced to bow upwards, with the outer "roof" framing under tension, to keep it from bowing outward.

Thanks so much for the advice! I may forgo the T posts and just do the 4x4 posts instead. Our tractor supply sells 6 foot fencing so I wouldn't have an issue with height. But you're right about the T posts. They may not be tall enough since you lose some height when you drive it into the ground.

Thanks again!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks so much for the advice! I may forgo the T posts and just do the 4x4 posts instead. Our tractor supply sells 6 foot fencing so I wouldn't have an issue with height. But you're right about the T posts. They may not be tall enough since you lose some height when you drive it into the ground.

Thanks again!

Lets just say I own a lot of 6' tposts supporting a lot of 4' fencing. Most of my learning is by making mistakes - I share here so others need not repeat them.

and @3KillerBs i like smart in my mutts, but also wise. The birds smart enough to get over and in, but not wise enoughto leave (or too slow to avoid being caught) when I arrived? Tasty. They won't be stealing food ever again.

 

[Krugerrand]

Hello fellow SWPA-ian!

How big of a run area are you looking to enclose? A cattle panel hoop structure about 7-8' wide will be about 6' in the center. (keep in mind that adding woodchips and the like will fill some of that space. These are pretty easy to put up, if it looks like it could fit your needs.

I largely modeled Blooie's run:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/motel-chix

I used res's door approach (more cattle panel) and that was pretty simple.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/

I liked how dheltzel raised the door. I did that as well to be sure that snow would not block my way in.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/

I used 21hens-incharge's cover technique with landscape fabric in the summer and plastic in the winter.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rdware-cloth-need-to-go.1395404/post-22909255