Need some quick and easy help for a temporary run!

[Kassafrass]

Hi- Newbie chickeners, and we got 8 chickens, coop,and run with little prep time from a friend who is moving. We got the coop set up and the birds in there tonight, but the run will not work. We will construct a new one, but wont be able to until next weekend at the earliest. I do not want them stuck in the coop the whole time. Can anyone give me ideas for a quick, easy, cheap run? I will have to do it myself with a colicky newborn, so wont have a ton of time (or expertise to devote. It is fine if it is mobile as we have plenty of outdoor room. Thank you!!!!!

 

[perchie.girl]

Hi- Newbie chickeners, and we got 8 chickens, coop,and run with little prep time from a friend who is moving. We got the coop set up and the birds in there tonight, but the run will not work. We will construct a new one, but wont be able to until next weekend at the earliest. I do not want them stuck in the coop the whole time. Can anyone give me ideas for a quick, easy, cheap run? I will have to do it myself with a colicky newborn, so wont have a ton of time (or expertise

to devote. It is fine if it is mobile as we have plenty of outdoor room. Thank you!!!!!

Cant help too much without a picture of your existing backyard fences .... Easiest way would be to buy a roll of plastic hardware cloth set lawn chairs to provide "parimeter support and zip tie the Hardware cloth to it them.... Or use Grape stakes they are green and have a rib to them and they push into the ground..... Id still use something heavy for the "corners like a lawn chair... All those materials can be reused for a more permanent construction. though its best to use Welded wire or chainlink for the run because it protects the chickens from dogs. Welded wire staples nicely to wood fence posts... its quick and easy....

I use chainlink dog kennel panels that are modular and go together very easy. I am handicapped and use a walker to get about.... they Could be used for this application just jump forward and buying one from Lowes or Home depot. some people even put the whole coop inside.... All you need to do then is put a roof on it.

If the coop came with a run that is simply too small You may be fine till the next weekend.

Oh and for the perminant construction rule of thumb.... 4 square feet per bird for the coop.... and 10 Square feet per bird for the run. So for eight.... That would be 24 square feet and 80 square feet respectively.


By the way.... Welcome Kassafras... Welcome to BYC

from the San Diego High Desert.

Oh and let NO ONE talk you into chicken wire.... Chicken wire is only good for keeping chickens contained.... I can testify to the fact that it will NOT stop a dog or a determined predator from getting in.... Sigh. So even with chainlink or welded wire you will still need to line the run area where chickens may come into contact with the fence with Hardware cloth.

deb

 

[aart]

I built my run using 6 foot 2x4" welded wire fencing...I also used some of the fencing to set up a temporary day pen by just setting some up pinned to a few bamboo stakes, the curve off the roll will help it stand and an overlap of the end with a bungee makes a 'gate'.

 

[Kassafrass]

Thanks to you both!!! And thanks for yhe welcome, Perchie Girl!

I just got back from Home Depot,and will post a pic if it turns out. I am going to try making one out of pvc and chicken wire, which i know isnt predator proof, but it will be supervised until we can get the regular run put up anyway. And hopefully this will work for a supervised mobile run after the regular run is up and going. Thanks again!!!

 

[trudyg]

I went to Tractor Supply and bought those fence posts that you mash into the ground with your foot. Then I bought a roll of 2X3 wire, 50 ' at 5' tall. I put one post on either side of my coop, tight to the side. Then I attach the wire to the post at the coop, unroll wire and mash in a post, attach to the wire, roll out more, etc., pulling the wire tight and attaching to posts as I went (so, I'm inside the wire enclosure--have to come thru the coop to get out) and ending with the last post at the wall of the coop. My roll of wire was 50', so roughly 20'X 8' was enclosed (not a rectangle because I didn't lay it out). There is a door from the coop into the enclosure, another where I can get to the food/water/eggs, so I can close the door to the run at night and they are safe. I move my chicken tractor every week or so and move the run, too, so I don't accumulate great piles of poop at any one spot. If I do this in early spring, I enclose where I want my garden to be and leave it for 6 weeks or so and they get my ground bare for tilling. In very hot weather, I move the enclosure to a shady area; when the Jap beetles are bad, I'll move it to where the trees are. Haven't had a problem with flying out, but I do try to make sure and run deer netting over it if it's a spot the hawks can swoop in. This works for me.

 

[Kassafrass]

So it's not covered, trudyg? We have a fox that hangs around, so i think I'd want my permanent one covered. How tall would yours be if you covered it? And is there a certain time if day hens lay? If i make the run mobile for now and they dont have access to the coop, will they just lay on the ground?

 

[trudyg]

No, it's not usually covered. They go in the coop at night and I close the door. If I string this up where a hawk or something could get them from above, then I'll lay some of that bird netting across the top. The wire is 5' high and I run it so it's fairly tight to the ground. If I left the birds in it overnight, then something could come in under it. But I don't do that and during the day it's pretty secure (we have chain link around the entire yard). If we need to go away overnight and don't have someone who can come and open/shut the door, then (haven't done this yet) I plan to lay a 15" wide strip of wire mesh on the ground around the perimeter (about 3" on the inner side of the wire, the rest on the outer--hoping that nothing digs under) and then cover the top with wire (securing it with zip ties so nothing could climb up and squeeze in). My tractor is 6' wide by 8' long and 4 birds would be okay in there for a day if I couldn't do better. I also have another tractor, 4" w by 8" long that I used for the babies to grow out and have thought that I could connect the both with a 'tunnel' of 1/2" wire mesh securely attached to both coops at the edges (so a 2' long wire mesh tube). I have these staple things that are used to hang your house wires to the joists, looks like 2 nails w/ a plastic holder stretched between and would use those to secure the tunnel to the coops, nailing one every 6 inches or so all the way around. So far I've not had to use anything because daughter lives nearby and they come do it for me, but if we all leave town then I'd need a plan because I don't trust anyone else. I have considered loading up the chicken tractor (built with trailering it in mind) and taking it to someone's house to chicken sit for me while I'm away but haven't needed to do this yet. If I did that it would be to a friends house in a new subdivision that restricts chickens and she could get away with it for only about a week before anyone would say anything, by then I would be back.

 

[Kassafrass]

Thanks!