Omlet chicken run, pros and cons?

[3KillerBs]

Reportedly, used dog kennels are readily available on Craigslist.

 

[Weeg]

Reportedly, used dog kennels are readily available on Craigslist.

I'll take a peek, hopefully I can find some that the the right size.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any suggestions, brands or links to dog kennels with the demotions- 10 x 20?

Might look for kennels that are made to be expandable, by adding on more panels, so you can work your way to the size you want.

 

[Weeg]

What about this setup? Its still crazy expensive, but plenty large and looks sturdy enough to handle a snow load long enough for me to sweep it off.
I trust the wire enough to protected the during the day, just wouldn't leave them in the run at night.
https://chickencondos.com/catalog/p...n-run-with-metal-top-three-sided/category/24/
Thoughts? I'm kinda desperate to find something before it gets super wet around here. Its impossible to keep coop/run dry during the fall and winter.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What about this setup? Its still crazy expensive, but plenty large and lookssturdy enough to handle a snow load long enough for me to sweep it off.
I trust the wire enough to protected the during the day, just wouldn't leave them in the run at night.
https://chickencondos.com/catalog/p...n-run-with-metal-top-three-sided/category/24/
Thoughts? I'm kinda desperate to find something before it gets super wet around here. Its impossible to keep coop/run dry during the fall and winter.

Why does it have to have a flat roof? How much snow do you get? If it's not too much snow fall then it's probably ok with a flat roof, but it's going to make it that much harder to reach up to sweep it off.

I'd still want to put hardware cloth around the bottom few feet at the very least, as raccoons are active in the day, just not as much and not as visible.

 

[Weeg]

Why does it have to have a flat roof? How much snow do you get? If it's not too much snow fall then it's probably ok with a flat roof, but it's going to make it that much harder to reach up to sweep it off.

I'd still want to put hardware cloth around the bottom few feet at the very least, as raccoons are active in the day, just not as much and not as visible.

It depends on the year. 6 years ago we got so much snow you could hardly pull out of the driveway, I think we had 4 foot banks that our tractor had plowed.
Some years its not to much, like last year, the longest we had snow was a couple days, and then it all melted off.
I would prefer for it to have a slanted roof, either shed or pitched. Though anything with a pitcher roof is wrapped in chicken wire, and anything durable is flat.
I'de be willing to wrap the bottom, thats much less work than the entire structure. That wouldn't be to tricky at all.
I'll keep the above build in mind, though something less pricey would be appreciated. Definitely going to keep my eyes out. Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[Krugerrand]

Hoop runs are pretty simple and inexpensive to throw together. 10' wide would be difficult, you'd have to raise it some to make that happen. There are some threads around here that do just that if you're interested. Otherwise, at about 6-8' wide you have something you can still more around in. Each cattle panel give you about 4' in length.

Blooie's looks nicer than mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cattle-panel.1140564/post-17913008

 

[Weeg]

Hoop runs are pretty simple and inexpensive to throw together. 10' wide would be difficult, you'd have to raise it some to make that happen. There are some threads around here that do just that if you're interested. Otherwise, at about 6-8' wide you have something you can still more around in. Each cattle panel give you about 4' in length.

View attachment 2856791

Blooie's looks nicer than mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cattle-panel.1140564/post-17913008

I actually started a thread earlier about building a hoop coop. I liked the idea because we could use the cattle panels we already have, but decided it wouldn't be strong enough for a snow load. Plus, anything we build is usually made out of steel, since wood will rot quickly in our wet climate.

 

[Krugerrand]

I'm counting on my hoop run to hold up to snow as did these:

@21hens-incharge has/had a hoop coop that managed 2' of Colorado snow:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_20191126_134607-jpg.2236627/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...cloth-need-to-go.1395404/page-3#post-22909255

Blooie's run stood up to snow and 60mph winds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/motel-chix.67240/

I used Blooie's approach of anchoring the run with T-Posts and used no wood to frame it out (just for the door). I guess if your ground is particularly sandy that may not work. But it holds up just find in plain old Western Pennsylvania dirt.

Until I get a coop article, here are some picture of my run build:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-panel-questions.1449809/page-7#post-24804205

 

[Weeg]

I'm counting on my hoop run to hold up to snow as did these:

@21hens-incharge has/had a hoop coop that managed 2' of Colorado snow:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_20191126_134607-jpg.2236627/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...cloth-need-to-go.1395404/page-3#post-22909255

Blooie's run stood up to snow and 60mph winds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/motel-chix.67240/

I used Blooie's approach of anchoring the run with T-Posts and used no wood to frame it out (just for the door). I guess if your ground is particularly sandy that may not work. But it holds up just find in plain old Western Pennsylvania dirt.

Until I get a coop article, here are some picture of my run build:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-panel-questions.1449809/page-7#post-24804205

Thank you! This is great info, I'll have to keep that in mind.
I appreciate the time you took in finding all these links, this is very helpful.