on a tight budget...building a run?

[maralynn28]

Hi all,
We were planning on building a run out of pvc (as seen in other posts on this site), however when we looked up the fittings we'd need and that we have to special order them online the total came out to be 50$ JUST for the fittings. Is there another way of constructing a run for less? We are making it 15' x 8' and 3' tall. I appreciate all your input.

 

[JenO]

did you check out the tacky coop thread? there are some very...uh...creative ideas there....

 

[patandchickens]

Any time you're trying to save money, IMO the thing to do is see what you can scrounge, THEN figure out how you can use it for whatcha want

If there's any places around you with saggy old abandoned downed fencelines in fields, you might knock and see if they would sell you the T-posts for like a couple bucks apiece, you remove 'em. Or concentrate on scrounging useable wire mesh and buy p/t 4x4s for the posts, and scrounge 2x4s or 2x6s. Or see if someone has a destroyed portable carport, you know the ones that are a fitted tarp thing on a pipe frame, that they would sell for $20 just to get you to remove it. Etc etc.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[maralynn28]

Thank you...
JenO, yes I did look...how neat! I wouldn't mind something like that, some of them are pretty darn good...but I'm really stressing the "predator safe" aspect...just had a neighbor whose ENTIRE flock was wiped out by raccoon.

I have actually thought about asking her for her old coop, but she's devastated and I can't think how to do it tactfully.

Plus it makes me wonder how safe it is if all her chickens got taken, maybe they forgot to lock them up one night? dunno.

Pat- I think I'm going to look around a little more, I did get some inspirations from looking at tacky coops and also from your suggestions...thanks again!

 

[patandchickens]

Oh, another thought -- if you just want a *small* run, for not very many chickens, and have a source for cheap mesh and it's mainly the *structure* that you're struggling with, consider a cattle-panel hoop-house style run. Cattle panels are pretty cheap, like $20 or so for enough to make 4x8 worth of run (and of course most people run multiple panels, to create an 8' x <however>-long run). Although you do need some kind of mesh to cover them with obviosly since the holes are so large.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[gmendoza]

how bout bamboo.it acts like pvc,just need to twine it together.

 

[rebecky1305]

Also check Craigslist for dog kennels. Sometimes you can find them pretty cheap. Than you would just need to put smaller wire fencing only around the bottom. And on the top.

 

[JenO]

If you felt like a road trip I could totally hook you up with a bunch of pallets and somewhat abused plywood for nothing, altho not sure if the cost of gas would be worth it for you. I'm just southwest of Portland, OR. The neighborhood kids built a giant structure to do bike stunts out of stuff they found in the nearby loading dock and I've been tempted to snag a bunch of it for ages, and this weekend it got torn apart so now I'm working hard to talk myself out of going over there, it's basically right across the street from me...

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

Check out hoop coops here.

http://www.plamondon.com/hoop-coop.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2076936

I posted on the tacky run thread. My latest coop was the A frame made almost free (had bought hinges and a hasp for another project then never used them for it).
I got chicken wire free from someone responding to my want add on freecycle. I took apart a shelf my FIL had made for the shed and used the 2 x 3's, and used some pieces of our old privacy fence.