Run area idea help please :)

[Jrobinsonmtplus3]

Hey everyone!

My blank space is aprox 45' by 12'8"
We live near charleston SC where it is hot and humid.
This space is shaded 100% from a few feet in front of the shed back to the back fence and the rest gets morning and mid day sun.

Our idea is:
bury some 2 or 4x4s for support, how many is unknown just yet at least 4, prob 6 or 8.
we are butting the run up to the fence line and will not leave a gap between wiring and fence it will be like this: fence, wire, 4x4.
we plan to make it as tall as the fence or a bit shorter. the fence is 8ft tall.
we plan to upcycle a full size screen door from habitat for humanity.
we have metal sheeting that we will upcycle to cover a portion of the run, and the rest will be chicken wire.

My questions are:
should we have a gap between the fence line and run ? If not how will we be able to deter digging preditors... Similar on the shed side, should we have a gap there to run an apron of hardwire cloth?

What other suggestions might you have that I may not have taken into consideration already?
Thanks!

 

[21hens-incharge]

The fence looks to have seen better days.
I would leave a 3' section next to the fence to lay hardware cloth and put flagstone or pavers on top of that area. If you need something green there you can put pots with flowers.
It also leaves space so you can do maintenance on the run or fence as needed.

If you do all maintenance you will need on the shed side you can go right to the shed. Even attaching the fence to it. You can do future maintenance from inside your chicken run.

 

[jeria]

chicken wire won't keep out any predators use something stronger. hardware cloth or welded wire.

It's great for making parade floats, not for chickens

 

[Jrobinsonmtplus3]

chicken wire won't keep out any predators use something stronger. hardware cloth or welded wire.

It's great for making parade floats, not for chickens

Ok so I should make the entire run out of hardwire cloth?

 

[Blooie]

Well, you could try something like this - simple cattle panels wired to steel fence posts pounded into the ground, chicken wire over the top of the arch to deter overhead predators, and a hardware cloth skirt and apron (our ground is far to hard and rocky to dig a trench). It's held up against extreme high winds, snow load, and when our dog tried to get in, she broke and bloodied a toenail in the attempt. Cheap, easy and super fast to build (my hubby are I are in our 60s and both of us have some disabilities yet we were able to build it ourselves in a weekend

), and easily expandable.

 

[jeria]

Ok so I should make the entire run out of hardwire cloth?

I'm ordering hardware cloth tonight to do my run, block vents etc, and do a skirt. The raccoons in the area are not nice and we have foxes, hawks eagles, possums, local dogs and feral cats in the park behind my house. I will also have a completely covered run. I lost a flock to coyotes years ago when I used chicken wire. My family said no to more chicks. Here I am 30 years later, no family living with me, getting chickens. I liked my chickens.

 

[jeria]

Well, you could try something like this - simple cattle panels wired to steel fence posts pounded into the ground, chicken wire over the top of the arch to deter overhead predators, and a hardware cloth skirt and apron (our ground is far to hard and rocky to dig a trench). It's held up against extreme high winds, snow load, and when our dog tried to get in, she broke and bloodied a toenail in the attempt. Cheap, easy and super fast to build (my hubby are I are in our 60s and both of us have some disabilities yet we were able to build it ourselves in a weekendView attachment 555468 View attachment 555466 ), and easily expandable.

Interesting solution.

 

[MrLeeHo]

Got the 3rd wall up today. Think ill have the connection to the coop and the rafters for the roof done tmorrow. Plan to cover the door i hwc.

 

[catballou]

Got the 3rd wall up today. Think ill have the connection to the coop and the rafters for the roof done tmorrow. Plan to cover the door i hwc. View attachment 2578282

 

[catballou]

Just wondering why you are making it so tall, unless that's how tall you are.