Run construction - Is wood fencing secure enough?

[yyz0yyz0]

Thank you. My problem is I need 4-5 separate runs. At $300 a piece, that would cost $1200-1500 just for the pens, not including any hardware cloth. At the price I can get the wood fencing for, I can make all the runs I need for under $200. I would still need to buy about $100 of hardware cloth plus netting for the top, but it is a HUGE savings. I am just trying to make sure my chickens will be safe if I go with this option. Either way, at least I hope this option would be safer than free-ranging, right?

Remember that if you will be putting these against the side of a building and if they are made of individual panels that two full runs would actually build you three pens against a building. Adjacent pens would share the common side wall and you'd have two "extra" panel that would have gone where the building is. The only problem would be the missing gate for the third pen. If you can buy panels separately then you could buy two full pens and one extra gate pane and you'd have three full runs plus an extra panel for the starting the next run.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

Just had a thought!!!

If you are building several runs against a building you don't need to have "secure" dividing walls between the individual pens, simple chicken wire panels would be enough. You also don't need digger protection between the pens, just the outside walls.

So if you bought 1 dog kennel and several more panels with gates and use these for the outer walls of the runs and chicken wire for the dividing walls I think you'll save significantly.

 

[trailrider330]

Believe me, I have already priced out the option you suggested, and that was what I had planned on doing, but it still came to $1517.00, plus tax, from the cheapest source I could find. I was just trying to find a way to save a little cash. At $70-90 per kennel panel, depending on whether or not there is a gate, versus $13 per panel for the wood panels, there would be a huge cost savings.

 

[aart]

I'd cost out posts(which you'd need anyway), 2x4's stringers, and welded wire fencing.

The solid panels will cut down on visibility, ventilation, and sunlight.
Lack of sun and air could promote an unhealthy environment, depending on climate and site orientation.

 

[Blooie]

I've been extremely happy with our hoop run. Steel fence posts pounded in on each side, cattle panels arched between them, covered with chicken wire and hardware cloth about 2 feet up as an apron folded outward at the bottom and approximately 2 feet out. Cattle panels are cheap, expandable, and easy to work with. If I had the space, even on our limited budget I would be able to put up multiple runs for more than reasonable costs. You can vary the width of the run by how close you put the fence posts on each side. We added a little white vinyl lattice because it looks pretty and since our setup is in town and visible from the street on two sides (corner lot) we didn't want an eyesore cobbled up there.

The original run was 3 cattle panels long. This summer we expanded it simply by taking off the end piece, adding another fence post on each side, arching a new cattle panel between them, covering as we did the original section, then wiring the complete end piece back on. Easy, peasy. And not at all expensive! One of us stands on each side of it in the spring and we toss a roll of landscape fabric over the top as shade and rain protection. Yep, it does really cut down on water in the run - ever try to water plants newly planted in that stuff? Notice how the water pools in all the little folds and just sits there? Well with the landscape fabric in the arch, most rain runs right off rather than soaking in. And since it's air permeable, we don't worry about tarps holding in the heat in summer. In the winter we use clear plastic over the hoop for winter protection. Works so well I can brood chicks out in the run even when it's in the teens and twenties.

Snow load and wind hasn't even fazed it, and living in Northern Wyoming that's saying something..




Raising chicks in their pen within the run, visible on the left. The run is covered with clear plastic at this point for the winter season.


All of the photos above are the original run, before expansion. The landscape fabric was attached and wound around predrilled metal lath strips, found at Lowe's, so any of the sections can be rolled up like window shades.



These last two photos are of the expansion. The first one is how the end cap came off - it was just wire welded fence piece, covered with chicken wire. As you can see, it came off in one piece with the chicken wire, hardware cloth skirt and apron intact. We love this run, have had no problems with it, and even better we could afford it!

 

[teach1rusl]

Take a close look at Blooie's hoop coop. I really do think this type of coop is the most economical and simple. The biggest challenge is fashioning the door on the ends. I believe cattle panels are 50" tall x 16 ft. long, and in this area are about $20 each. Three of those arched over would make a nice sized run...width dependent on the height of your arch. Several of these in a row along the side/face of your barn would work well... Reinforced with chicken wire, SECURED WELL/TIGHTLY, would work fine for daytime use, since you mentioned that they are indoors at night.

 

[Molpet]

The solid panels will give coons and weasels something to climb in my neck of the woods.
I am currently building a hoop coop that is a cross between Blooies and Chook-A-Holic https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/permanent-hoop-coop-guide
The most expensive part is the hardware cloth, but I need it for the weasels

​

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Something to keep in mind is netting for tops of pens to reduce costs. I'm a firm believer in coops and closing them at night. In doing so you suddenly take out much of the predator protection costs in run designs. Personally I could care less if a raccoon can reach through my run or climb over or a weasel gets in. These are typically night predators. Chickens locked in coop at night and these things are not a problem. Skunks tunneling under runs is a problem and if small birds then hawks are a problem. 2x4 welded wire in 14 ga is strong enough so no animal can chew through it and usually comes in 4 ft width so can be cut in half to use as a dig proof apron around the run. Lift sod and lay flat from run wall out then put sod back over. That's it- dig proof. Hawks for small birds and chicks are stopped by bird netting you'd use on cherry trees or similar inexpensive material. I cover my grow out coop run but the mature birds are in an electric poultry net run.

It's nice to have a covered run to keep out excess rain and snow. This adds a lot of cost to runs but metal roofing goes on quick and doesn't need plywood sheathing. I just put together a lean to with slant made from 12ft pressure treated and 3 cross pieces of 8 ft. Covered with 3 sheets of roofing tin. If we ever get snow this winter it will come in handy and provides a north wind shield. This is my winterizing of run as they are in the old dog run that's 100' x 50' until spring.

I'll add a photo later for fun.




Came back in from screwing down the tin, as you can see this is a huge old dog run and all I'm doing for winter (if it ever snows?) is making an area that I don't have to shovel and wind block. There will be a tarp folded in half to run from window of coop side along 4ft high of this lean-to for other wind shield. That will keep out all the north and west winter winds. I got pressure treated lumber ($30) as it will be reused once I figure out what is needed for a permanent winter run.

And yes, I'm really late in choosing which two cockerels are going to be breeders. Still procrastinating on culling the last three...

 

[Molpet]

weasels are out during the day by me.... this was about 20 ft from the house

...lately I have only seen dead weasels, good kitty

 

[Egghead_Jr]

weasels are out during the day by me.... this was about 20 ft from the house

...lately I have only seen dead weasels, good kitty

True but the birds are out and able to run or attack not asleep and easy prey on a roost. That's when these tiny rat sized mass murderers take out an entire flock. In five years my bird losses were three from mink in one night due to no floor on coop (Put them out first night before coop was done) and a skunk two years ago due to no dig proof run in day.