Run Design

[ridgefire]

I keep reading about using hardware wire and bury it, or bend it out so that animals wont dig under the fence. I understand that part.

But what keeps a animal from just climbing over the fence?

It seems to me that a raccoon would be able to scale a fence pretty easy. Or is that something they just dont do? I was going to use that deer netting to cover my run, but I started thinking that if a coon climbed my fence he would be able to get through the deer netting at the top pretty easy.

 

[65browneyes]

We used 2" chicken wire to enclose the run, lined with 1" chicken wire all the way around the bottom. We did not bury the wire at all, due to the fact that the ground is horribly rocky in that area. But, we have gathered large rocks and lined the base of both runs with them as you can see here.

The original run is covered with the 2" wire, the 'expansion' is covered with plastic garden mesh. I realize the mesh won't keep predators out, but it does keep my banty pullets in. (edited to add, the mesh and the expansion gate are not in place in that pic as the expansion was not quite complete.)

We close the gate to the expansion at night, and always keep the gate to the original run closed.

We've not yet (knocking on wood as I type) had predators get in.

 

[SillyChick]

Thanks for the posts, ridgefire and chicken-mama! I was also confused on that part, too. Good luck ridgefire!

That's one grand coop, chicken-mama! Very nice.

 

[Dawn419]

Skip and I built an enclosed, secure run, using cattle panels covered with chicken wire and hardware cloth.

Our Banties can't get out and so far, nothing has been able to get in.

Dawn

 

[tberggren]

Dawn I love the cattle panel idea. Can you tell us how big your run is and about how many chickens you keep in it?

Thanks

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
Hi!

Since we doubled the panels (connected two ends with electric wire), the dimensions of the run is 18' x 18'. We had 24 mixed banties in there, when we first finished it. It was plenty of room. We've been thinning the flock (wanting to get into Silver Spangled Hamburgs), so there are only 6 birds in there right now.

We divided the run somewhat in half and built another small coop (separate from, but attached to the playhouse coop), so I could use the north-side of the run to grow out some chicks (once they're about 6 - 8 weeks old).

The lattice panels are part of the run divider. I have more pix of it that I can post, if you want, just let me know!

Dawn

 

[Big_Charlie]

How far apart do y'all space your fence posts? I'm planning on using some split round posts I have in my barn and buy additional ones to make up the difference, but I haven't a clue as to how many I need.

Thanks,

Big Charlie