Run Plans?

[arlee453]

A pic of the first panel completed. That's not where it will go, but just propped up against the post of my outbuilding so I could take a good picture. Sure does give perspective to the size of the ChickNBarn - it looks tiny now with the 6x8 panel in front of it...

Darn work... I can't steal but a min here and there today to work on my panels

Susan

 

[greginshasta]

I'm going to be very interested in learning how your panels work out.

A couple years ago I thought it a nifty idea to build the framework (using 2x4 PT) for a gate that allows driveway access to the back yard, and just looked at it last week. It has warped and twisted badly.

Similarly, the local lumber yard has been having some really bad problems with their PT lumber warping and twisting. It causes a fair amount of lumber to be lost because those twisted pieces get picked through and rejected.

I will be building a very similar set of wall panels soon, but I will likely only use PT on the bottom, and use local cedar or redwood for the uprights.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Agree? Disagree?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Good job Susan! I am curious as to how flexible that panel is. Is it a nice solid frame? I figured a frame that size would need plywood gussets at the corners to stiffen it up. There isn't a lot of fastening surface on the ends of those 2x2s and I would have thought it to be wobbly or prone to splitting out if the panel were to fall over.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
It depends upon where you going to use it. It is fairly arid here in West Texas and I notice a lot of people build fences with just regular lumber and no protection, they just let it weather and the fences last for years with no rot. The boards do get extremely dry and you see some splitting or the hardware getting loose as the lumber dries out over the years. In a wetter climate, especially in shady areas, I'd expect rot, moss, mildew to be a problem with unprotected lumber. Pressure treated is always a good idea whenever lumber is in contact with the ground, arid or not.

We need a good tutorial here on how to build pens with these panels with nothing more than a hand saw, hammer, and some tin snips. They can be scaled to build anything from the largest to the smallest pen. Some here are pretty handy with such things and some are not. I think a lot of readers here would benefit from good instructions on how to cut a board, nail it to some other boards and fasten the fabric to build a small hutch.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Nice blog Susan, but I really have to ask why you would run romex inside conduit?

 

[greginshasta]

I'm thinking I'd like to have seen at least one vertical support in the middle of that. With that 8' span, I really think it needs something to help hold the middle up against the forces of gravity and weather.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Do you have ten more panels built and fashioned into a pen yet, Susan?

 

[arlee453]

Well, I do have 2 panels built, so there

I am thinking I need another vertical support also - if for no other reason than to help keep the wire more taut. The panels don't warp too much off kilter and I think when they are fastened together they will keep each other straight up.

My run building is on hold for a while - one of the kids is in the hospital and so am a bit distracted from chicken life for the time being...

Hopefully things will get back to my crazy normal soon!

Susan

 

[arlee453]

Oooh ooh... the run is FINISHED! I'm already thinking of ways to expand, but for now I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I'll post pics in the morning - building something and chicken stuff sure is good therapy to keep my mind off of 'brooding' - pun intended

- about Jacob and his hospitalization.

Finished it today between all the other drama around the house and the chickens love it!

I ended up building four 6' X 8' panels and using hinges to connect them together. One panel has a door, and another panel fits over the top of the ChickNRun so they have that space too.

Anyway, I'll post pics soon! Thanks for all the tips!

 

[arlee453]

OK, as promised... the pics. I am rather please with the way it turned out. I wanted something neat looking and modular. I fastened the panels together with hinges, so I can easily move and reconfigure them as needed. You can't tell from the pics, but I have deer netting over the top to deter anyting getting in over the top (or out...) The girls are locked in the chickNbarn/run at night, which has a more secure wire top over the run portion.

OK, first a side view, looking from the road side of our property:

Now, the door side. The door hinges are spring hinges that auto-close. I got them in a door install pack on clearance for less than $3 for the two hinges, and the door handle... love those bargains!

I bolted the new panel onto the front of the chickNBarn/run so that it maximizes the two pens floor space. I left the food/water in the smaller run as that is where they are shut in a night. During the day, I open the small door and fasten it open with a latch, so the girls can go into the barn, the small run and the larger run

This one shows how I bolted the panel to the chickNRun from the outside of the new pen.

Here's a closeup of the hinges I used. I figure they will probably rust at some point, but were less than $1 each, so I can handle replacing in time...

And, finally, after reading another post about the creativity of animals to work latches, my high-tech security system (aside from the dog seen in the first pic...)

I'm already thinking of ways to expand.... shhhh, don't tell my hubby!

Susan