Run Plans?

[Dawn419]

Susan,

I love it...you did a great job!

Dawn

 

[greginshasta]

Fabulous. I just showed it to Tweety (my wife) and will be building something similar for our coops4you tractor.

Our 10 chicks are 6 weeks old and we don't have a large permanent coop anywhere close to ready, so they can live in this for a while until I get the larger coop built.

 

[arlee453]

The basic materials I used were pressure treated 2x4s ripped down in half. I used 3' 1" chicken wire for the top and 3' 1/2" hardware cloth for the bottom.

I cut 23" off the sides, and used those pieces plus extra 23" long I cut from another ripped 2x4 and angle cut each end 45deg for the braces in the corners. I thought about putting more supports vertically in the middle, but once I got the wire on and hinged them together they are very sturdy.

The panels end up 8' long and a bit more than 6' high. What I like best about the design is that I can remove the hinges and move the panels around, add to them, etc as needed.

The total cost was about $100 for the pen - the biggest expense being the hardware cloth. I have enough 2x4s left to make another panel or two..... hmmmm......

Susan

 

[greginshasta]

Quote:
So now that you have them up and installed, how would it have been if you didn't rip the 2x4s, and just built it at full width. When thinking about what they weigh, and what twice that weight would be - would you still rip them?

I'm thinking about doing them full width. What do you think?

And did you do anything special to stretch the wire, or just roll it out and staple it?

 

[Rebeccahorse]

I was thinking about making a coup out of an old dog kennel. (chainlink) I would put chicken wire on the inside of the chainlink and at the top of the coup and cover the floor at least partly. I would also put some kind of house in there for them to go in to keep warm in winter.

 

[arlee453]

Greg,

I ripped the 2x4s because I originally had planned on making them full width, but Mac suggested to use smaller width to save on weight.

I am pleased with the results with the 1/2 width. If I had used full width, I think the panels would have been too heavy for me to easily move around. Also, I'm not sure if the hinges would have held the extra weight as well to hold the panels together. The 2x2s are plenty sturdy enough once I had them secured together.

If mobility/flexibility wasn't a priority for my run, the full width 2x4s would have been fine for a more permanent pen.

I couldn't have easily made the rip cuts without my trust el-cheapo table saw. If you don't have a table saw, then buy 2x2s. (or heck, just get the $99 table saw - any excuse for a new 'toy'...)

I just rolled out the hardware cloth and used my staple gun to secure with 9/16th staples - that just happened to be the largest size I had on hand. I wouldn't go any smaller than that size.

Hope this helps!
Susan

 

[WoodlandWoman]

That turned out so fantastic! I really like it. It's a great idea and you did a really nice job on it, too. For night time security, the only thing I might add would be hardware cloth to the bottom of the Chick-N-Barn run, if they have access to that at night, to deter any diggers. You have your dog, though, so you might not need that. I'm glad you posted more photos.

I know there's a page on the main site for coops, is there a section for runs? I think this would be so helpful to people building runs for the first time, that are looking for ideas. You should submit this!

 

[arlee453]

I do have hardware cloth buried all around the small run where they go in at night, as well as added frames with hardware cloth to the bottom of the barn to deter any diggers. I'm not TOO terribly worried about predators, as we do live in a pretty urban area, and the coop/run are inside a fenced yard with a dog in another area just to the right.

BUT, you can never be too careful, and I know we do have some coons and possums around, as well as owls and hawks.

My biggest concern is rats - I know we have a pretty good population around in the woods, as I'm forever finding them coming back to the building to eat the dog's food (you can see the bldg is just to the right of the coop in the pics.)

Susan

 

[greginshasta]

Quote:
My wife and I had a giggle at that one. I'm the guy who when we moved here, leaving my prior home of 20 years, required at least 3 trailer loads for tools, building materials and the hardware store that fills my garage and shop.

Actually, I'll be building something very similar, perhaps as soon as next week. I'm not sure how portable it needs to be however, so I will probably go full size. We'll see...

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Susan, it sounds like you are all set, then! Ugh, I hate rats! Not as bad as I hate snakes, though. Ok, it's a tie!

I must be related to the Jones boys!