Saftey

[Midlandchick]

Our new run is made with a two foot wire skirt. 6 ft vertical feet of 1/2in hardware cloth and a wire “roof” made with 2”x4” welded wire.
I am wondering if I need to lock them in the coop at night or can I leave it open? I feel like the coop is secure. Is there any reason I absolutely need to close them in the coop or is the run sufficient?

 

[Celticdragonfly]

This is similar to what our coop and run will be like, except a corrugated tin roof, so I'd like to know, too.

 

[Mimi13]

My first “coop” was one of the little prefab ones that wasn’t all that safe, so my thought was to make my run the secure part of the setup.

The run was originally a 10x10x6 dog kennel. I used 1/4” x 3’ hardware cloth and ran the wire on the bottom 2’ of the kennel and then underneath and out as a 1’ apron (dug out and covered with dirt.) I then finished covering the remaining part of the chain link fencing with chicken wire and secured all the wire to each other where they overlapped and also to the kennel about every foot with these hog rings. You’ll have to get a pair of hog ring pliers to fasten these with.


I used 4x4 posts to support a roof structure and placed clear PVC roof panels on top and nailed down. Just a word of caution: I went the cheap route ($14 vs. $32) and wound up having to cover the top with a tarp because the hickory nuts would fall and put perfect little round holes all in the panels. When it’s cold, that stuff nearly shatters like glass. I put Closure Strips (locates right beside the panels in Home Depot) underneath the panels to close the openings in the corrugated panels.

As for the doorway, I let the piece of 1/4” hardware cloth continue across the doorway and I just stepped over it. My chickens didn’t free range at the time. I then covered the entire gate with chicken wire and left it overlapping about 4” on the sides and top.

It was pretty doggone secure once it was finished. During the winter my birds would roost inside the little coop, but in the summer they would just roost in the run where they were cool and dry.

I hope my experience doing this helps you.

 

[aart]

Our new run is made with a two foot wire skirt. 6 ft vertical feet of 1/2in hardware cloth and a wire “roof” made with 2”x4” welded wire.
I am wondering if I need to lock them in the coop at night or can I leave it open? I feel like the coop is secure. Is there any reason I absolutely need to close them in the coop or is the run sufficient?

Post pics of run?
What kind of predators do you have?
The 2x4 roof mesh can let weasely types, and even small coons, in.

Adding your location would be helpful too.

 

[Midlandchick]

Post pics of run?
What kind of predators do you have?
The 2x4 roof mesh can let weasely types, and even small coons, in.

Adding your location would be helpful too.
View attachment 1763597

 

[Midlandchick]

We have fox, hawks, owls, raccoon and possum. We are in central NC. The coop isn’t quite done yet. I’ll post pictures when it’s done.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

My run is covered all sides and bottom with 1/2 inch 19 gauge HC. The top is corrugated metal roofing. The coop is a very sturdy shed converted to a coop. The run is secure enough to keep most predators out, however we have bears in the area. I lock my chickens in the coop at night especially now that the bears are awake and very hungry. I think it also establishes a routine with your birds. One observation @Mimi's 13, I think the 1/4 inch HC is only 23 gauge and that's not all that sturdy.