Show me your pics of dog kennel runs - and required wrapping

[tamiep]

Hi TaLani, Can you tell me how much larger than the pen did you have to make the PVC pipes so they would bow? Also, do you put a tarp on top for the winter?

 

[NCHydrangea]

I’m in the process of securing my dog kennel. I just got it set up last weekend, now for the tensions part.
My plan is to use 4’ hc and bend it in a right angle so that it will go 2’ up the side and a 2’ apron. I will secure it with hog rings. I also plan on running a strip of hc up the panels at the corners and where I joined 2 panels. My worry is the area around the door and the top. I’m going to see if I can figure out a way to attach wood around the door gaps without restricting the movement of the door.

 

[tamiep]

We used 3' hardware cloth bent, giving 1.5' apron. It worked out great. I pinned it down with garden staples or whatever they are called. We put chicken wire over the top but still working on what to do for rain/snow that is inexpensive. We do not put any kind of perch or anything the hens would want to sleep on close to the sides. We don't want any animal reaching in and grabbing one at night when I let them sleep out in the pen during warm weather.

We put just a tarp up last year and it was a disaster. The tarp held gallons of water which stretched out the chicken wire. That is why I am interested to learn about the PVC that someone on this thread used and how much longer than the width of the kennel it needs to be to give an arch.

I have another kennel that I purchased form someone used to use as a catio and they had put chain link fence over the top and wire tied it. That was a good idea, but I'm sure they paid a lot for that solution. I got the whole setup from them very reasonably. But, they did not put anything over it for rain/snow for their cat, but I will.

You mentioned the door. We just attached a piece of hc at the bottom of the door and made it longer and wider than the door, but not so that it brushed the ground and put some over the bar at the bottom of the doorway, arched it over, and pinned it down on both sides. For the top of the door we attached a piece of hc that is a little higher and wider than the door.

The biggest problem I have found, outside of a roof, but is related to that, is the fact that the pen gets muddy and seems to never dry up. I have one duck in with them, which does not help the situation. During the day they free range in my yard, but that pen just stays wet. Don't every put shavings in it. I watched a video where the guy put all of the dirty shavings from the coop onto the ground of his pen. He swore by this method. All it did was make a mess that never dries because the wood chips hold onto all of that moisture. I am going to have to shovel all of that mess out. I am so tempted to put pea gravel in there. No sure if that is a good thing to do or not.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The biggest problem I have found, outside of a roof, but is related to that, is the fact that the pen gets muddy and seems to never dry up. I have one duck in with them, which does not help the situation. During the day they free range in my yard, but that pen just stays wet. Don't every put shavings in it. I watched a video where the guy put all of the dirty shavings from the coop onto the ground of his pen. He swore by this method. All it did was make a mess that never dries because the wood chips hold onto all of that moisture. I am going to have to shovel all of that mess out. I am so tempted to put pea gravel in there. No sure if that is a good thing to do or not.

Gravel and nothing else? Bad idea... tiny bits of poop and moisture will filter between the gravel and then start stinking.

I am "that guy" - I clean out my used wood chips from the coop and dump them in the run, makes for a super fast clean out. We get a ton of rain and the run floor dries out without issue, even when there's puddles around outside the run. The reason it's not working for you is because either your run is in an area that's not drying out (wet boggy soil, deep shade, etc) and/or your soil lacks good drainage. If drainage is the issue no matter what litter you choose you'll have residual moisture issues, so look to address drainage first.

 

[tamiep]

Gravel and nothing else? Bad idea... tiny bits of poop and moisture will filter between the gravel and then start stinking.

I am "that guy" - I clean out my used wood chips from the coop and dump them in the run, makes for a super fast clean out. We get a ton of rain and the run floor dries out without issue, even when there's puddles around outside the run. The reason it's not working for you is because either your run is in an area that's not drying out (wet boggy soil, deep shade, etc) and/or your soil lacks good drainage. If drainage is the issue no matter what litter you choose you'll have residual moisture issues, so look to address drainage first.

I loved your idea and was so happy to find it, but it's not working for me for some reason. I am in Illinois and we are getting more rain than we ever have and maybe that is part of the problem, but even when the ground around the pen is dry, the pen is mushy. There is no roof, so the sun is on it a good part of the day. My feet literally sink. I pulled up scoops of the wet stuff and found that it was mud and wood chips. My yard goes downhill, so I would think that the water would run away from the pen. I am at a loss. It's starting to stink on hot days.

 

[rosemarythyme]

even when the ground around the pen is dry, the pen is mushy. There is no roof, so the sun is on it a good part of the day. My feet literally sink. I pulled up scoops of the wet stuff and found that it was mud and wood chips. My yard goes downhill, so I would think that the water would run away from the pen. I am at a loss. It's starting to stink on hot days.

Definitely sounds like a drainage issue... what kind of soil is it underneath? Hard packed, or mixed with clay? If the ground can't absorb the rain or other moisture it gets, the litter ends up sitting in all of the moisture instead. Roofing it may help but if the unroofed areas around the run gets wet, the water may end up draining through the run or eventually saturating it from underground, so that may or may not help.

The other "popular" litter on here is sand but without good drainage in the soil, the sand may become waterlogged as well.

 

[gtaus]

I made a 13x13 run using 2x4 wire 6 foot tall and one gate panel from our old dog kennel. At present, everything is held together with zip ties, but as you can see, my coop is mobile and I am not building a permanent run. I just bought some heavier, UV resistant, black cable ties to reinforce the cable ties I have already on it. If I move the chicken run, I can quickly cut the ties and move the fencing.

I used 14x14 bird netting ($6.99) from our local farm store to cover the top and protect my flock from eagles and hawks. I strung some twine from corner post to corner post to make an "X" and this helps prevent the bird netting from sagging in the middle. I used more zip ties to secure the bird netting to the 2X4 fencing and the dog kennel panel.

You can get wire made especially for securing wire fencing. It's called "tie wrap" here and is basically a coated wire so you can hold it in your hands and twist it tight without having to use pliers or other tools. A 100 foot roll of 16 gauge tie wrap sells for about $7 a spool here at the farm store. That would be a more secure option than using tie wraps. I think that would be how I would secure HWC to the chain link fence if I planned on a more secure, more permanent, chicken run.

My chicken run is not predator proof by any means. It is more like predator resistant. During the day, my main concern is dogs wandering into my yard at the ground level. The 2X4 fencing and dog panel will slow a dog down, long enough for my birds to run into the coop for safety. At least I hope so. The bird netting on top of the run provides protection from eagles and hawks above. At night, I lock the birds up in the coop and that is about as predator proof as I can make it.

 

[gtaus]

I loved your idea [wood chips in the run] and was so happy to find it, but it's not working for me for some reason.

The people I see on YouTube that use wood chips in the run to prevent it from being all muddy, use many inches of chips. IIRC, there is a YouTube video about this issue posted by Pete B. and I think he put in about 4 inches of wood chips and stated that he plans to build it up to about 6 inches deep. Here is the link: Chicken run bedding - What I use by Pete B.

 

[NCHydrangea]

I just unrolled my first length of hwc for a 10’ side. I’m going to cut it with metal shears at 12’ so I can overlap the corners. I’m going to bend the 90 degree using an 8’ board I have then take it to the back. After reading about the troubles with working with hwc, I may just work with smaller sections and overlap them on the 20’ side. I’m doing this my myself so working with 6’ or 8’ sections will probably be much easier for me.

 

[tamiep]

Definitely sounds like a drainage issue... what kind of soil is it underneath? Hard packed, or mixed with clay? If the ground can't absorb the rain or other moisture it gets, the litter ends up sitting in all of the moisture instead. Roofing it may help but if the unroofed areas around the run gets wet, the water may end up draining through the run or eventually saturating it from underground, so that may or may not help.

The other "popular" litter on here is sand but without good drainage in the soil, the sand may become waterlogged as well.

The soil is hard packed. The rain has let up since I asked the question, with just some occasional showers and quick downpours, so the pen looks better. I think it was all of the rain we had that would not let up.

I am really interested to know how the posters of the pens with the arched PVC on top did that, but they seem to be gone or not reading this thread. I think that will be a good solution for a roof.