Strongest run design?

[lm84]

I have my 12x8 shed kit complete and now we need to put in roosts, nest boxes and chicken door. I am trying to come up with the design for the run. I want it to be tall enough for us to walk in, and I want it to be as big as the max amount of chickens I COULD have (I have 14 chicks now). I will be using 1/2 hardware cloth as the fencing, but I am not sure what the best and strongest way to attach it is. Should I make 6-7 foot high panels with the wire going up and down between posts spaced every 4 feet? Or should I run a 4 foot section all the way around the bottom with another post like a 2x4 in the middle and another 4 feet run on top of that? I think vertical panels with no middle seam would LOOK nicer, but what would be strongest? And should I use 4x4s as the posts?

 

[Michael OShay]

I have my 12x8 shed kit complete and now we need to put in roosts, nest boxes and chicken door. I am trying to come up with the design for the run. I want it to be tall enough for us to walk in, and I want it to be as big as the max amount of chickens I COULD have (I have 14 chicks now). I will be using 1/2 hardware cloth as the fencing, but I am not sure what the best and strongest way to attach it is. Should I make 6-7 foot high panels with the wire going up and down between posts spaced every 4 feet? Or should I run a 4 foot section all the way around the bottom with another post like a 2x4 in the middle and another 4 feet run on top of that? I think vertical panels with no middle seam would LOOK nicer, but what would be strongest? And should I use 4x4s as the posts?

You will need a minimum of 56 square feet for your run (4' sq. per bird) but considerably more would be better. Which direction that you run the hardware cloth really won't make any significant difference in strength, so I would run it vertically between the posts since that is the easiest and nicest looking way to do it. Screws and washers spaced every 2-3 in. is the strongest way to attach the hardware cloth to your posts. 4 x 4 posts set in concrete would be the strongest way to go for the frame. Just make sure that you have hardware cloth across the floor of your run to predator proof it).

 

[lm84]

Hardware cloth is so expensive, I was going to just bury it down a foot or 2 rather than covering the entire floor. I am planning to make the run big, I always thought it was 10 sq ft per bird of run space, 4 sq ft for the coop itself. I am planning to make my run around 250-300 sq ft. I do think the vertical panels would look nicer, I will probably do it that way. I guess I could always add 2x4s around the middle if I found it was too flimsy.

 

[Michael OShay]

Hardware cloth is so expensive, I was going to just bury it down a foot or 2 rather than covering the entire floor. I am planning to make the run big, I always thought it was 10 sq ft per bird of run space, 4 sq ft for the coop itself. I am planning to make my run around 250-300 sq ft. I do think the vertical panels would look nicer, I will probably do it that way. I guess I could always add 2x4s around the middle if I found it was too flimsy.

Burying the hardware cloth a foot or two should work fine, especially if it is angled somewhat toward the outside of the run. Four square feet per run is definitely the minimum requirement for the coop itself. I have read both ways (4 and 10 sq. feet for the run) and some have said 4' if run is attached to a minimum sized coop but 10' if it is a separate run, not attached to the coop. If have wondered if there has not been some confusion of the 4 sq. ft. rule with the run size. Either way, 10 sq. ft. would definitely be far better for the run than 4 sq. ft. Good luck with your run.

 

[6of6chicks]

I was just figuring mine out as I went, and my run is a lot smaller than yours will be, but what ended up working best for me was cutting the walls in half horizontally (3 ft. of hardware cloth top & bottom), and then vertically placing 2x4s every two feet. I tried spacing the vertical 2x4s further apart, but just felt like the hardware cloth got too flimsy.

Definitely use washers & screws. The washers are ridiculously expensive and I think I went through four boxes (?) for my 8x8 run, but the biggest advantage is that they are removable. There were a LOT of times where I cut panels of hardware cloth, screwed it on, and then later found that I wanted to overlap another piece under/over existing wire. Being able to remove washers meant I could fix/change/improve as I went along. I also used u-nails after I had all the hardware cloth in place, but that's only because I had those on hand and I'm super paranoid about raccoons.

I buried the hardware cloth 8-12 inches fanning out from the frame. I was working under an oak tree, so I had big roots to deal with. I'm kind of crossing my fingers and hoping that the roots will act as natural barriers in addition to the hardware cloth.

Not sure what your plans are for a roof with such a large run, but I covered my roof in 1/2 inch hardware cloth as well, then put clear corrugated panels over that. But I have a big hawk problem, so maybe my roof is overkill for what you need.

Hope my two cents is helpful!

 

[Michael OShay]

I was just figuring mine out as I went, and my run is a lot smaller than yours will be, but what ended up working best for me was cutting the walls in half horizontally (3 ft. of hardware cloth top & bottom), and then vertically placing 2x4s every two feet. I tried spacing the vertical 2x4s further apart, but just felt like the hardware cloth got too flimsy.

Definitely use washers & screws. The washers are ridiculously expensive and I think I went through four boxes (?) for my 8x8 run, but the biggest advantage is that they are removable. There were a LOT of times where I cut panels of hardware cloth, screwed it on, and then later found that I wanted to overlap another piece under/over existing wire. Being able to remove washers meant I could fix/change/improve as I went along. I also used u-nails after I had all the hardware cloth in place, but that's only because I had those on hand and I'm super paranoid about raccoons.

I buried the hardware cloth 8-12 inches fanning out from the frame. I was working under an oak tree, so I had big roots to deal with. I'm kind of crossing my fingers and hoping that the roots will act as natural barriers in addition to the hardware cloth.

Not sure what your plans are for a roof with such a large run, but I covered my roof in 1/2 inch hardware cloth as well, then put clear corrugated panels over that. But I have a big hawk problem, so maybe my roof is overkill for what you need.

Hope my two cents is helpful!

I don't remember who posted it, but one BYC member said that he saved a lot of money on washers by punching holes in copper pennies and using them as washers. The cost=1 cent per washer.

 

[6of6chicks]

I don't remember who posted it, but one BYC member said that he saved a lot of money on washers by punching holes in copper pennies and using them as washers. The cost=1 cent per washer.

That's GENIUS! Wish I had known that before building my run, but I'm already envisioning another coop/run for a much larger flock of birds (guess I've got the chicken bug) and I will definitely remember that for next time! If I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE this community!

Good luck OP and I'd love to see pics of your run when you finish!

 

[Primo]

That's GENIUS! Wish I had known that before building my run, but I'm already envisioning another coop/run for a much larger flock of birds (guess I've got the chicken bug) and I will definitely remember that for next time! If I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE this community!

Good luck OP and I'd love to see pics of your run when you finish!

Geez.. no kidding!! all my years as a mechanic and building stuff, that thought never even entered my mind. I will now look at my giant change jar a little differently!

 

[lm84]

We do have many, many hawks. And all kinds of critters. We are on 4.5 acres in the mountains. I will definitely be covering the top of the run, and I was going to use corrugated plastic panels to cover at least a portion of it for when it's raining or snowing. I heard that 1/2 hardware cloth wouldn't be so good on the top of the run in terms of snow weight though (the portion not covered by panels)

 

[Schroeder]

It sounds like my small coop has a run like that which you are considering. I used 4ft wide 1/2 in hardware cloth and ran it vertically between 4x4's. Make sure that you place the uprights close enough that you can overlap the hardware cloth a few inches, and run it down onto the ground 18 to 24 inches to be covered by dirt or mulch. I also used the hardware cloth for the top, but added some extra cross beams to support the snow load. A couple times each winter, if we have a deep wet snow, I scrape off the snow I can reach with a push broom. I don't know that this is mandatory, it just seems safer. After 5 years there is very little sagging. I find it easiest to use a pneumatic stapler to install the hardware cloth initially, and then go back and secure it with the screws and washers (I used nickels).

I just finished my third coop, all with runs similar to this. You think you're about finished spending so much money once the coop is done, only to find out that the run is not cheap either. You'll likely regret not making it big enough, but never will worry that it is too big.\

Edited to add link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/schroeders-schroeders-byc-chicken-coop