Suggestions for alternative in-ground posts

[Birchpeeps]

Woodsman23, This looks very very nice! It is what I had hoped to do. But now I realized that my ground is very unevel and I was trying to make things secure while also making the fence "square" on unlevel ground. I'm putting in large cement blocks to help keep the wood off the ground and hopefully straighten things up- but that made me realize that one side is higher than the other. UGGGHHH!

 

[Birchpeeps]

Yes, nice sturdy top and bottom rails will work. That's what we did so we could move the whole run when needed. Our run is 10x18. We found having extra upright posts near the corners help support snow, ice, and rain loads on the covering when you don't have the posts in the ground. We had to add them after the ice weight on the netting got to heavy.

Thanks Hinotori for confirming what I am still trying to do.
Do you have any pictures? So is yours a tractor coop? I was hoping to build a tractor coop too, but I'm having such trouble with this run that was supposed to be movable, that maybe I will just make a movable run another time. Good to hear that your fence stood up to snow, ice and rain. DId you use 4x4s? I'm planning on using 2x4s. If you have any closeup pictures, I would love them! Did you use brackets for the extra upright posts?

 

[Birchpeeps]

I have built lots of fences, so the idea of not digging holes sounds good. And, this is sturdy enough against wind?

I have looked at lots of run pictures on here, unfortunately none of them are close up enough so I can figure out the construction. Do you frame it like the coop walls, oln the ground and then flip it up? I am lost, but would love to avoid digging & setting posts.

Thank-you!

Hi dwolfwmn
I don't want to have to dig far either. I'm already trying to make the area straight for putting in cement blocks. And there's already too much diggin with just that! My muscles and back are very stiff. hahaha

 

[Birchpeeps]

I used cyclone fence poles.I cemented my front two poles in, but didn't want to do that for the back poles because it's by a retaining wall and hard to maneuver back there. I put hardware cloth on the ground as part of my anti-digging defense. I pounded rebar stakes into the ground about 18 inches and put the poles over that. I did brace the poles with top and bottom rails, And the hardware cloth on the fence overlaps the hardware cloth on the ground. I staked it all down which also adds stability but you can take it apart if needed. My coop run is pretty solid, there's no "give" in it. In the end,I probably didn't need the rebar poles.

Hi Joan1708
Your coop looks great! I love how you put in the different doors onto the wire fence! How did you do that? That looks hard to do! I think I see some cement blocks in the back too? Did you put the hardware cloth under the back section and the front area? I also want to put in a roof drip thing. Thanks for your reply

 

[Hinotori]

Thanks Hinotori for confirming what I am still trying to do.
Do you have any pictures? So is yours a tractor coop? I was hoping to build a tractor coop too, but I'm having such trouble with this run that was supposed to be movable, that maybe I will just make a movable run another time. Good to hear that your fence stood up to snow, ice and rain. DId you use 4x4s? I'm planning on using 2x4s. If you have any closeup pictures, I would love them! Did you use brackets for the extra upright posts?

Unfortunately, I can't take any pictures. We decided that we would rather have a larger permanent run (16x50), and a large walk in coop (10x16). So the run is in pieces now to salvage wood and wire for reuse. We used 2x4s and 2x6s. The bottom 2x4s were double, so 4x4s would have been good, but 2x4s were on sale. I'm fairly strong, and lifting a few hundred pounds to move it isn't an issue for me. DH hubby is a monster and just tosses that much weight over his shoulder one handed. Between the two of us that movable run was barely so. It just had to much weight for much mobility. The coop is 6x6 and separate. It also takes the two of us to move. I'm tired of to many birds trying to stuff themselves in it at night, so I'll be cleaning it out and removing the front door and roosts. After a paint job it will be a dog house instead.

My silkies, chicks, and broody are residing in a 10x10 dog run right now. They have a large dog house for their coop. I want another small run like this for separating, since this was my injured pen. So it's off to Costco this weekend for one of their 10x10 covered dog runs. I'll run some hardware cloth around the bottom few feet and netting on the top to keep out the wild birds. I already have another dog house ready for it.

 

[joan1708]

Thanks Birchpeeps! Yes there is hardware cloth under the back cinder blocks. I used old fence planks to make the doors. I "sandwiched" the cattle panel wall with wood planks to make a frame for the door. It took several "re-dos" to finally get what I wanted (no gaps for rats/mice to get in). It's hot today, so you can see my fan and mister to keep the inside of the run cooler. Here are some closer pictures. It's not straight or professional looking, but it works.

 

[hearts34]

Woodsman23, This looks very very nice! It is what I had hoped to do. But now I realized that my ground is very unevel and I was trying to make things secure while also making the fence "square" on unlevel ground. I'm putting in large cement blocks to help keep the wood off the ground and hopefully straighten things up- but that made me realize that one side is higher than the other. UGGGHHH!

I have to deal with a back yard on a slant as well. Very aggravating! My first runs were made using treated 4 x 4 corner posts planted 2 feet dp. I made a rabbit yard using landscape timbers w/roofing tar on the buried end, only 1ft. deep.

I have been thinking about a third and fourth run with above ground fully framed pressure treated 2 x 4s, but am concerned about securing the bottom on the slanted yard. : (

I may end up drilling and staking with rebar instead of planting corner posts, however, I will have to build a cripple wall on the lower end to accomadate the slant.

 

[joan1708]

I built my run on an incline also. It was a royal pain and I'm not that concerned about it being square. The upside I have realized is, it drains exceptionally well. I have mister going in the run right now because it's so hot, and there is no standing water, it drains right off clay soil. I made "the floor" of my run level by terracing the soil with cinder blocks then cantilevering cattle panel from the dirt "high side" over the "low side" to the back wall of the run. (There are pictures on my profile that shows this). I laid rubber landscape squares over the cattle panels to make a floor, and put litter over the landscape squares. The result is 1/2 the run is on dirt and 1/2 the run is on rubber landscape squares. The benefits have been, its "level" on un-level ground, the great drainage, it keeps litter from rolling down the hill, and me from breaking my neck trying to get a chicken or whatever from the low side. There is a "dead zone" so to speak, under the cantilevered floor that I can only access by taking the whole thing apart. It's all hardware cloth enclosed, so I don't think rats can get under there. Time will tell. So far I'm happy with it.