# favorite fencing for the chicken run



## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

I am debating the rebuilding of my chicken run. I used to let them free range at our first place but we have a new dog that showed up and I am afraid she would eat the chickens. I need to fence the whole coop, coop (8x8)being in the middle. Anyone like this idea. pros/cons I don't have chickens now but I have the coop and I am getting chicken fevor. I miss their antics. 

Our new fruit trees are very nearby and I don't want the chicken hurting them. I would love to fence it in sometime and have ducks and geese in there. but for now I need a smaller run. What is the size of your run compared to the size of the coop? I know bigger is better but there will have to be a limit. 

I need to figure out how to leave the door free so I don't have to enter the coop. I have electric netting I have used w/ sucess. Not great for long term fencing as you have to retighten it often. We also have high winds and lots of rock in the ground. I'm trying to not dig huge holes for posts. T post seem to go in easily if the ground is really wet. 

what is the favorite fencing? horse fence, chainlink, welded wire, 

What the best way to attach the fencing to the building? 

and of course I am wanting to stay on a low budget.:lookout:

I see all kinds of coop and tractor pics but I am having a hard time w/ the run pics. So me your runs/chicken yards. Please!!!!! Atwoods has their chicks back and it is driving me crazy. I have been so good and not gotten the chickens before everything is ready. If I did get the chickens I would get the fence ready quicker. :icecream:Good thing so of the worst enablers are laying low. My spirit is weak.:bow:


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

I will let others suggest the best wire and layout. A couple of suggestions:

a) I know it is less exspensive, but do not use chicken wire (poultry netting)

b) If at all possible run electric fence wires on the outside of the fences, at least one at about 3-4 inches, and another at about 12".

I used 2" x 4" welded wire to keep the daytime varmits out (dogs and foxes) it will not keep the nightime varmits out. I shut up the coop at night and make sure ther are no holes larger than an inch or two. Windows should be 1x2 welded wire or hardware cloth. A big **** can tear right through poultry netting if it is hungry enough, a big dog can simply run through it, especially if the wire is a year or two old. A weasel or mink can squeeze through 2" X 4" wire. This will protect you against most things except hawks, and if you have a dog in the yard, they will likely stay away. You can put pheasant netting over the top of your pen... it is expensive, and in the long run it is just better to keep them in the coop at night. The coop should be big enough that if you are out of town you can leave them locked in it for a day or two.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

no pics of runs? Everone show their coops why not preditor proof fences. Need more ideas.


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

We used chicken wire and metal posts. If you can see in the picture, we have a "drop door" to let them in and out of the coop. We close the door at night and open it each morning. We have plastic "snow fencing" on the top of the run. Our run is twice the size of the coop.

The backside of the run is a cyclone fencing dog kennel that we converted.

When the chickens free range, they are often very close to the trees, so hawks aren't really a problem since the chickens have quick access to protection.

The "People door" of the coop is open to provide additional air circulation or when the chickens are free-ranging. The inside of the coop has a separator door... the "People side" for storage and feed, the "chicken side" for the obvious. 

If a predator really wanted to get into the run, they could. When the coop is closed up, only a mouse or rat could get in. (we don't have minks or other rodents like that near us)


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## cowcreekgeeks (Mar 5, 2009)

We built ours from freecycle chain link fencing. Then good ol' FIL brought a HUGE piece of flight netting to cover the whole thing! I love free. It's my favorite price.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

We started to use the plastic chicken wire. The metal seems to rust and rot. It's very strong, and can be dug down. It's the same dimension as the wire, but it's a heavy plastic/vinyl.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> plastic chicken wire


It might keep chickens in , but it wont keep ANYTHING out


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## Brisket (Sep 29, 2007)

We used pig wire, 4 inch by 4 inch. it can keep anything out in the day time and we used two inch chicken wire too keep the chickens in, at night time we close them in, 12'X12' coops with solid metal doors. We have well over a thousand dollars worth of the laying stock and are always adding more. the thing to consider is what do you want, bullet proof, paper thin or something in between.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

ok heres the pics of the run 

from the front.










side with the nest box and the vent open.










side with the access doors to coop and run.










inside with roost the black in back down near the floor is edpm (roof rubber or pond liner you pick) its a whole sheet what you see in the pics is for the nest boxs, I have them blocked off cause they wont be using them for a while and I wont have to clean them. also Im going to hinge the roost so I can swivel it up for cleaning theres two acces doors at the back behind it.










the chicken door (closed) need to cut a little more out its good for now.










the top trim around the door. i dont know if you can see the hole in the center. thats to secure it.










the matching hole in the door.










the pin to secure the door. it goes in flush with the top board. I thought about putting a bend in or bending a circle in it but Im worried a **** would figure out pull pin for chicken dinner. I have a scrappers magnet on my key ring that pulls it out just fine.


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## cowcreekgeeks (Mar 5, 2009)

PrincessFerf said:


>


I am in love with your building. Did y'all design and build yourself or did you purchase it that way? Have pics of the inside?


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## Schroeder (Oct 3, 2008)

We have coyotes, skunks, mink, raccoons, possums, and who knows what else. My run is completly encased in 1/2 x 1/2 inch hardware cloth, with a 2 ft wide skirt extending horizontally from the structure (buried about 3 inches underground). If the predators get through this, I'm pulling out the razor wire and high voltage barrier.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I use the 2"x3" fencing and line the bottom with the vinyl bird mesh. I also bought poultry netting from Gillis Ag, so the runs are covered too. It's better to angle the poultry netting so I made a peak so the netting drapes down, the peak being 4' taller than the fencing - 8' in center, 4' on the sides. To keep the chickens separate and from jumping into the other run, we just used inexpensive snow fencing. All attachments to t-posts and wire are either pieces of wire or UV resistant zip ties. The fencing is attached to the building using fencing staples.

However, I free range my birds. The only time I 'use' the covered runs is when I am isolating the different breeds for purebred hatching eggs and when I put chicks outside to grow up some before letting them free range. I also use it to isolate momma ducklings with little babies.


Chick proofing the bottom:









You can kinda see the covered runs here:


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

cowcreekgeeks said:


> I am in love with your building. Did y'all design and build yourself or did you purchase it that way? Have pics of the inside?


Thank you! We didn't build it. It was an old coop/building that was falling apart on our neighbor's farm. They gave it to us (he just wanted it off his land) and we replaced all of the outer boards and built up the inside.

I do business analysis/website design for a living, so I'm always in a "design" mode. I came up with the plans and hubby did the heavy lifting. 

I don't have any pictures of the inside, but I can get some. Its nothing fancy, just framed out walls with hardware cloth. My Barred Rocks LOVE roosting on an old wooden ladder that I picked up at a yard sale for $1.


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