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U-pins hold netting in place to keep curious hens from crawling out underneath.

Wider Pastures: New Chicken Run

We were lucky. Our chickens never really discovered the garden. They simply stayed within bounds to peck and scratch the day away. Until last week.

Their eyes have been opened and all the world is suddenly their oyster. I think not. Time for a new, larger chicken run to contain the birds but let them feel as though the have free range of the yard.

Taking note from Omlet’s chicken fence, we set out for the hardware store for stakes and bird netting to make our own.

Metal stakes & bird netting keeps chickens from roaming afar.
Metal stakes & bird netting keeps chickens from roaming afar.

We created two gates to enter on either side of the run. Each gate had two anchored posts to set the entrance. A third post covered with netting is mobile, allowing us to lift the post and enter.

Husband’s genius idea: sink a length of PVC into the ground so the “gate” post slides inside and can easily be removed to enter and exit.

2" PVC about a foot long. Soil was excavated to leave the pipe hollow. The post slides right in.
2″ PVC about a foot long. Soil was excavated to leave the pipe hollow. The post slides right in.

Once the stakes were in place, we rigged the netting. We had some bird netting lying around, but bought extra to cover the area. The stakes have tines which grab the netting and hold it in place. For extra security, we used zip ties (also on hand) at the top and bottom of each stake.

New "gate" in action
New “gate” in action

Next, we secured the netting to the ground using U-pins. The hens did us the favor of finding breaches, and extra pins were added to eliminate those.

U-pins hold netting in place to keep curious hens from crawling out underneath.
U-pins hold netting in place to keep curious hens from crawling out underneath.

This set up cost us $64 (again, using some netting, zip ties and U-pins already on hand). It works like a charm and we no longer have to run out to chase the birds out of the garden every 10 minutes. Worth every penny!

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Natasha

    Perfect! This is just what I needed! I made a “portable” chicken fence to keep my chickens in part of my yard while they’re “free ranging”, but my dang EE keeps finding holes to slip under! I’m forever chasing after her! The other heavy breeds could care less, but she paces the fence to find a weakness. Lol she’s good at it too!

  2. Diana Kaljumagi, 4-H Poultry Leader

    Brilliant solution! I like how simple an cheap it is.
    Please remind your readers that lightweight chicken fences in your yard are useful to protect plants, but the yard and coop still have to be predator proof. (Consult a good poultry book for proper predator-proofing.) -THANKS!

    1. Christy

      Absolutely. Coops and runs should always be secured against burrowing animals and those who can open latches (like raccoons). Our coop has hardware cloth buried around the perimeter, and we’ve added extra latches to the coop openings just to be sure. Our new extended run is located under the canopy of a large tree, so the gals have coverage from hawks and other flying predators.

  3. stephen simon

    Curious to find out how it works out for you. How high is the fence? Had to recently rebuild my run with higher fences, my hens can and will leap/fly over 5 foot fences to eat all the goodies in my garden.

    1. Christy

      I’ve heard about hens who jump fences. Our girls are primarily ground dwellers. When they do take flight, they only get about a foot or so off the ground. Like feathered hovercraft. It’s cute. The type of stake we used are available in 6 foot lengths (and possibly taller) Ours are 3 feet tall once inserted into the ground.

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