UPGRADED Metal Backyard Chicken Run
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2022
- Taking a large metal framed chicken enclosure and upgrading it to a more predator proof chicken run. Raising it with treated lumber and landscape blocks also allows for deep liter in the run itself.
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If you're interested in getting a metal chicken run like we got here is the amazon link that will take you directly to it. amzn.to/3Ai4b39
We attached the 1x4 treated board to the metal structure using stainless steel and copper plumbing straps like these. amzn.to/3uex7Fj
Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale: amzn.to/3XkDYZl
Chicken Water Cups with PVC Fittings: amzn.to/3f1Lzvm
Galvanized Chicken Waterer: amzn.to/3dllzuy
Plastic Poultry Waterer: amzn.to/3BtbofL
Hanging Poultry Feeder: amzn.to/3fHmF4F
Automatic Chicken door: amzn.to/3EvCrdv
Filming Gear:
Mic. Comica CVM-VM10II amzn.to/3zxtZpY
ULANZI Smartphone Vlogging Kit with Adjustable Handle Grip amzn.to/3zBbuki
We are in no way experts, but we share the little we do know out of a decade of mishaps and mistakes.
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This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for - a way to upgrade one of these metal runs. Thank you for making this!
Your welcome!! It has worked out amazingly. Great option since we can no longer pasture our laying hens.
I ordered mine with a dome roof, going to use hardware cloth and a bigger tarp, I cant wait! Thanks for the great video!
That sounds interesting! Thank you for watching and good luck with the Chicken Dome, lol.
Thank you for this information. It is very useful.
Glad it was helpful!
I love you chicken coop. I have the same coop from Amazon, but looove what you did. I will show my husband. It looks awesome!!!! Found you channel cause, my chickens laid the first egg today. 🥳 I watch the video of the first egg and fell in love with your coop. - became a subscriber😃😃😃
Thank you for the subscription, but thank you also for your awesome comment. We really appreciate hearing positive things like this.
its really loving garden and chickens coop
Awesome!!
I have the same chicken run and rats are digging under it and getting in and nesting under the chicken coop. I love this idea!!
This should work to keep them out, but consider also burying some chicken wire around the perimeter and that will discourage just about anything from digging under the chicken run. Good luck!
Wow!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!! I just got a 10 x 6 for my flock of 5 - My birds are still 2 months old just ready to be out and about so they are small still. I love your Idea!!!!!!!!!
That is awesome! Thank you and as an update it is still working just as well as when we first put it up.
This is an awesome idea to making this metal chicken run much more functional! What dimensions are the base boards cut to?
Thank you! It has really worked out well and held up under some pretty serious weather. I'm not sure exactly what the cuts are and I hesitate to give a "cut list" because there are so many of these metal frames out there I don't want someone to just go off my measurements and waste money on lumber. With the landscape blocks laid out it's pretty easy to get the measurements once the metal frame is assembled.
looks great
Thank you!
Well done!👍💪🏼
Thank you!
Hello! Thank you for the video, your designs are ingenious. Can you please show how you attached the run to your coop and how you cut out the opening? Thank you in advance!
The run we purchased comes with chicken wire that covers it, and the coop itself butts up to the "side" of the run. I used a staple gun to attach the chicken wire to the perimeter of the face that butts up against the run. After that I used some metal cutting snips to cut the chicken wire that covered the face of the coop. Now if I was to do it again or what I might still do is instead of using chicken wire use 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch welded wire for a more secure barrier, but the process would be virtually the same. Thank you for your question and good luck!
@@cedarporchhomestead Thank you!!
Fantastic!! Love this! I purchased one similar from Amazon but yours appears sturdier..like the poles? Anyhow, thanks❤️
Thank You so much. Not sure about the poles being sturdy, but it has held up extremely well.
This is fabulous! Ya'll did a great job. I want to do this as well and I was picturing what I wanted but didn't know if it was possible. You proved it was! I have a question about the roof if you don't mind? Were you able to climb on top to screw the roofing panels on? I was worried it wouldn't be strong enough for that and could not figure out how to attach them and the ridge cap without climbing on top.
Oh thank you so much for your comment!! As far as attaching the roof went….. I’m 6’3” and around 250 lbs. I spread my weight out as much as possible but I was leaning on the roof with almost all my weight. If I were to do it again I would add one more 1x4 to each side to have a little bit more to attach to and support any weight. We have no snow here this far south so didn’t need to adjust for snow load. Good Luck!!!
@@cedarporchhomestead Thank you sooo much for replying so quickly. We don't get much snow here in TN either so it should be perfect.
Are the 2x8 just laying flat on the garden bricks & attached to each other? Also, what are the metal things I see on the wooden wall part inside? I'm working on this for my coop. I need to level the ground 1st, though....and I'm not handy at all 😅
The 2x8s are attached to the vertices boards underneath, but are just lying flat in the blocks. The metal you’re seeing are galvanized brackets to hold the 2x8s together and to keep them from warping in our heat. You don’t have to be handy to get this done just be willing to give it a try. Good luck!
We have been putting one of those coops up this weekend and are looking for videos on adding more sipports to the roof frame so we can get a tarp or roof on. Did you video that?
Unfortunately I did not. I spoke briefly about it in the video. I used treated 16 foot 1x4s that I attached to the metal structure with stainless 2 hole plumbing straps. Wasn’t sure how well they would hold up to wind with a metal roof attached but so far so good and we have had some good storms blow through since doing it. Good luck!
How did you connect the coop to the run? I am afraid to clip the netting. How do I secure it to the coop itself without making the run weak on that side? Any ideas are appreciated!!
We did cut the netting to attach the coop and stapled the chicken wire to the trim of the coop. It has worked well. As long as it is stapled securely it doesn’t appear to weaken the structure.
How does using the few tubing clamps hole up to the wind? Do you find your roof trying to lift or lift the run? How did you anchor?
Believe it or not it has held up really well with the tubing clamps. Using 1x4 boards and attaching the metal to that creates a "one unit" roof. I was reluctant that it might not hold up, but we have had several high wind situations over the past 18 months that it has been there without any issues.
I love this! Do you mind telling me how long the pieces of tin are? How much overhang do you have and if you made the ridge cap, how did you bend the tin? Thank you so much!
The pieces of tin were salvaged from a demo job and they were 14 ft long. I cut them down to where there is only about a 4 inch hang over from the edge of the run. The ridge cap was a piece of corrugated metal that I just bent over the top of the entire run. Nothing fancy but it works.
Thank you so much!! I’ve watched numerous videos about cutting tin bc I’ve never worked with it. Do you have any suggestions? Once again, thank you!!
@@annmichele1108 There are a few ways that I do it. If you have the hand strength a good pair of tin snips works, If you have a grinder then a cutting wheel will do the work. There are pneumatic cutters, electric shears and a circular saw with a throw down wood cutting blade will work too. I've done all of them and they all work, but when dealing with metal always make sure you have eye protection and gloves. I'll take a wood splinter anyday over a metal shard. SO to answer your question the easiest way to cut corrugated metal would probably be metal nibblers and you can get an attachment for a drill think from amazon for really cheap. This is the one method I haven't used, but we have a project starting this week and I might order it to give it a try.
This video is right on time. I have the metal run and was pricing renting equipment to dig for predator proofing. Your design is perfect. Where did you get the coop that is attached?
The coop attached we built from scrap supplies we had left over from other projects. We also created another video detailing the coop design with an automatic door, but we have upgraded to a better automatic door since that video was done. Also have a video on the upgraded automatic door. Lol.
I have watched this video 5x, along with your other videos. You have provided some of the best information in a clear, easy to understand way. Your setup is exactly what I want and the only one I've seen. I love the simple, efficient design of the coop. Do you have videos on the run upgrades and how you attached the coop. I will probably have to buy a premade coop( I am not handy, nor do I have the materials or tools). I am so glad I found your channel.
Its said "imitation is the greatest form of flattery ", well I plan on doing exact what you've done to your run. I also want to use the deep litter method in the coop. Your coop fits perfectly with your run. I especially like that you don't have to go in the run to get the eggs. Where did you get your coop?
Imitate away! lol. We built the coop and we have an early video on some of the features to consider when building one. Thank you for your comment we really appreciate the encouragement. Good luck with your chicken endeavors!
Did you nail the landscape blocks to the wood or use rebar to post to the ground? my blocks dont have holes that go all the way through I worried they may shift some. trying to figure out how to make it more sturdy
Great question! I screwed a 2x8 onto the 2x6 with the 2x8 over the landscape block to lock it into place. I did not rebar the blocks to the ground but when it is all put together it locks everything into one unit
@@cedarporchhomestead Thank you for the quick answer, I started building this yesterday with a couple modifications because I live on a pretty serious slope. But I am working on the 2x8 portion today and putting the metal coop together, already have the foundation section completed pretty much. Wasn't as easy or as quick as I hoped thanks to my stupid slope but I got it finally
@@PeasLovePineapples Glad it's working out!!
Omg! This is what I’ve been looking for…a decent looking way to predator proof my metal chicken run. Thank you so much for sharing! Are the grey boards the 2X8s you mentioned in another comment?
The grey boards are old composite decking that I screwed on to keep the 2x6s that are stacked from separating. I’m not 100% sure they were needed, and to be honest if I was going to do this again I would have used 2x12s rather than stacking 2x6s.
@@cedarporchhomestead Ok thank you for the advice. I’ll share a picture once I’m done. I doubt it will look as good as yours, but I’m going to try!
@@lynelleholmes7138 that would be awesome. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
We have the same run set up coming in next week. Like you, our coop for four chickens, will be inside the run. Did you place either hardware cloth or chicken wire inside the run below the leaves, etc. or did you run wire around the perimeter of the run for predators? I hope you’ll be able to respond. Thank you. Love all your videos.
Great question. I used chicken wire that I buried along the perimeter to deter anything from digging in.
Amazing video you have changed the way im thinking about building my run completly! I am having a nightmare trying to find the blocks that you use for the corner could you please let me know what they are called or if you have a link to similar blocks
Awesome!!! I got the blocks and the treated lumber at Lowe’s.
@Cedar Porch Homestead I'm based in the UK do you know of anything similar over here
@@WebsterMan90 Wow, the UK market for those is completely foreign to me...and yes that pun was intended. Maybe try landscape or garden stores, but you could also build out the corners with a 6x6 timber cut and stood up vertically and screw the wood boards in from the side. Good luck!!
How did you attach the roof cap without getting on top of the wire enclosure ?
It was super sketchy but I'm 6'2" and I worked off of a small A-frame ladder. So with a pretty broad wingspan and a whole lot of luck it worked out for us.
Great work! Do you have cement blocks every 4 ft or so? What are those grey pieces?
Thanks. The concrete is only on the corners and then I put them halfway on the long side of the run. Those grey pieces are just vertical boards that hold the 2x6s from warping and separating. I’ve redone this process on my daughters quail aviary and used 2x12s instead and it worked much better, but had to use what I had. Lol
@@cedarporchhomestead This is all treated lumber right? We have a bunch of 2x12 left over from a building project, but they aren't treated. Wonder if we can paint them...
@@cedarporchhomestead Also, did you assemble the coop and then mount to the base once assembled?
@@jeffreyjbyron yes I put the frame all together so I could get the correct measurements and then I just walked the frame into place.
I have a chicken run like this(mine did not come with a coop). I love the idea of raising it up off the ground.
One question…how did you predator proof the metal door on the run? I afraid of snakes, rats, etc. being able to get in the run around the door. I don’t know how to close in the area around the door, and still be able to open and close it. Any ideas?
Thank you so very much for your videos!
You're welcome and thank you for watching! As for the predator proofing, we used the chicken wire that came with our run on the door and the gaps are pretty small, however there is enough room for a snake or rat to push through. I built our coop predator "proof" and it is on absolute lock down at night, but the run could invite pests. The one way I think I would combat that gap if it became an issue for us would use treated 1x4s and create a frame on the run and then use 1x4s to frame out the door itself to create a tighter seal. Hope this was helpful and good luck!
Put a piece of 1×2 wood on the gaps opposite of where the door swings.
How did you close the gaps around the door?
I have a 1x4 running along the bottom and the rest is "tight" enough to keep large predators out of the run. The reason ours works as well as it does is because the coop is independent and with an automatic door completely shuts off the chickens during the night which is when predation would be the biggest concern.
Hello ! What are the dimensions of the metal chicken run you purchased ?
Here is the link for the chicken run. Its dimensions are a little weird, but it is still working out for us.amzn.to/3Ai4b39
Do you find having the run raised an inconvenience by having to step up into each time and not able to bring a wheelbarrow into?
Being raised is what we wanted because we build up the deep bedding for hygiene/smell/ and compost. It isn’t too much on an inconvenience and I use a big scoop shovel when I need to “wheelbarrow” stuff in and out. If my run was bigger than the 10x13 I could see how having access with a wheelbarrow of even a front end loader would be better, but we are set up for a backyard homestead for now and have to scale down accordingly.
@@cedarporchhomestead Our run will be 10x26 so ground level would be better for clean out. Thanks for the response.
What type of screws did you use to fasten down the roof?
I used sheet metal screws like these
amzn.to/3ZxCT2K
@@cedarporchhomestead thank you
Nice...But Chicken wire is very weak and easily torn apart by a dog or raccoon.
💯 % correct!!! It’s still holding strong after 2 years but would use welded wire if I was to build another from scratch.