Run, Chicken, Run

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If you raise chickens, and believe—as my family and I do—that ranging the birds is both more healthful (for them) and less expensive (for you) ... you may want to consider building a simple, made-from-scrap poultry run extension similar to the one we've devised.

Some folks prefer to let their flocks roam completely free ... but we've learned (the hard way!) that our hungry cluckers dearly love to scratch in newly planted gardens, and can also devour formidable quantities of fruit from our strawberry patch in nothing flat. Furthermore, local predators—a class in which dogs are definitely included—seem to keep a special place in their hearts (and stomachs) for on-the-hoof chicken meat. So we first built a permanent run around our poultry shelter ... and then, when the time came to introduce new members to our feathered "herd", we decided to find a way to provide additional protected grazing room.

After a bit of experimentation, we came up with the easy-to-make add-on design that you see here. In essence, it's really nothing more than two (or more) tunnel-like wire cages laid end-to-end, extending outward from an opening cut into our existing pen. Makeshift? Sure ... but it was virtually. free, and is as effective as any more elaborate contrivance!

MATERIALS

The two basic "ingredients" used to build our chicken enclosure are 2 X 4's (anything smaller won't be sufficiently sturdy) and poultry netting. Now it's been my observation that most homesteaders have a few scraps of each of these materials stashed somewhere . . . but if you do need to buy the items, you should be able to find some on sale, or purchase them used at a salvage yard or flea market. In any case, try to pick lumber that can easily be cut to match the width of the wire mesh you've located. Our netting, for example, was 48 " wide, and our 2 X 4's were 8 feet long, so we were able to simply cut each board once to get two usable lengths.

The other supplies you'll need are lightweight wire cutters ... a handful of twist ties (the kind that come with trash bags) or some twine or baling wire ... a dozen or so wooden stakes—each about 1" wide by 6 " to 8 " long and sharpened at one end—gathered from your kindling basket or split from scrap lumber ... and a heavy-duty staple gun and staples (a hammer and some old-fashioned "pound 'em in" fence staples will work fine, too, but won't be as easy to use).