Amazon chicken run link: amzn.to/3w1f8G9 Welcome to my Channel and thanks for supporting Vic’s Backyard chicks! I am a first time backyard chicken owner sharing my journey with my hens! Follow my channel for more insight and knowledge about backyard chickens! This video is an honest review of a chicken run I purchased on Amazon. If you’re looking to get one for your flock be sure to check out this video. Enjoy! 💘🐥 I am more than happy to answer any questions in the comments!! Amazon Chicken Run: amzn.to/3w1f8G9 Automatic chicken door (total game changer!): amzn.to/3UxuvQC Nesting pads: amzn.to/490ntbx Ceramic eggs: amzn.to/48XdMec Large Pine Flakes: amzn.to/4bpHYju Oyster shells: amzn.to/3Snprf9 CHICK SUPPLIES: Chick medicated starter grower feed: amzn.to/3ul5XQh Chick Grit: amzn.to/3OuhJPn Hydro Hen: amzn.to/3Uxuz2O Chick Feeder and Waterer: amzn.to/3OvFztP Heater and Brooder Plate: amzn.to/3SGeuGW
Put pressure treated 2 by6 around the bottom and put woodchips down , it will much more sanitary and it will control the mud and make amazing compost ! Chickens will scratch and turn it for you !
I bought the same type aluminum frame enclosure but I bought 16 gauge 1 inch square coated fence wire from Home Depot to use instead of the chicken wire and I also skirted with that same heavy wire. I used zip ties 1st and then went back and wrapped with wire and sewed closed the seams which I overlapped by 6 inches or so. Very sturdy and secure. Turned out great. I bought some very heavy duty tarps to make a roof. I have paver stones and plants in heavy pots all around the perimeter.
@@frankm2385 The Fencer Wire was 5ft x 50ft 16 gauge black pvc coated welded wire fence and was 208.45 last summer. I don't see the same product still listed on Home Depot. I ended up buying 2 rolls and my total enclosure is 12x9 I bought 2 that were 6 x 9 each so I have a front door and a back door. I bought the tarp from Amazon .the type you would use to cover a swimming pool in the winter so pretty heavy. The cover that came with the run was very flimsy as was the chicken wire. I also bought heavier zip ties so not cheap but was able to build it myself with no help. I'm 63.
My husband bought this one for me to and set it up as a surprise. I was so happy with it I had a lot of chickens in it. I attached my wood chicken coop to the end,this way I didn't have to walk into the coop to get the eggs. Our chickens managed our compost pill shock we put in the coop so the could mix it up as a thing to do every day they would find all the weed seeds. It turned into a wonderful rich completely broke down fine texture compost. I had 40 chickens. I sold eggs and chicks besides just enjoying them. I got a heavy duty white tarp well worth the money. We lived in a heavy snow load area and high heat area,100 days above100 degrees. When it got hot I put a sprinkle on top. Now its a green house.
You may want to place some shade cloth on the top for summertime....the sun gets really hot. You could also put clear corrugated plastic roofing on the top if you want to. If you are going to leave it in this spot, try planting some clematis on the side and the vines will grow up over the top and provide shade. Nice!!!
Thank you for the input! Luckily the trees will also grown leaf’s and provide a lot of shade in this corner of our yard. Last summer was hot but the ladies did great, also would give them ice to out their feet on occasionally in those super hot days
We have this run, since August and it's holding up fine, we did buy heavy duty zip ties from Lowes, and we eventually put 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom half because my little 12 lb dog tore through the chicken wire. He didn't hurt anyone, I just found him in the run walking around. We recently bought a 12x20 shade cloth from Menard's to replace the tarp we had, because the wind kept destroying the tarps. Harbor freight has them too, about $60. The wind blows through the shade cloth without moving it much. Works great. Our chickens feel more secure in their run with something over the top. We attached it to the frame on 3 sides, starting with the side the wind blows in from and let the 4th side hang down a little because the shade cloth is a few inches too wide and we didn't want to bunch it up to attach that side to the frame. It's working out well and I don't think we will have to attach it. So basically, one long side and the two ends, we attached with the little ball bungee loops, we got those at Menard's as well. You can attach all 4 sides but I just didn't like the look of it bunched up due to being slightly too large. All in all, this was an easy setup and seems to be lasting pretty well. We have strong wind and it hasn't destroyed the frame. We attached a 6x8 coop at one end. To be honest though for my next one I will most likely use T-posts and 1 inch hardware cloth because I think it might be more cost effective.
@@sabrinamcneill8023 I live in C. FL. hawks are plentiful, but so are opossums, and raccoons. I have feed in metal trash cans, but the squirrels and rats are eating my chicken feed. I just put out the mixture of 1 box of baking soda mixed with 1 box of Jiffy Corn muffin mix, it poisons rats but does not harm other animals. There are many YT videos on this recipe. Rats cannot belch, burp, or fart and the baking soda mixing with the rats stomach acids creates a gas that cannot be relieved and they die. It does not hurt cats, dogs, etc. But already my problem is down to just the squirrels coming thru my pen with 2" opening and eating my chicken feed.
It’s a great start, I have one for 6 months now. I decided to buy a coop from Carolina coops today. I’m an absolute chicken fanatic now. I love my birds so much.
Carolina coops look amazing. I’d love to have one but price was too steep for us at the time. So we opted for the Large Over Easy coop and it has worked out great. We also added a large run like you have but attached it to the end of the coop at the chicken door. We also used Hardwire on the run floor and 1/2 way up the side of the run. We covered the floor wire with thick layers of sand so they can still scratch. The chicken wires seems fine for the rest of the sides and top. We have a large white tarp covering the top to keep them dry as well. However…I’m dying to add more chickens to my flock, I currently have 11, all blue eggs layers and really want 5-6 brown egg layers but not sure the existing coop, or run for that matter will be sufficient for that many birds. I foresee a lot of pecking order fights and not looking forward to that. My problem is none of my favorite hatchery’s have any stock for the Golden Comets or Red Stars I’m looking for. I’ve tried Cackle Hatchery (where we got of current girls from) and also checked McMurray hatchery. No luck. I loathe the idea of getting chicks from Tractor supply. I guess I don’t trust their health or sexing. I do Not want any Roos and already had to get rid of 2 Roos from out shipment . I’d love to add on because you know…”Chicken Math” 😂 I git my run, from Wayfair for a (really decent price I thought. ) Under $300 bucks,)that is exactly like yours. Not sure what to do at this point as far as expanding our flock, coop and run, but again…chicken math has me thinking. Any suggestions on hatcheries? I’m in the south (SC to be exact) any suggestions? I really want to raise some brown layers that lay REALLY well like the Golden Comets. I find it weird that many people are turned off by blue eggs! Literally taste the same and look the same inside so I think it’s all in their head. I planned to sell eggs and have some some but most want brown.
@@GraphicallySpeakingMimi when my daughter gets home I’ll get the list. Her and my wife did a lot of research. We have an amazing variety of breeds all so beautiful 😍 we have a polish rooster and we’ve started hatching some of the eggs and we’re getting really cool mixes. Polish with Silkies look so cool 😎 one I do know is Meyer hatchery or my pet chicken. We got our first 5 from them. Chickens are so cool 🙌
I got one similar to that and wrapped it with store bought chicken wire. Mine is rounded. I bought a tarp that covered the top of the whole run and zip tied it down permanently. Over the winter we used the greenhouse cover it came with because that was it's intended purpose. Recently I've been fermenting their food. It last longer and apparently is healthier for them. I just start my first sprouts today to see how that goes. I mention that because both fermentation and sprouts (most common is wheat) reduce feed costs greatly and they love it. I'd suggest straw in the run so when it does rain it soaks up the water and they are in mud. Personal experience. Poor things were covered in mud. Spread out some straw and they were clean and dry within an hour. Side note, hay and straw are not the same thing. Have a wonderful day. Looks awesome. Great job.
I also wanted to mention that when we wrapped the run in chicken wire in many places it is doubled up and wrapped around. It has kept out cats, large dogs, and raccoons. There are zipties everywhere holding it to the structure. We build the two end walls (again it was marketed as a greenhouse) with pvc pipes and glued them. Our door is pvc wrapped in chicken wire and the hinges for the door are several high strength zip ties. The green house is a 20x10 and my hens are in there full time because we don't have a fence that is worth anything and this house is a rental.
@Vics Backyard Chicks my incubator will be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm so egg-cited!!! My chickens seem to like the fermented feed. I've noticed them eating noticeable less of the feed from the feeder.
Just a thought, but stainless steel zip ties exist! I have a slightly larger run and I also ordered black PVC coated hardware cloth and metal zip ties since I live in MI and need something that survives the weather. 😊
We bought the 30x10 pen and we love it as well. We didn’t use zip ties because we have snow and sun and the zip ties wouldn’t last a summer. We also bought a huge black sunshade tarp from Amazon to put on top for sun but rain and snow can go through.
Just bought a similar run but haven't put it together yet. I was thinking about putting plywood across the back sections to give them some protection from wind and driving rain. Also maybe using fiberglass roofing panels across the back end
Mine do too. We put some boards across the roof on the back third and used palruf vinyl panels. Now i wish i had covered at least another section. Ive used tarps across the remaining roof and in the summer used shadecloth tarp on the very end section by the door .The tarp that comes with it is worthless. Bigeest regret is using the cheap metal hardware cloth that comes with it. We reinforced the sides with 1/2 inch all around. Better to just do the whole thing with better hardware cloth and through the other stuff in the trash or use it around the bottom on the ground. We needed some better zip ties...Harbor Freight has them cheap
Also got some 2 x 12 clear palruf panels and attached them atound the sides for winter. Keeps out most of the blowing rain but lets ventilation in above their heads
this is exactly the video i needed. too many of these are put up by people who build things all the time. i knew this was for me when you said you werent able to pinch down the door hinges with pliers. thank you
We got the same run; it was easy with two people. We also used a lot more zip ties, than what comes with the kit. The “latch” broke off before summer was over, so I use bungee straps. For the price and set up, I would buy again.
Thank you so much for reviewing this run! I have 10 chicks that will be ready to go outside in the next few weeks, and I'm debating whether to go for something like this or build one out of wood and welded wire fence. Predators are a big issue for us. I would love to see how you predator proof yours!
You’re welcome!! Good luck!! I will definitely post a video of us predator proofing. Luckily for us, we are in a neighborhood so predators aren’t a big issue, mainly just hawks. Definitely make sure nothing can break through or dig under! Chicken wire isn’t meant to keep our predators. :) best of luck to you!
good job. I have pretty much the same gate situation and I made sure it would only open inward. It helps keep the ladies inside the run incase someone besides me goes in.
I have this one an added two extra tarps to protect from snow in my area and the wind comes in sideways in Colorado... My girls love it and I have 6 hens !!!
I bought this n works great. I'm in mich and I bought a ton of tarps n zip tied them to the poles n my chickens were fine all winter no frostbite. And we got wind chills and of -20 so it worked great !
A socket wrench would have worked better to secure the door bolts and they are carriage bolts so the square spot under the top will actually fit into the part that wraps around the pole. You then use the socket wrench to tighten until they are tight enough. It goes together like a dog run.
Hi! didn't know they were commercially available. I converted an old cast off portable car port frame which had outlived its cover and was destined for the scrap yard. worked out very similarly. thanks for the great video!
At the door if you take the top bar and put it at the bottom and raise the door it creates a little barrier so animals dont try to escape while youre entering or exiting.
The problem with this run is amazon forgot to cover one side of it .... The bottom. Biggest pests dig under. Raccoons. Also clam shell pieces on the ground for added calcium and thicker shells. Red bulb in hen house at night to help lay eggs. Chickens fav snack is a handful of rice.
I was looking at this exact same one on Amazon and was surprised to see your video pop up in my feed. Thank you for your detailed and insightful opinion.
You did a great job. If possible, you might want to move your coop up against the wire mesh, cutting a hole where you can access your egg box from outside. There will be times when you will NOT want to walk thru your pen to get to your egg. Wood chips will help create a composting effect and keep down dust and mud during changing seasons. Collecting leaves from your large lawn and adding to the floor of your pen will be a great way to compost also. This will be a fun learning experience, but don't let anyone tell you that you will have free eggs..The price of having chickens is priceless, but the cost of eggs is something different.
In my area I would be concerned using only chicken wire due to racoons and other predators (Racoons) that can get through chicken wire. I would upgrade the wiring to a more rigid 1/4 inch square wiring.
Yep! Just like I said in my video the chicken wire will keep chickens in but won’t keep predators out. This run does need to be predator proofed. Our chickens get locked up in the coop every night
You should consider useing pvc pipes to make a vertical auto feeder which is more sanitary and saves on food plus you could get a rain barrel to catch rain and purchase cup style auto water feeder and that is also more sanitary.
I also have this run, my only complaint is the door latch! We used hardware cloth instead and I think it made the structure more sturdy, but also made the latch very difficult to open and close!
This is my first time watching your channel Thank you so much for doing an honest review of the chicken run I've been looking at them and was not really sure if it would work for us... I know we will need to do some reinforcements to make it so predators can't get in ... 😊....
We bought the same coop last summer it has been a excellent coop the only issue is the wind will pick it up the anchor that come with it don't hold it so we bought these and have not had any more issues
Lots of good info! I was thinking of using something like this to let my chickens out on pasture during the day - I used to free-range them, but the hawks have discovered the neighborhood. Glad to hear that you think you could drag this around by yourself. I might find a way to use my riding lawn mower to move it around. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!! Yes it’s very light - I could definitely drag it by myself. a few people have commented they use this as their chicken tractor - sounds like a good idea! Best of luck!
Also you should put chicken wire under it n secure it to bottom because weasels, n other predators can dig under it. You can go around w the 1 inch wire over the wire on it n stagger it so holes are smaller.
Brilliant idea! I just purchased the medium one and bought a roll of extra wire to attach to the bottom. I’m in Cali, in the middle of vineyards. Coyotes, fox, skunk, domestic cats, occasional bobcat and ground critters. Your suggestion to weave wire thru to make the holes smaller just gave me peace of mind, thank you!☺️
I recommend hardwire cloth 1/4 inch to make sure predators cannot get through. Rodents can squish through f pretty small holes and hardwire is very difficult to chew/break through
Geat review of whatever brand you purchased ! Well done . Not sure if you even mentioned what brand that was other than Amazon 🤔 . Have to watch again 👍🤓
This is cool, don’t understand why these don’t come with a better wire such as a light hog or dog wire. Never had any luck with chicken wire, except on the top for hawks or such.
We have it mainly to keep the chickens away from our dogs (who dont try to enter) and for overhead predators such as hawks. I agree, the chicken wire wont keep large groud predators out for long!
For anyone reading, we laid 16" or so of wire hardware cloth on the ground around the perimeter of the run to keep Fox, Coyote, random dogs, etc from digging holes under the fence to get our chickens. They can try but won't for long.
Hello. We will be getting this setup very soon. This will be a replacement for an existing run. We are in a rural area and predators are not rare. Hawks, owls, opossum, raccoon, fox etc. Our plan is to lay a perimeter foundation of 4x4's to attach the base plates. Under these 4x4's will be welded wire fencing approximately 16" wide to deter any digging. On top of the provided chicken will be hardware cloth around the bottom approx 4' tall attached to existing coop
My instructions said go around sides first ( wire was not tall enough to go completely up side to pole) , then do top in section. Should have gone from bottom up and over like this video. Coop we bought no longer on amazon 🤔 but just know that option to go around sides first not the best! Too much to have to attach together!
Do you have dogs? We are doing chickens next year and getting everything we need and I have two scottie dogs that are actually surprisingly brave and very good hunters haha. I need something to keep the dogs out.
Hello! Yes, we have a German Shepherd and a Chocolate Lab. The run does keep our dogs out but I will say if your dogs are diggers they can easily dig underneath if you do not predator proof it. We raised our baby chicks around the dogs so I think our dogs see them as part of the family. There have been some instances where the hens escape while the dogs are out and our GSD will chase them around but will not attack them. Our Lab is just interested in eating all of their chicken feed LOL. We do plan to train our dogs better around the hens so they dont disturb them that is on our list, but luckily they have not shown any aggression and the run will keep the dogs separate!
Sorry to hear that! It’s a great base but you will definitely need to do additional predator proofing so foxes can’t dig underneath or break though chicken wire at the bottom 👍🏼
With plenty of love and respect- still a lot of work to be done. Two zap screws in each bracket latch on the door or a fox will push through. We found out the hard way. "May sure you predator-proff your run"- 3' hardware cloth around the entire bottom, 18" above ground and 18" in the ground. Bury the footers. Place 2"x4" wood sections buried in the ground in front of the hardware cloth, so digging predators are deterred further. Light colored tarp over at least two sections as most chickens do worse in the heat than the cold. Deep litter method is your friend. 9 chickens CANNOT live in that tiny tractor supply coop. It's not really big enough for the four full-sized chickies you have, but they are making due. More chickens will turn that coop from barely acceptable to unlivable. In short- your passion is admirable, and I encourage you to totally follow your path. However, instructional videos for other people looking for good help should be postponed until you have the help it is that you need. It's very rewarding and exciting to keep chickens. Outside of production, they are emotional, intelligent, beautiful, friendly, and interesting. There is plenty of good information out there worth reading. Read first to your own success and teach others with the wisdom that is collected through experience. Best of luck!
Mine came mislabeled. And the holes were in the wrong direction... I have a drill so it shouldn't be difficult to modify. This video helped because it's better then following direction since my aluminum poles were off . Thank u
I bought the exact same run last year. It was just okay. We had a bad storm over the winter and it flew into my neighbors yard. I lost my entire flock of ducks because of this. And now it’s completely ruined. So I suggest you buy better stakes then the ones they send. Those are not secure enough
In the run itself if they cannot free range i would say 5-7. We have upgraded since this video and have a large shed/coop attatched to the outside plus the run and we have 8 currently. However my ladies do get access to our entire backyard. On days they have to stay in the run they do great!
our neighbors just let the chickens free range and they seem to be doing ok, they have a house to go to that sits off the ground. I'm surprised bnecause we have our fair share of coyotes and such, but the yseem to be doing ok...,They do have a roster though
@@ramhaven2322 we let ours free range also but unfortunately get a lot of hawks and a few eagles so overhead protection during the day when they’re not free ranging is a must! We don’t have a rooster
I have exact same run but it's the smaller one don't trust the tarp it is very flimsy and ripped easily you're better off just buying a new one and be careful on windy days when you have the tarp on because it may blow your coop away it happened to me once and I had my teenager chicks in there at least most of them survived
I have two of these pens but a different size. It comes with zip ties and very long green wire you are supposed to wrap around the fence and poles to make them stay together. You NEED to wrap the green wire on. The zip ties pop off in extreme heat or cold. A fox ripped the fence off my roosters pen before I could finish with the green wire. So definitely do not just rely on zip ties and get that wire wrap done ASAP. I ordered trampoline stakes to keep the pens on the ground. I live in Oklahoma so we have extreme wind and tornadoes. The pens come with crappy tarps that get torn after a few months of use, so buy different ones. I plan on buying metal fencing that I’m gonna tie on the pen with those black things that tie down the tarp. Those little black things are very durable surprisingly. I have double because of my rooster pen, I am using those for my hen pen now. The black thing are basically balls with a loop of thick fabric on it. You loop it thru the fence and pole then secure it by putting the ball thru the loop. They hold tight. I guess they are called bungee balls I just looked them up. These look identical to what come with the pen. AOPRIE 30 Pack Bungee Balls, Black Ball Bungee Heavy Duty Heavyweight 4 inches Tarp Bungee Cords, Weather Resistant Tie Down Strap 4mm Thickness - for Camping, Tents, Cargo, Holding Wire and Hoses a.co/d/2uCMGPD I also am going to buy anti dig metal rod thingys. Adavin No Dig Animal Barrier Fence 4 Pack Underground Decorative Garden Fencing 20X10-INCH Dog Fences for The Yard Metal Fence Panel Ground Stakes Defence for Outdoor Patio a.co/d/esixq45 those but maybe from a different brand not sure yet. So if you want this pen to be predator proof you need to do a lot of extra. If you have a livestock guardian dog though then your fine with the pen as it is. I don’t have a LSGD though unfortunately. I *also* have a foot trap for foxes to step on and get caught in. Just for extra measure.
Thanks for the advice! Like I said in the video, it does need to be predator proofed. I agree with you! Sorry to hear about the foxes! Luckily we don’t have any predators as such in our area our main concern is hawk. We also have 2 dogs that will guard the ladies.
I have 2 of them. They are garbage. You can do much better for much cheaper with chicken wire and 2x2s. Mine are rusting out and falling apart after just 1.5 years. Absolute garbage. Had the tarp on the back that filled with water and collapsed the entire ceiling that i had to reenforce with lumber. All those zip ties when a stapeler would work great on 2x2s.
Hello! I don’t know the exact dimensions but I did have a bit of fencing led over. That being said, when I cut the fencing I made sure to pull it tight and try not to waste any. It should come with more than enough 👍🏼
@@vicsbackyardchicks6626 So my kit arrived in 1 box, 96lbs and is slightly different from yours. My chicken wire was 1.5M tall and 45M long. Instead of it being tall enough to do the front, back and top in 1 shot, it was only tall enough to roll around the bottom section. The directions suggested doing the top by rolling each section twice side by side, but I found it would work out better by doing 1 long strip from front to back beginning at the bottom of the top portion. Then I did a single strip across the apex and zip tied that uppermost layer to the bottom layer. It seems like my kit was extremely more bothersome than the kit you received and I’m truly envious. Once again, thank you for showing us your kit and much much luck with your chickies babies! Your channel truly does assist dummies like me and if no one else tells you this, your work is greatly appreciated and helpful. Take care!
Maybe that would work in a neighborhood, that would never work at my 20 acres. But you still have coyotes and raccoons I heard you say you need to predator proof it. Just one night and that thing would be dug up. Risky business putting them in it before you finish it. Good luck.
Exactly, lock them in something hard sided at night and you're fine. I did have a hawk and a fox attack with me standing just feet away, but chickens get hawk savvy and foxes typically move on quickly. Mink and weasel and racoons are out at night so a wooden coop is best. A simple barrier like wire fence for those random daytime opportunistic threats has been good enough for me.
yep, chicken wire keeps chickens IN, but does not keep predators OUT. You can get carports pretty cheap from harbor freight, and then raise the tarp to put some wire along the base.
@@patty9265 Wasn't talking about the run. I'm referring to the coop inside the run. The place the chickens get locked up at night. The coop is the important place to harden.
@@meoff7602 That's not what you said in your 1st response to me. And I clearly stated its the chicken wire... Say one day you don't make in home to put them in the coop ??? Wire is the 1st defense.. BUT YOU GOT THIS.
Hang some old dvd 📀 CDs , helps deter hawks n stuff because it reflects the sun and gives the impression of fire 🔥 to a bird flying. I can’t say it’s 💯 but we have had success doing this
@Vics Backyard Chicks I've wanted chickens for years now. Growing up, we had a flock of over 50. Most of my dinners were straight to table food. (We also had rabbits) my husband has been against because he doesn't understand that I can actually handle this on my own. He has trust issues with me and flock because his mom is an animal hoarder, and her massive flock is improperly cared for. Her eggs go to waste, and her chickens get sick. He asked why I wouldn't just eat her eggs because she has rats and I don't want to get sick. Also, she refuses to eat any of her chickens, which is OK because I wouldn't eat them either. Ok... I'm sorry... way too much information 😳🤣
But what is the cost. I see lots of comments on how people reinforced the one they bought, telling me it is not strong enough by itself. But what was the cost with the upgrades?
That latch is sharp. Bumped into it and slashed my arm on it. Might want to put some duct tape or electrical tape on the edges to make it feel better when you bump into it going in and out of the run.
Unfortunately, not all of us have carpentry skills or even the imagination to figure it out. I’ve had lumber for two years and still can’t figure it out. With that being said, I’m just going to buy one of these. Looks like even an idiot like me could assemble it 💕❤️
@@nobodyreally8441 we were in the same boat 😂 this was definitely a quick and easy option for us to go with!! Good luck 😍 if I can do it I know you can too!
