Building Our Predator-Proof Chicken Run Part 1: The Roof 

I just want you all to know Matt is still helping us all . I’m using this video to build my chicken run . We love you and I so proud that you have this video of him . RIP... Matt

Can we all shout out the great husbands of the world - they do exist! Wish your family and those baby chicks all the best!

Just so heartbreaking ...praying Heather and her dear family can heal and remember the good times with her precious Matty .

So very sorry for your loss. My prayers are with all of your family. RIP Matt 🙏😭

Hey Matt ! 😊♥️….an Angel then and a Angel now. Your never alone. What a Blessing. ♥️👍👍👍

Thank you so much for the shout out guys ! And thank you to your supporters who came over to say hello and check us out ! Glad you got your run completed and it looks really secure ! Glad to help any way we can ! It looks great ! Awesome job !

So glad I found this one in your playlist. A wonderful day and cherished memory.

I miss you Matt. Loved how you treated Heather & the kids & how you made her laugh.

So heartbroken over your great loss. We love your precious family. We will do all we can to get you through your healing. I'll be watching ALL your videos to help your family on RU-vid. God bless you and your precious family

that man of yours is Amazing girl!

Rest in Peace of the Lord. God's got your family. He's got many, many people praying and looking for ways to encourage and help.

❤️good husband. Sorry for your loss.

Even for a short time...you were loved beyond measure. You are lucky. He will always be there for you. God bless.

Continuing to watch your playlist. Matt Conn, R.I.P.

Wow! What a project! Matt explains things out like you do Heather. Matt really made a Grand Hotel for your chicks! Awesome 👍😎👍

In Australia, we use snake mesh to cover the sides and top of bird cages. Its a square mesh about 1/3” of an inch square to keep larger snakes out. It won’t keep out hatchling snakes but hens would eat them anyway. There would be no gaps anywhere. I sort of wonder how you control them and weasels etc? We also dig down and bury wire about a foot down to stop things from digging in. Its good to see your husband Matt, even though he is gone now so tragically, its a nice reminder of his important presence and contribution to the family.

Prayers sent.

Bro you saved my life! I’ve bee scouring the entire RU-vid for this solution! I’ve been searching for 1 week every day for hours sleeping until 4am trying to find a video like this. I appreciate this video so much. Hope all is well 🙏

I hear you lady! We had a run built and we just reinforce the ceiling on it today. We had chicken wire rolled across the top and it was fine and in fine shape. I had ducks in there for 3 1/2 years and not one predator could get in. But I do know the chicken wire will wear out. So we put fencing up there today. Like y’all we are reinforced for an apocalypse!!!!

Great for any pets. Dogs especially. Great job. We did this for our chickens.

Hey Matt, These chickies do not realize how lucky the are to have you and Heather to give them this luxurious condo, safe and easy living. You did a great job. 👍👍👍👍👍🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓

What a great guy. Always doing anything he could to help his sweet wife. God be with you Heather and all of your loved ones.

The girls are settled in, I saw them on your Instagram post. Loved how they come running when they hear your voice!! Well done Matt. X

You sir are brilliant!!!!

I also used dog kennels for my chicken run. It was easier and they were on sale. Double bonus ❤️

Great job Matt! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Very nice chicken run. Never seen it done that way before. A preditor would have to work very hard to get in.

What a wonderful man 💙

Zip ties would work too. 👍

Very practical. Praying for you and your family. ❤️❤️🙏🙏🤗🤗🤗

Great job, great idea. Dog run, awsome.

Great job. Thanks for the video.

That is an awesome run!! Great idea!! GOOO Matt!! Looking forward to watching your chicken and garden videos

Really enjoyed the video! Gave us some great ideas!

Great job Matt....That makes a nice run for the chickens. Love their pink sand bath. So nice for the ladies. Y'all stay well and have a Blessed day.

🐣 Matt you are so great at explaining things in your soothing voice. See you in heaven, after l visit with Jesus and my son. Blessings to you all family and fans. 🦋🕊

This is terrific, I bet Heather is happy. Thanks Matt!

Great job! I love when things are functional AND look nice , too!

I love the train. It's a comforting sound. Because this coop was made with love, I'm sure it holds lots of love in it! Love you, Heather!

done right from the JUMP!

Great idea. I'm trying to figure out how to expand it a little for my chain link run. Thanks Matt, you will be so missed!

Thank you..🌻

I'm very impressed with the care and thought you put into this plan - it definitely shows. Well done Matt! Looking forward to seeing the additional improvements you'll be making to further secure the coop. Thanks for sharing your construction.

What a great run! I am stealing the tire sand bath idea! Love that... The behind the scenes footage was great 😂 thanks for leaving it in!

Awesome job you guys!!! I'm a city girl through an through... No farm animals for me... Lol (farm animals dislike me for some reason)... But my children are doing exactly what you all are doing, and I'm so proud if them... Proud of you for how far you have come!!!!

Very nice job!

Great job

Great looking chicken coop..happy little chick's they will be!. Great hubby you got there..he looks like he should of been in Braveheart ❤ good luck!🍀

We probably would of used zip ties. Didn't think about hog rings. I am sure they will last a lot longer! Great job, Matt!

Wow that’s a great job done dear..chicken will be very happy.. enjoy watching your video.. new friend stay connected stay blessed 👍🙂❤️🤝👌🛎🙂

Great job. Thanks for sharing

That’s so awesome I loved it. Can’t wait to watch some more. Your husband and son did a fantastic job!!!

This looks so sturdy! Do it right and do it once!💪

This is a great run. I’m sharing with some one who just asked for help in creating one for her chickens!🙌👏👏

Looks good! The chickens will love that! Many healing prayers for you and your family 🙏🙏🌻🌻❤️❤️

Two thumbs up on the top welded wire! We did that on our old bantam coop, but my husband used long flexible PVC pipe in an arch, if you saw those way back in the earlier days of our coops. That is the only way to do it on top, not bird netting, which is useless except to keep birds inside. I keep telling people that a lot of planning and thought in the beginning and crawling around on the ground to see what ground predators see is a great thing to do to shore up weak spots, too. People try to save money in the beginning, only to lose their flocks and have to start over. They often forget dig barriers and hardware cloth over every opening larger than 1/2". The top of the gate is a weak spot that took some thought to fill in, as well as under the gate where they can dig-we buried one of those closet shelf things, the coated wire, right in front of the gate so nothing could dig, but it did not interfere with the gate opening. So much to think about, right? I like it so far, Heather! Take care! ~Cynthia

Excellent idea

Nothing is getting through that run! Nicely done!

What a great and well thought out set up! Thank you very kindly for sharing this with us! :)

Rest In Peace Matt. Thank you for helping me make the best coop a dad can make for his daughters.

How is it possible this vibrant human being can be taken away through no fault of his own by just the choice of another person? I believe there is no one that has not been affected by the loss of this wonderful man. I hope that the person who chose to kill him will never be still. Everywhere he goes, someone will know he murdered Matt. Let him never find peace.

I chicken coup to be proud of. I bought a used dog pen and will add it this year for my chickens . My neighbors dogs will kill them so they can not free range until I move them to the field and fence it in. Prayers and Love your way 🙏❤

Thanks dude! Excellent video!

Those dog kennels are the bomb! You did a fine job!!!

happy chickens

Great video! I haven't saw one of your videos in a long time. Some reasoning they aren't coming up on my fed of videos to watch.

You can get the clamps at quite a few feed stores. Along with gate hardware for similar construction. deb

Such a great idea with the hog pliers!! I'm going to have to get some!! Thanks for the link :)

Great job!!!

Very informative video!! I learned a lot & took notes. Now let’s see if I can apply this knowledge

We did almost the same set up as you when we had our chickens but we tarped a section of the top to give the chickens shade and rain protection.

I was watching cavalcade of food a fellow Michigander he made City Chicken ever herd of it?

Love it! You might want to consider a roof over part of the run for shade and protection from hard rains or snow, flooding the run near the coop and allows them to stay outdoors in bad weather. Just a thought! We learned as we went too. We actually metal roofed the whole run the 2nd year. We also plastic most sides of the run in winter (WI here) so they can still go out of the coop. I adore you two!

It looks great

I like this chicken run

Great this video

Wire twisting pliers would have been very helpful. Great job on the run!!!

Looks great! Great job Matt! xo

We love you Matt. Please know that Heather and family are being looked upon by God for their wellbeing. Fly high with Jesus by your side.

You are a Rockstar!!!! I have been looking for a roof for my dog run. I live with black bears and mountain lions. My dogs don't stay in the run. It is just for night time potty breaks. You inspired me. I think I will use your idea with the bars on top but use more dog run panels for the roof. It won't keep bears and lions out but it will slow them down enough to get my pups inside the house if they come around. Thank you tons!!!!

This is a great video. Mush better run than the prefab medal run I was going to get. This seems more stable and secure.

Nice job.

Such a manly man!

I got the 10x20 ft chicken run by ordering from Walmart having to pay the two teens down the road to put up for me hubby and I put up the over ez chicken coop but had to climb back into semi to haul food can’t wait to be able to not drive truck anymore so I can enjoy life. Love how you reinforce this I also have to run 1x2 on floor so predictors can’t break in and put dirt over it how deep should I do that to protect chickens feet?

Sweet 👌

It looks nice you did a good job at putting up the fence The Coop that is are you going to put wire on the little window behind the chicken hoop house it looks like the birds may try to break the window and fly in or the Eagles are you going to put a strip of wire to block off the windows or will they be all right just saying

From an old farm girl, weasels will love the space between panels, they can squirm thru anything, think of a mongoose how slim they are. They will borrow under or imbetween any opening. My dad used concrete blocks one layer half under with another on top for the ground. Groundhogs and squirrels looking for food will easily dig under. Just some advice even with all that dad still had to spend a few nites looking for that pesky weasel. Good luck!

Hey a new video missed you Heather.

Great job. Do you hire out? Lol

Watch out for snakes. They love eggs when they find a source.

I have read not to use play sand- silica I believe is an issue for chickens. Thank you I am going to add a top.

Are you planning on also securing it down to the roof poles? May help with wind slap noise?

❤️

❤❤❤

One thing Matt..our son has a duck yard very similar. They had a skunk get into the fence area.through thr gate space..between the fence and gate. He had laid down chicken wire on ground and covered with dirt to prevent predators from digging under. But never thought a predator could squeeze through the small gate to fence space. Just wanted to give you a heads up on that.

Oh, my gosh- it's absolutely beautiful!! Two questions: do you worry about critters getting in around the door frames? Seems like the vulnerable points. Also, are you going to cut an opening in the back of the coop at that door? (The last question is probably stupid, but I don't understand how they get into the run, otherwise).. Thank you for sharing!!

This man is Christ's Bride. To do all this for his wife for her chickens, his heart held Christ's love. He so loved his wife like Christ loves His church. May Mina grow up to have a husband to love her as well.

Great video!! I'm wondering where the best place to buy a dog kennel is?

cool chicken run. can I use small space live stock(pig/goat) panels for the roof? and bears oh my. I take it you live near a train track

That's what we did.