How to Build a Predator Proof Chicken Run around your Coop // DIY Project 

I was literally up every night dealing w preditors until I bought a Great Pyrenees . She is absolutely amazing; I can't possibly write enough good about this breed of dog !

Plant a thorny blackberry vine on each corner of the coop an use wire twist ties to fasten them to the fence. The thorns will prevent critters out. An provide shelter from high winds and shade an. Fruit provides needed food

Since you asked, I’m going to tell you. Your bird netting above would keep aerial predators out. But a raccoon or possum would rip right through that. That’s speaking from experience. You really need to put both the hardware cloth and cattle fencing all around the entire enclosure including the top. This is to keep the raccoons, possums, mice, rats, rats with feathers (sparrows, quails, any small birds really) out. For one, you don’t want to lose all your feed to the neighborhood critters if your feeder is outside the coop. Again speaking from experience. Second and more importantly, it is to keep your flock from catching diseases like bird flu or hantavirus that can be transmitted to humans. Lastly, you don’t have to fabricate the expensive and laborious rebar ground protection. Simply run the cattle fencing and/or hardware cloth 18-24” longer at the bottom of the walls and fold to form a horizontal apron that extends out around the perimeter of the enclosure. That should keep out the digging predators.

Yes, I have flashing lights around my chicken coop at night, and always have since 2018 and never had any predators at night visiting the coop. So far I consider that a win for my girls and me. I think it does the trick. Great video Thank you

It’s a constant battle that’s for sure, but to win you have to fight, and thy enemies are smart! One night we heard the chickens sounding the alarm, go check and nada. Go back to house but alarm goes off again, dang. After searching for entry points and filling in digs we felt satisfied and confident we could go to sleep now. Just as we were about to leave my brothers light caught a glimpse of something, and believe this or not a opossum was setting on the roost between two birds. He set still there the entire time as we worked to secure the house, lol!

Chicken wire and fencing keep chickens IN . Hardware cloth keeps predators OUT.

I came up with the anti-dig spike strips as well a few years ago after a rottweiler bullied his way under our chain link fence and did some horrible things to our chickens at the time. Our chicken accoutrements are more budget based than yours, but all the same concepts. I salvaged a few wrought iron hand rails from a porch, cut them in half longways, and each railing made 2 sets of anti-dig spike strips. I drove them into the ground but through the bottom links in the fence to pin it down while also offering protection below grade. Works great.

cameras on the inside of the coop is a great idea. we did that and I would watch the chickens at work on my computer. Always made me happy when I was having a rough day. We called it the "Chick Cam".

As an experienced painter I have to say this: Generally, putting paint on fresh pressure treated lumber (or anything) often doesn't hold up very long, especially when it's in contact with the ground. Primers are an essential part of painting any substrate that's "naked" to achieve the proper bond. Metal, wood, whatever you're painting, (job specific) primer is a little extra step that'll save you in the long run from constant future maintenance. FYI.

If you have mink/ermine/weasels in the area, your spikes are not going to keep them from digging in. The smallest of them only need a gap the size of a nickel to get through and they are ruthless and will kill the entire flock for sport. We used a 2' apron of 1/2" hardware cloth around the entire outside of the coop/run then used the spikes also to secure the end and keep larger digging animals out. Most critters will go right to the edge of the fencing or wall then try to dig so the apron extends the protection beyond where most will dig, and the spikes prevent the apron from being pulled up. Also, netting is great to keep flying predators at bay, but racoons will chew through it so make sure you check it often to make sure there is no damage.

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but if you don’t have some kind of support for your top netting, the weight of snow will cave in the the whole thing. We learned this the hard way trying to keep up year around bird netting for our blueberries. The snow doesn’t just fall through; it eventually builds up and gets very heavy. Looks like a beautiful coop and run. Best of luck!

So glad you thought about coming through underneath the fence. We found out the hard way. We put hardware wire under the ground about two feet all the way around and it worked.

Beautiful coop. You can also put that 1/2" hardware cloth on the ground and use the U stakes to hammer it in to the dirt to stop digging predators as well. I did that 2 feet out all around. I also put some cinder blocks on it, filled it with dirt and planted some marigolds and mint and oregano. Chickens love to eat marigolds, mint and the oregano is great for their body, a natural antibiotic. Pick some off from the flowers and herbs and give it to your chickens. I also added a metal roof over the coop to cover their ramp to get in and out of their coop and had rain barrels on each side on the outside of the fencing to catch the rain water. Put a cover over the top and a fine mesh over the hole where the rain water comes in to stop debris, or birds or squirrels from getting into it. The roof will help stop the run from getting too muddy under and around their coop, especially when you are collecting eggs.

Great video. I'm researching for the coop I'm going to build and one thing I know for certain: I'm using hardware cloth on every wall. Anything else and animals can get in. Raccoons have hands almost as good as ours and they can easily reach into most fencing, unless it's hardware cloth. It's more expensive, but it's done right the first time and your chickens are protected.

Dude, you’re a total goofball! Loved your video and commercial. Great advice and excellent video. I loved how you were able to overcome all challenges and come up with some pretty cool ideas.

Excellent job! I ended up wrapping the entire run in hardware cloth and using a very thick (expensive) netting for the overhead. Also I put up a galvanized roof over the coop itself for weather protection and general cover for the girls. Then I put a 15 to 20 inch hardware cloth skirt around the entire 18 x 13 foot run. Whew!

Them chickens are living the good life.

I'm so glad you added hardware cloth. I was having panic attacks with that goat fencing. Weasels are also a call for hardware cloth.

Also, snakes go right through that larger mesh fencing. You have to do the whole thing in hardware cloth (the smaller mesh.) Snakes will come for the eggs and they will kill the chickens. What I did for ground predators (diggers) was to put a row of those 1' x 1' concrete pavers you can get at the big box store for like $1.30/stone. Just lay them on the ground along the perimeter. They will come up to the fence, try to dig and be foiled. They don't know to back off a couple of feet to start a dig. Finally, I did a "double door" with a small 3' x 3' gap between two doors. The floor of that area I did in some concrete (couple of bags of sack create will do.) That will help secure the door area and keep chickens from escaping, especially when you have kids over and such and they carelessly leave the door open.

Hardware cloth laid on the ground...use ground staples...prevents digging. Usually placed on outside of run. Grass grows up & u don't see it. Hardware cloth & hard wire keeps out predators. That small stuff u put around bottom also will keep raccoons from reaching in & dragging out birds or parts of them.

Really beautiful chicken coop and run! I love your idea for underground protection - better than what you usually see.

Timberland Pros are the best……

I really like the in ground spikes. When you movethr coup, place a 1/2” rebar stake with about 3’ sticking up. There are insulators made to put on rebar or any 1/2” diameter pole. Using the insulators you can put up the hardware cloth (aka rabbit wire) that you already have or use poultry wire (much cheaper) to make a 2’ fence around the outside parameter of the chicken run. Similar to what you have already done but make sure the new fence is isolated from ground. You can now attache a small solar fence charger to the new protective fence. Even snakes won’t cross that hot fence. I have a small solar charger that is designed for pets or small animals. It bites but it isn’t like the big ones that make you wet your pants and say very ugly words every time it pulses. I had no idea I could say that really ugly word that many times oer second. They can be cut off any time you need. You don’t have a predator that will challenge that fence. After the second run in, most predators will give your entire area around the chicken yard a wide berth and go on down the road to the neighbors. If you hear a blood curdling scream in the middle of the night, you can just turn over and go back to sleep. Oh yea, if the rebar post gives you any safety concerns, some sporting goods stores as well as Amazon sell used golf balls for cheap. Drill a hole the same diameter as your post and glue one to the top of each post. The golf balls can be painted with fluorescent paint so that you don’t accidently find the fence while checking on your feathered friends at night. You just need one more thing. There was no sign warning those with a weak heart or sensitive ears that “FOWL LANGUAGE SPOKEN HERE”.

Super impressive build. The yard looks as great as the coop. That was very smart & creative to ‘paint’ the netting. The rebar perimeter is brilliant & saves from digging out to bury fencing. Little warning about the aerial netting and the trees… getting fallen branches and limbs detangled and removed from the netting is a major pain and nearly impossible. I built a coop/run with aviary netting under trees and it was a total pain dealing w limbs/branches after storms.

I love the build. It looks like you have covered just about every threat. Great job. In my area we have coyotes, raccoons, fox, hawks, huge owls, stray dogs, and also skunks and weasels.

OMG absolutely love you guys! Our chickens are part of the family! Beautiful job learned a lot from your video, thank you for sharing.

This is the baddest coop very sharp and the run u made I agree u did everything u cud. Nice build great content. Thanks

Looks great. Small suggestion : I think you should of used the backside of the coop as a wall so when you clean you dont have to trek through the run to get to the coop.

Beautiful coop!! Thanks for sharing.

I am so glad you did this video, I just saw it. WE gave 1/2 of our flock away after a devastating fox attack earlier this year. We had been free ranging for 4 years. Didn't want to go back to picking up headless chickens it wasn't a pleasant experience. You have given me some serious food for thought and Ideas about how to build something that allows them to have ample space and protection thank you.

Like the Timberland commercial. Snakes can still get in.

Thanks for sharing this! 💯

Good craftsmanship. We've had to use vinyl coated hardware cloth with (no larger than) 1/4" holes on all sides of pen to keep out WEASELS and SNAKES. They climb and find small spaces to enter. Birds usually are found dead with no obvious wounds (pale tongues, undetectable punctures in neck) or alive but suddenly weak from blood loss. (Vinyl coated 1/4" hardware cloth can be bought online and shipped).

Love your energy and tips! Thank you very much! Bless you and your Family.

What a great coop! Thanks for your video.

AMAZING , I LOVE COOP !!!

Wonderful job. Hardware cloth is great. We dug down 8" and out 10"s/bent our 48" hardware cloth at 8" mark craeting an L. Buried the 8"s and attached the 40"s to the Runn. Nothing can dig in/or under this. Its been a year and our Hens are safe.. Also, getting the Omlet Auto Door for nights when we might get home after dark. This has been a game changer for my peace of mind.

I would highly suggest either using screws or sandwiching the welded wire between 2 boards with screws. Roaming dogs, racoons, and coyotes can pull or push the wire loose from the staples, or even break the welds. The hardware cloth around the base is crucial as well, good job there. We use chain link fence and hardware cloth on the inside and nothing can make a dent in it. Your anti-dig spikes out of rebar are a good idea, but I would still be worried about rats digging in if you have babies or bantams. A 1/2 inch or 1 inch predator apron or buried wire would be a little more error proof. We are able to slack a little on our coop/run defenses, because we have a livestock guardian dog in the field where our runs are, but with no LGD, you have to really make it robust. The aesthetics of your coop and run are fantastic btw, very well done!

I like your chicken run as well as your upgrades. Thank you for sharing.

IMPRESSIVE!!! Awesome!!!

Awesome video!!! Thanks for sharing 😊

Speaking from experience, a small mink can get through the 2x4 welded wire. Lost 4 girls before I figured it out. Put up chicken wire 10' on the outside of the welded wire. If you have minks in your area, be careful. I had no idea about minks until the attack...

I also have netting over the coops. I used light weight netting and, yes, trees. Your idea of cutting planking in rings is great. Making me think! 😃

We have fishers and weasels around here that slip right through chicken wire and wipe out a flock in a night. We have to use 1/2” hardware cloth rather than the wire garden mesh throughout but otherwise this looks great!

Amazing coop ! Wow 🤩

Your workshop is amazing! :)

I love your chickens, They are so cute. Your work and recommendation are informative. Love it. Thanks for sharing

Lol like you I LOVE playing with my chickens wattles they are so cute and soft like earlobes but better! 😅❤

If you put a border of concreet tiles around the fence, (1 m wide), that is also very good for animals that dig dipper than the spikes.

Stellar job. Very nicely done.

Despite your age, you have youthful vitality. And you have a great art of craft, and you have a very nice sense of humor. I thank you for the work that exceeds excellence, and I ask God for success and a long life for you

Do you think those chickens know how lucky they are?! Nice job as usual.

Impressive build! Great job!

Thank 😊 for your time

Won’t you be my neighbor?! 🎼🎶 That coop is amazing!

That's really nice, I need to build something like that, I really love the idea of being able to take it apart and move it.

Thank you. We are starting our chicken Clucking journey.

What a darling flock!

The sign on the door is KILLING ME. Hahahahahahaha

Nice run. The chickens will love it.

Great work 😊

This was so good

Well you just gained another subscriber. From Texas love your work y’all.

If you extended your fencing at the ground level out from the coup, you can also defeat digging threats. you can hold it down with a few bricks strategically placed or you can cut a rectangle out of old fencing and hammer it down

This is goat no climb fencing. We have lost several flocks to minks digging under the frame. They can also go through the 2x3” fencing you’re using. I recovered all of our static pen and chicken house ventilation areas with hardware cloth. Much better! I dug down one foot around the outside of the bottom frame and buried the hw cloth, then mixed quickcrete and poured. Back filled with dirt and rocks, then placed 12x12” concrete pavers 2” thick around the entire perimeter. We call it Fort Knox…😂😂 Our outdoor static pen has metal roofing which protects then in bad weather, and our chicken house has clear composite roofing panels for extra light. 😂😂 This comes from 15 years of experience raising chickens here on our land. We have lost some to foxes, owls, minks, hawks…you name it. So we spent $700.00 recovering our entire set up with the hw cloth. It was money well spent. 😊 Haven’t lost a bird since.

A heavy woven netting 2x2 works well. We used it for my friend’s chicken run. I used hardware cloth for my run fencing and buried it 10-12” under the whole run. Lot of work but in the years I’ve had it (7-8?), nothing has dug in. Subscribed

Amazing chicken coop you have made and you have put a lot of effort to show how you made it.thank you.

A hog panel laid down on the ground under your panels would stop the digging in, but you would need solid fence panels topping your run to stop coons and possums and martins/weasels. They can and will rip the netting and invade your chicken run. This would make a lovely catio tho!

You are very innovative and good at blbg stuff. Snakes & fox & cayote are also a problems where we live, so I gotta use alotta hardware cloth. Once I skipped the top and just used feathernet electric fence from Premier Fence that envclosed trees & bushes. Provided lotsa places for them to duck & hide along with a couple roosters.

Ok. LOVE this project. Just showed this to my hubby to show him how easy it is to do! Apparently, I am "honey" as well with wanting cameras in/out of coop! Thank you for sharing. We thoroughly enjoyed this video--commercial and all! 🙂

Bart the chicken coop da villa still looks as good as the day you built it as for the additions we'll all I can say is it's just turned coop da villa into Fortknox coop da villa, that things almost impenetrable by any predators known to man !!!. This video just like many of your previous videos had me doubled over in laughter what with Rupaul and Tony Montana let alone Mack N Cheese 🧀 🤣 who or how on earth do you come up with these name choices 🤔 nomatter just brilliant!!! As always buddy 💯% 👍 🇬🇧.

Fantastic video !

ce n'est pas un poulailler c'est un hotel pour volaille c'est splendide magnifique quel beau travail BRAVO

Super nice job

I love the cameras, inside the coop is a great idea too. To be able to see what the chickens are doing inside on cold winter days will be entertaining. 👍👍

Wire shelving around the perimeter ground works for digging. Very approachable for most people

well done & you have some cool looking chickens

I can't help but smile every time I see your Coop Da Villa !! I might have to steal that idea !

very nice chicken coop.

Love the names of your chickens😂

Freaking awesome build. Holiday Inn for chickens!

Nice build

awesome!

I just love your video. Love your flock. And you made my day. Had me laughing.

Lay your fencing down on the outside 2' wide all around. Use fence stakes (those little hooked J-Stakes) to hold the edges down and staple to the 2x4 frame. Racoons, Dogs, Coyotes, Possums, it will stop them all from digging. If a canine is getting insistent night after night trying to get thru the fence, put up some rabbit fence. A couple zaps from that should deter them. Add a Goose or two to your flock. Hawks or anything else coming in over the top will be stopped by those things. They are basically winged Donkeys.

Nice job 💪

It's coming along nicely. Gott love the eggs. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep making. God Bless.

It looks so much better than that multi colored one… it looks so nice matching the coop and the fence. ♥️♥️♥️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Amazing!

I like your short roosting boards.

Thanks for information🙏

Great Video! Thnx

A cheap solution is the lay chicken wire flat on the ground around the exterior, best if actually barred an inch or two underground, it's also a great solution if you have a problem with dogs digging holes under fences.

Awesome chkn Run!! 20x20 👍🏻

Fantastic coop and run. I have a similar one (not as pretty as yours) for my girls but since we are in Scotland I put a roof on made of corrugated polycarbonate. Still let’s plenty of light in but protects from the rain. We used 3/4 inch 16g weld mesh. Our predators are foxes and badgers plus hawks. Love you flock. All the best. Mags.

Bart I just discovered your channel. You are a charming host and accomplished craftsman with great ideas. Your chickens are cute too ;) Consider me a new fan!

New subscriber here from UK. Really good video and ideas. Our biggest problem is foxes but I use electric poultry fencing and 2 solar panels to keep batteries charged which works well providing you naked sure grass doesn’t shirt out the fence. I love the spikes you made it’s brilliant for fixed runs. Mandy in Devon uk 🇬🇧

Nicely Done Sir..!

Thank you!👍

You might want to put a sturdy wire mesh across the bottom of the enclosure to keep animals from burrowing in, those rebar spikes are still wide enough for something like a fox or weasel to squeeze through. There are a lot of smaller predators that squeeze through tight spaces.