Chicken Runs

How to Build Cheap Chicken Runs

In this post I will tell the story how got started building cheap chicken runs. I messed up at first, but after I found the proper hen house plans it was a success!

If you want to take a peak at the plans now, click here

We live in a house with a nice, not all too big a garden. To make it a bit livelier, last year we decided to build a chicken run at the back of the garden. So without thinking about it too long, I got to work. I build the chicken pen first, using old wood I got from the place I work.
I never knew how chicken runs are to be set up, but I figured that a good lot of mashed wire attached to some guide poles would do the trick. I put a net over the chicken run and voila, I was finished.

All I paid for was the mash wire and the poles. Altogether I spent only € 30,- on it, with enough room for five hens. I was so proud….

Then came the Misses. She gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear: “Tear it down love, it’s downright ugly”

How about that for all my hard work huh?

I was agitated to say the least. But when it comes to style &  esthetics, my wife is right most of the time. During dinner that  evening she told me she had seen a beautiful coop and chicken run for only € 749,- that would fit perfectly in our garden.

Now that was crazy. You know how many eggs each hen would have to lay to break even on that?” No matter how good that hen house looks, I can do that better for less “, I thought.

Now this chicken run had to be good-looking, fit all five hens in, be practical and most of all, be cheap. All easier said than done, I didn’t know where to start or how to plan this. To be honest, I knew nothing about keeping chickens in the first place!

So after some research I was where most of you guys are right now. I knew the basics, how chickens tick and how cool it is to have them. But I still couldn’t fit the pieces together. I needed a good plan that takes me by the hand, step by step and leads to a good result.

All the free stuff I downloaded was either incomplete, ugly or unreadable. Not a sure success. I just decided to give it a go and buy a plan. After all, if I wasn’t satisfied, there was a 60 day money back guarantee on it.

I was surprised by the comprehensive designs. No plans only a carpenter can read, just easy to follow plans with pictures to refer to. I loved it. The ebook took me from planning through preparation to building. It even had a customer service!

After one week our new pen and chicken run were built. My wife loved it! While I built the chicken run, she varnished the pen and prepared the nesting area.

And now, one year later, our chicken run still stands proudly, weathering our crazy,northern alps climate. All for less than €160,- One of our neighbours even asked us to build him a chicken run like that. So now I am even contemplating to make it a business.

Check out Chicken DIY Guide here