Dog Kennel vs Coop with Run

[georgiagail]

Pictures of a couple of ours with the dog runs...

We use the runs from Lowes; they can be set up as a 10 x 10 or a 5 x 15 run.

 

[georgiagail]

In the far right hand corner you might be able to see where we placed one of our coops IN the 5 by 15 dog run but then added another run (using PVC pipe and hardware cloth) to give these bantams a bit more space)...

 

[PapaChaz]

good looking set up Gail. I am confused by something though. If those would do 10x10, shouldn't they do 5x20? You're giving up 25 sq ft at 5x15

 

[Blooie]

We used cattle panels arched over and connected to steel fence posts driven deep into the ground. The run is offset from the coop and there is a sort of "breezeway" between them. Ken didn't want to take out his apricot tree for the run, hence the offset. I really prefer the coop outside the run setups. I just think that the chickens use every square foot available to them, so why not give them the most space in both. There are always times when they just can't go out for free range time, so having the option of still having a wide open run to "chicken" in is helpful. Mine spend their confinement time out in the run, but the pop door to the coop is always open so they come and go at will.


That little gray box looking thing under and to the left of the window is their "breezeway" into the run. You can just see the top of the pop door against the building, and in this shot it happens to be closed. That little entry between coop and run blocks wind from getting into the coop, sheds rain and snow and works great. I'm so happy we took the hoop coop idea that so many have used, but built the coop as a separate place rather than building a smaller coop within the hoop. Works for us, anyway.

Edited to add: There is no reason the same kind of separate-but-connected setup can't work with a dog kennel instead of the hoop we used. Just remember what others have said about predators being able to reach into the chain link, and prepare accordingly.