chicken run made with t-posts?

[Tulips08]

I'm in the "make it as big as I can, as fast as I can, without spending my life-savings" mode. I also have very little construction experience and want to use what I have.

I'd like to use t-posts with cattle panels and hardware cloth attached to the cattle panels. But I don't know the best way to attach everything together. Or if there is some really clever way to make it more structurally "sound". Our daytime predator load is pretty light, our night time predator load is heavier, but my coop is very strong and that's where my little flock is locked at night. My biggest predator won't be stopped without electric (bear) and that's not in the budget right now, but my dog does a very good job keeping those away. I also have a smaller run that's wooden-framed, completely enclosed in hardware cloth, but I want to make their space much bigger for daytime-only use. I plan to put netting over the top to keep out the hawks, which seem to be our biggest daytime issue.

I'd love any thoughts you can provide. Supplies I need (besides the t-posts, clips, panels, and hardware cloth). I have no clue what I'm doing here, so talk to me like that. I won't be insulted.

Also, if this just has "BAD IDEA" written all over it, let me know that too. This is my first attempt at chickens (I only have 4) so I don't know what I don't know.

 

[mowin]

I plan on doing the same thing. T post, but instead of cattle panels, I've got 4" welded wire fencing. This secondary run will be used after I'm home for the day. The gals will be in their coop/main run until then.

I plan on attaching the fencing to the T posts with 10” lengths of rebar wire. I will line 3' of the fencing with HC, along with a 1' apron. I'll cover the top with heavy gage, but lite weight deer fencing to deter flying predators.

 

[Folly's place]

How about several strands of electric, or electrified poultry netting? Check Premier1supplies.com, and HowardE has good advice on this site.
Your plan isn't bad at all, but actually there are alternatives. You will want it tall enough to walk in, and dig proof, and that's a lot harder to accomplish on a big scale.
I think that you won't have fun building fencing as described!
Mary

 

[Ghosty]

2x4 welded wire may be easier and less costly than the cattle panels, and provide better protection. You could attatch the hardware cloth to the welded wire with j-clips or something similar.

 

[jthornton]

Cattle panels are pretty cheap... depends on what kind of soil you have and how deep you drive the T posts. I had a medium size dog push one of mine over after a lot of rainy days and killed my whole flock... the dog didn't make it out of my yard.

As for fastening stuff to T posts they make wire clips for field fencing which may be a better cheaper way maybe to keep dog size predators out. Price things out to see how much a foot it will cost you.

JT

 

[jthornton]

2x4 welded wire may be easier and less costly than the cattle panels, and provide better protection.

That is some serious barrier there and screwed down with fender washers to boot and cage clips all over the place. Looking real safe in there.

JT

 

[aart]

I'd love any thoughts you can provide. Supplies I need (besides the t-posts, clips, panels, and hardware cloth). I have no clue what I'm doing here, so talk to me like that. I won't be insulted.

There are lots of ways to use Tposts and livestock panels...tho the clips may not work with the 1/4" rods on the LS panels.
But look for 'hoop coops':
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/65388042/?q=hoop+coop&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

I used Tposts and 14ga 2x4 fencing...but went extreme DIY for the rafters.

 

[Ghosty]

That is some serious barrier there and screwed down with fender washers to boot and cage clips all over the place. Looking real safe in there.

JT

Thanks JT. That is my 4' x 5' broody/chick area inside my coop. Right now it is occupied by my broody and the only two chicks that made it. The blue one has a bad eye, and maybe a bad bum, poor feller. PS :Sorry for the hijack.

 

[sealer39]

Tulips08,
I just started building one today as you described. Mine will only be 10’x20’ though. I’m building it on the open end of a metal shed I’m converting to a temporary coop to hold some older hens that I rescued.
All I did today was lay out the perimeter and flag where the T posts will go. Get some ear protection if your going to use a T Post driver. My ears were ringing after the first hard hit earlier today. I’m using 5’ chicken wire and 6’ posts. We had a good rain last night and even with wet ground those posts are going to take some work to drive them down a foot.
As far a connecting the wire, I’m going to use several bags of black zip ties and I’ll also try to use the T Post clips in some way.
I’m going to get pvc pipe (2” pipe should fit) to put over the tops of the t post. I’ll cut each about 6” to length, then drill a hole through the pvc to attach a 10’ 3/4 pvc electrical conduit. This will help support the bird netting over the top. I’ve got some old fence posts I’m going to lay on the ground around the perimeter. I will then staple the chicken wire to those to help keep the predators out.

 

[Tortoise]

I just built one with U post, similar concept as T post. I then attached 2x4x6 to them with nuts and bolts so I could have wood to attach different things too and to make it taller. Then ran hardware cloth.