Converting a dog run

[Mjismom]

Hello all! We have a mostly concrete dog run on the side of our house with a small dirt patch. (Pardon the mess - chickens haven’t lived here for several months.)



Half the dog run is for the dog (on the other side of the black fence). We have a tiny coop/run that we adopted with 4 chickens about a year ago on the dirt patch. We no longer have those chickens, but we now have 9 baby silkie and Easter egger chicks and 10 random breed eggs in the incubator. We will probably end up keeping about 6 chickens.

I would love to make this a better area for the chickens without spending an arm and a leg. Our previous 4 chickens would free range in this little area all day, but it doesn’t feel like enough “land” to me. And we do have predators (we live near an open space with hawks and coyotes), but we didn’t have an issue with them with the previous 4 chickens.

One idea we had is to bring in a load of dirt and cover the concrete. That seems like a lot of work. And what kind of dirt would you recommend?

And then the coop was barely big enough for 4 chickens. I have been looking on Facebook Marketplace for anyone getting rid of a good coop, but I haven’t found one yet. I am open to some DIY ideas here that aren’t too difficult/expensive. Maybe an open shed conversion? I don’t know.

Do you have any ideas for this space?

 

[paintedChix]

What state do you live in & what is your weather like?

What is the actual width of that space? Are you able to legally put a coop in that space? A lot of neighborhoods require minimum of 12- 50' between fence/property lines & structures. This includes sheds, dog houses & coops/runs. Do you know how long the fence has been installed? PVC becomes brittle & breaks down in extreme heat both here & further west where it has harsher/closer sun exposure. Depending on type used - in a couple of years or could be enough for your long term enjoyment.

Who actually maintains this fence? Your first "job" may be to put HWC on your side, w/ a 2' apron. The apron prevents your chickens from digging/laying in depressions extending under the fence. Keeps them in & predators out. Also, protects them, should a board come loose. Does mean it would need to be replaced from your neighbor's side, though.

If you want to, you can update your current TSC coop/run to a full coop. I haven't saved any of those threads, but know there are a couple. Search for them here on BYC. Or you can sell it, if still in good shape.

I would not put dirt on your concrete pad. Sand may work (I don't not like sand). I feel you could use straight wood mulch/chips &/or DLM (varied natural products ). Both chips/mulch & DLM will act as a sponge, holding/keeping water w/i that form of litter, rather than under the underpinning of your home. You could line the under pinning w/ bricks or cinder block. Cinder block could be planted in, but excess water (rain or over watering) could run & pool under the house.

I believe you could build a frame that attaches to that fence or just inside w/ leg supports, allowing netting to be used to keep your chickens inside & hawks/wild birds out. If use any type of sunshade, tarp material or a shingles roof you will want have some way to divert water away from your neighbor's yards. Could certainly do guttering allowing for water containment to water birds & any plants.

There are a couple narrow builds similar to your area ( maybe no cement pad?). Want to say in Medium coops, but again I've not saved links to ones I'm thinking of, sooo, I dunno where or what they were titled.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[paintedChix]

Here is a shed conversion w/ a run on brick in narrow area of yard.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...p-and-narrow-run-for-an-urban-backyard.78582/

Another - no real rain or snow load, but -

Thread 'DIY open air retrofit coop in southern california - results' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-coop-in-southern-california-results.1461981/

I am not finding a couple i know I've read about... Will keep searching.

 

[Mjismom]

Wow!!! Thank you so much! This is excellent information! We live in Southern California, so we have very mild weather and very little rain. The width of the space is 93 inches. I am pretty sure we can put a coop there (I think it just has to be a certain distance from a *neighbor's* dwelling), but I will triple check the municipal codes again.

You have shared some wonderful ideas here! I like your idea of upgrading to a full coop - great idea! Since they are free range, we don't really need a coop/run combo and that will save some space - I think especially a raised coop or a shed on the concrete will give them more range area. Now just to see what is most cost effective - a prebuilt large coop or a shed conversion would probably work well here.

I also like your idea of adding wood chips/mulch instead of dirt if we go that route. I think that would work better.

I also like the idea of adding netting. We already have snake fencing on the white fence, but I might add some hardware cloth to the dirt areas to keep out the pesky gophers we've had before.

Thank you so much!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Converting the current coop, if that's something you're considering:

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[paintedChix]

And I found another i was thinking of.

Article 'Gallo Del Cielo's Chicken Coop' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/gallo-del-cielos-chicken-coop.48320/

And some others for narrow areas. I only made it about 1/2 way through small coops...

Article 'The "Mod" Coop' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-mod-coop.74256/

Article 'Shed Conversion Coop and Narrow Run for an Urban Backyard' https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...p-and-narrow-run-for-an-urban-backyard.78582/

Article 'The Coop 4' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-coop-4.49731/

Article 'Three French Hens Coop' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/three-french-hens-coop.75329/

 

[Mjismom]

These are all such great ideas! I didn’t read paintedChix first reply correctly - I LOVE the idea of converting my current coop/run into a full coop! It might still be a little small - only 6.5x3 feet, but I think that might be ok since they have quite a bit of space free ranging.

I love the examples you’ve given! Such cool ideas! Thank you!

 

[Mjismom]

Ok - so after reviewing a TON of ideas and inspiration photos, hubby and I are thinking that building our own open air coop would be the best bang for our buck and we would appreciate your input.

We are thinking of building a 4’x8’ walk in placed in the dirt area where the old tiny coop is. We are hoping this will house 8-10 chickens.

We want to use these chicken run plans with some modifications:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1200108954/4x8-chicken-coop-run-plans-diy-chicken

The door would need to be moved to the right side and walls added to 4-6 sections in a C shape.



Should the walls go all the way to the top and bottom or should a gap be left? It does get pretty windy here.

Inside, we want to add three roosting bars, a poop board shelf, and a removable tray. I’m definitely considering a fancy schmancy chandelier too now.




And on the front wall, add an external nesting box.



The only thing I’m not sure of is predator proofing. We have hawks, coyotes, owls, snakes, occasional cougars, squirrels, rabbits, and also digging rats and gophers. We used a hardware cloth apron before, but since our chickens free range, they would scratch the apron. And the rats and gophers got under it anyway. So the only thing I think we can do is dig a 4’x8’ hole about 6-12” deep and line it all underneath the enclosure with hardware cloth and then backfill it. What do you think?

 

[rosemarythyme]

The door would need to be moved to the right side and walls added to 4-6 sections in a C shape.

View attachment 4063856

Should the walls go all the way to the top and bottom or should a gap be left? It does get pretty windy here.

Is there a primary wind direction(s) for the wind? I'd mainly want to make sure that direction is covered. I'd probably leave a good 4-6" at the top of at least 2 sides to allow cross breezes to help move air above the roost area.

So the only thing I think we can do is dig a 4’x8’ hole about 6-12” deep and line it all underneath the enclosure with hardware cloth and then backfill it. What do you think?

I'm not a fan of having wire mesh under their feet but if you bury it down 12" it should be a lesser risk of injury.

 

[Mjismom]

Is there a primary wind direction(s) for the wind? I'd mainly want to make sure that direction is covered. I'd probably leave a good 4-6" at the top of at least 2 sides to allow cross breezes to help move air above the roost area.

Thank you! That’s what I was wondering. Sounds great. I’m actually not sure of the primary wind direction but I do think having the fences on two sides will help as well.

Would leaving a bit of space above the ground also provide too much air flow? I think that might help keep the walls cleaner and protect them from any moisture in the ground.

I'm not a fan of having wire mesh under their feet but if you bury it down 12" it should be a lesser risk of injury.

Yeah I’m not a fan of it either. Do you know of any other ways to protect it? I haven’t been able to find any.