Other than the coop itself, there are several other things that chickens need – and unless your birds can be left out to roam and forage freely and safely, a chicken run is likely to be near the top of the list.
Of course, you can always buy a ready-made chicken run, but since they’re so easy to make, you can save yourself a lot of cash if you’re willing to DIY one instead. And for anyone who would like to try, here are 21 plans for how to build a chicken run you might like to try at home.
1. Build a Predator-Proof Chicken Run – The Old Farmer’s Almanac
After making a few general comments about the importance of chicken runs and giving some advice about things like where to place a chicken run, this post provides a five-step guide to how to build one. It also includes some useful illustrations and photos along with a tips section at the end, so in short, it has all the info you need to get started building a large, high-quality chicken run just like the one in the pics.
2. DIY Chicken Run- SimonSaysDIY
This YouTuber already had a chicken coop with a small run attached to it, but he realized that his chickens needed more space – and this video shows how he went about giving it to them. The video consists of a timelapse shot of him building the enlarged chicken run with a commentary explaining what he was doing. That way, anyone who wants to try something similar will easily be able to copy his ideas.
3. How to Build a Chicken Run – The Prairie Homestead
As this blogger writes, although the idyllic image of free-ranging chickens might be the dream, in reality, that kind of setup is not always practical – in which case, a chicken run is the next best option. He then goes on to give some valuable information about what to consider when designing a chicken run – after which, he provides a detailed step-by-step guide for building one that should meet most people’s needs.
4. How to Build a Predator-Proof Chicken Run – Organic Backyard Gardening
As this video shows, chicken runs don’t need to be complicated or especially sophisticated to do the job they’re intended for. After all, if they give your chickens somewhere to roam and keep them safe from predators, that’s enough, right? If that’s the kind of attitude you can relate to, then this plan should appeal – since it shows you how to make an easy and inexpensive yet functional chicken run with a minimum of effort.
5. How to Build a Chicken Run – wikiHow
When we want to learn how to do just about anything new, wikiHow is always one of the first places we turn since it has guides to just about everything you could imagine. This plan for building a chicken run is in keeping with the site’s high standards, and between the clear instructions and the helpful pictures, it has everything you need to set about building a run for your chickens.
6. How To Build a Chicken Coop Run DIY – April Wilkerson
If you want to learn everything you need to know about building a chicken run of your own, this would be a great video to check out. In it, we watch this talented YouTuber as she takes us through the process of building the run featured at the start of the tutorial, explaining everything clearly as she goes. It’s a great design since it’s simple and not too difficult to copy. She also shows us how to make a few other essential accessories her chickens will need, which makes the video even more worth watching.
7. Build a Chicken Run and Coop from Recycled Materials – Backyard Poultry
If you’re looking to build a coop and a run all in one go, this post should be worth a look – especially if you’re hoping to save yourself a bit of cash since the designs are mostly constructed from recycled materials. There’s lots of useful info and plenty of ideas to show you the kind of thing that’s possible – and then it’s just up to you to get your toolbox out and start working.
8. How to Build a Modern DIY Chicken Run – Nina Marie
This is one of the best DIY chicken runs we’ve seen, and we love how well-thought-out the whole design is. It’s quite an ambitious project, but for anyone with moderate DIY skills and a little bit of patience, it’s the kind of thing most people will be able to achieve – so why not give the video a watch and see if it’s something you want to have a go at building too?
9. How to Build a Chicken Run – Roots & Boots
At the start of this post, this blogger mentions snakes, possums, raccoons, foxes and hawks as some of the possible dangers to her chickens – and when there are this many creatures trying to make a meal of your flock, the need for a protective run becomes clear. The plan she gives us is her answer to several lost hens, and as you can see, with something like this, her birds are now in a lot less danger. Sound like something that could help you too? Then check out her plan and see how she did it!
10. How To Build a Chicken Coop Run – Country Living Experience
Here’s a video that shows us how to build another highly secure predator-proof run that’s designed to keep your birds safe from harm. We love the extra safety measures he incorporates – like the double layer of chicken wire to prevent anything from getting through. As he mentions, it’s also important to protect chickens from aerial attacks – he specifically mentions owls – so if you’re serious about protecting your flock, this is a video you need to watch.
11. Building a Chicken Run for Beginners: 7 Steps – Instructables
As the title of this plan tells you, it’s an idea that anyone should be able to copy, even those with little or no previous DIY experience. The tutorial includes clear instructions, useful illustrations and lists of the required tools and materials, and it will give your birds somewhere safe to roam, free from the dangers of being picked off by predators.
12. Chicken Run Build – Pete B East Texas Homesteading
If you’re looking for a large and ambitious chicken-run project to get stuck into, this could be just the thing. In his video, this YouTuber shows us how he built this large and beautiful chicken run that will give his birds all the space they could ever need. It will take a bit of time and money to build something similar, but most people will think it’s well worth it – so why not give the video a quick watch and see if you agree?
13. Chicken Runs – Keeping Chickens: A Beginners Guide
For those who have a vague idea they want to build a chicken run but are far from deciding the size or the format, this blog post should help. It goes into lots of detail about how to build chicken runs and the various aspects you need to consider – things like chicken security being among the most important. It includes a plan for a chicken run, but it also aims to give you all the info you need if you think you’d prefer to design and build a chicken run yourself.
14. Metal Walk-In Chicken Run – The Homestead Trail
Chicken runs come in all shapes and sizes, but if you have a medium to large flock, choosing a larger walk-in version is much more practical since it makes accessing your birds so much easier. If that sounds like the kind of thing you’re interested in, this video should be of interest since it teaches you how to build a sturdy metal walk-in run – and as you can see from the images, it’s the kind of thing that just about any chicken keeper would be happy to own.
15. How to Make a Dirt-Cheap Chicken Run – New Life On A Homestead
When deciding how to build a chicken run, different people have different priorities – and if yours is keeping the price down, then this is the plan for you because it shows you how to build a “dirt cheap” version that will cost you very little at all. Dirt cheap doesn’t mean poor quality though, as you can see from the photos, so why not see if you can make something similar yourself?
16. How to Build a Predator-Proof Chicken Run Around Your Coop – Komar Project
In this video, this YouTuber shows us how he built a large, freestanding predator-proof chicken run. It’s a high-quality, sturdy design that’s sure to prevent just about any predators from making a meal of his birds. Importantly, he also talks about defending against “underground” attacks – meaning animals that can dig underneath the run. This is something this run takes into account, ensuring the birds inside are kept as safe as possible.
17. Building a Chicken Run on a Slope – Forever Architect
Here’s an interesting plan that anyone facing similar problems will appreciate since it teaches you how to build a chicken run on a slope. Not everyone is fortunate to have flat land, and in such circumstances, building a chicken run becomes a whole lot harder. Fortunately, this post has all the solutions you need, allowing you to construct a run that will give your birds all the freedom they deserve.
18. Building a Predator-Proof Chicken Coop Run – CaliCluckers
As this video explains, this family purchased their chicken coop ready-made – but then they needed to build a run for their birds to give them some space to roam while keeping them safe from predators. We love the design they came up with since it’s simple yet effective. And we think it’s just the kind of thing so many other chicken keepers out there will be keen to copy.
19. How to Build a Chicken Run to Keep Your Chickens Safe – Simple Living Country Gal
Keeping chickens safe from predators is among chicken keepers’ top priorities, and here’s another plan that focuses on this issue. After talking about why a chicken run was so important for her flock, this blogger gives us a detailed explanation of how she built her run. It’s a large walk-in affair that gives the birds plenty of space while also giving easy access to their human owners – and at the same time, keeping all unwanted visitors like raccoons, dogs and hawks safely outside.
20. Chicken Run Build – Mason Dixon Acres
This is the second video in a series, and in it, this YouTubing couple shows how they added a run to the coop they previously constructed using pallet wood. It’s quite a long video, but it’s full of useful information and tips that most chicken keepers will appreciate, so it’s well worth taking the time to watch it all the way through.
21. How to Build a Chicken Run – Wire Fence
To finish, here’s a very thorough, logical and easy-to-follow plan for building a chicken run that just about anybody should be able to replicate. We like the illustrations that accompany the descriptions, making it easy to understand what you’re supposed to be doing. And as you can see from the final image, it’s ideal for giving your chickens somewhere to peck about next to their coop. It’s not a huge run, but it’s perfect if you only keep a few hens – and if that sounds like the kind of thing you need, you should have no trouble building one just like it.
No shortage of great plans to copy
As we’ve seen, whatever kind of chicken run you need, there’s no shortage of great plans online for you to copy.
We’ve enjoyed collecting these plans for you, so we hope you’ve enjoyed reading and watching them all too – and above all, we hope we’ve helped you find the ideas and inspiration you needed for building a DIY chicken run of your own.
