If you want to keep chickens in your own garden, you must meet a few requirements. In addition to the permanent chicken coop, the green run is essential for the animals' living well-being. But if you don't want them to move freely around the garden, you can build a chicken tunnel. Below we will show you how to do it.
The benefits of the chicken tunnel
- Your chickens can run around without making an unsightly mess in your yard.
- They are also garden helpers. They eat weeds and destroy numerous pests such as maggots, caterpillars and snails.
- By scratching and pecking in the earth, they can also destroy the soilPlanting seedsprepare.
- Chickens leave their manure behind.
- You don't have to worry about predators.
- The chicken tunnel can be placed anywhere in the yard. If it is covered with foil, it can also serve as a greenhouse. Just be careful that the grass in the run will definitely be damaged.
How can you build a chicken tunnel yourself?
Materials and tools required:
Galvanized wire mesh, also called aviary wire
Aluminum wire / cable ties / robust cord for tying
Optional:
wooden slats
Spring steel bars, round arches or pipes
Metallwinkel in U-Form
Cable cutters / side cutters
Saw, drill and screws
Directions:
1. Plan the path of the chicken tunnel by considering the size and shape of your garden. It is easiest if the tunnel starts from the chicken coop andalong the garden fenceruns. If possible, you can also try attaching one long side of the wire directly to the fence. This will also create a kind of tunnel - with a triangular or square shape.
The size of the run depends on the number of chickens. Basically you need at least 20 square meters per chicken.
2. Bend the wire mesh into a semicircle and place it so that the tunnel looks like an igloo. The following dimensions are ideal: 90 cm wide and 60 cm high. Connect the lattice pieces together using zip ties or wire. A frame made of wooden slats ensures more stability of the construction. But it is not a must.
To ensure that the tunnel retains its shape, spring steel rods or pipes can be used. First, insert the rods approximately 20 cm deep into the ground at even intervals along the tunnel and bend them into a semicircle. Then place the grid over the arches and stick the protruding wire ends into the ground on the long sides. Tie a cable tie or sturdy string around the highest point of each arch. This way the chicken tunnel has more stability.
3. Attach the beginning and end of the tunnel to the opening of your chicken coop so that the chickens have easy access to the tunnel. Make sure the opening is larger than the chicken coop entrance.
If you want, you can also make a chicken flap from a metal or wooden plate at the entrance to the tunnel. The flap should be able to move up and down. This is how access to the tunnel is controlled. A simple folding door made of aviary wire mesh would also be a good solution.
4. The other end of the tunnel is of course closed so that the chickens don't run away.
To keep deer or larger predators out and provide additional security for the chickens, you can build a fence using 2" x 4" mesh fence panels. To prevent rabbits and marmots from digging holes underneath, add rabbit wire with a 2.5 cm mesh width.
Have fun and good luck!
