Monday, October 8, 2012

Chicken + Tunnel= Chunnel

This brilliant woman over at Suburban Homesteading came up with a brilliant Chunnel!!!!!!! I had to do it for my girls! I would love to let them be free range but between preschool and them getting in my garden I just can’t anymore! But then I felt horrible that they were stuck in their run all the time! The chunnel was the perfect solution!!!

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My girls love it! They are running up and down it and so obviously happy! I love that they are getting rid of the weeds and bugs that go crazy against this wall! I also enjoy that they can enjoy temperature changes (go where ever the sun or shade is)

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It starts at the base of the run…

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Turns and goes straight down the wall.

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Each section is “sewn” together with wire.

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Each junction is also staked down

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and it ends right before the RV gate.

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The girls are in love!!!!

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A view from across the yard! We will be putting another chunnel coming from the other side of the run and down the back wall of the yard!

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19 comments:

Sue said...

Is this a half wire or is it full circle and buried? What a clever idea! Just need to know more.

Packer Family said...

it is a half circle staked into the ground

Alyce said...

What kind of stakes do you use or do you just make some? I have been looking at different types of chunnels and am possibly going to merge ideas so some sections will be removable and other removable sections will enable me to get to a chicken in the chunnel if needed. Do you have such accesses? Have you ever needed to get into a long run for anything? Thanks

Alyce said...

What kind of stakes do you use or do you just make some? I have been looking at different types of chunnels and am possibly going to merge ideas so some sections will be removable and other removable sections will enable me to get to a chicken in the chunnel if needed. Do you have such accesses? Have you ever needed to get into a long run for anything? Thanks

Alyce said...

Do you have sections that are removable? If you need to access under the wire, do you just pull it up? What kind of stakes do you use or did you just make some? Thanks.

Packer Family said...

I bought the stakes, they are metal U shaped ones from lowes. I have not needed to remove any but if I did then I would just pull it up and replace it:)

Kallista said...

What part of Lowe's did you get the stakes from and do you have any idea what they are called, or used for, exactly?
thanks!

Kimm and the Kimmlets said...

Looks awesome. How do you clean the chicken poop that is left in the chunnels?

larson said...

Would you mind emailing me how often and how difficult it is to clean out the run? alisalarson@q.com

larson said...

Would you mind emailing me to tell me how often and how difficult it is to clean out that chicken run. I would love to do it, but I'm a beginner and trying to acquire info first. Thanks! alisalarson@q.com

Smince said...

Kallista - I'm assuming she used the long landscaping staples that are used for holding down landscaping fabric. They come in bags in the same section where the landscaping fabric is sold.

Unknown said...

Is the bottom open or is this basically a round tube made by attaching sides together? What height of wire did you use? I love the video tour!

Unknown said...

I'd like to know more about cleaning as well. My husbands issues always revolve around smells.

Becky S. said...

This is a great idea to give chickens room to roam, eat and give themselves dust baths. You must not have any predators, though, that could (and would) either dig under the chunnel, or get through the large holes in it to kill your flock. We are looking at this, and ways to modify it to give our future flock room, but with added safety. Thanks for posting all the photos, etc.

Packer Family said...

We do not have predators! It could be modified for more protection but would cost more and take longer:)

Kellye said...

What size and type of fencing did you use?

Kellye said...

What size and type of fencing did you use?

Packer Family said...

Not sure what type? It's from lowes and the rectangle openings are about 2 inches by 4 inches. It was 100 feet long, 4 ft wide:)

Old Camp Cook said...

More than likely welded wire or field wire. That's what I use for my pen fencing.
From another Packer near Tulsa.