[HairyBear]

Has anyone made or bought an temporary extension to their run? 

Looking for a cheap option to add an extra 5m x 5m to existing enclosure - ideally a temporary structure that can be folded out when needed and then tidied away for the rest of the time.  I'm not confident of letting our girls free range in the garden as there are too many exit holes, a lovely big field for them to escape to at the back, and several cats libing in close proximity.

[hillfooter]

Well nothing could be simpler than making up some 1.8m X 0.6m nom. panels.  Use 1.8m trellis batton already tanilised which is 38mm X 20mm section or so.  Three of the shorter lengths make up the verticals and the 1.8m lengths the top & bottom laterals.  Cover it with MESH not chicken wire, 25mm square is ok but not too critical.  Make up the baton frames first using 45deg corner pieces made from the baton or preferably 6mm ply to hold it square.  If you've a panel pin gun then it's a doddle otherwise nail or screw but beware as the baton splits easily.  Staple the netting to the frame.  Repeat however many times you need.  You can fix the panels together with copper wire from an old mains twin & earth cable which is simple, or you can create a tent type run which can be covered with a poly sheet or tarp.  useful if you want to hang food.  Fix it with bungees.  Quick and easy to put up take down and store flat makes a simple and easy to erect temporary run to isolate birds.  Obviously it won't be fox proof.

If you want to use the tented arrangement a simple addon idea is to make some cross members at the base with 60deg slots cut in then to take the panels and they won't tend to spread in use then.
Regards

[HairyBear]

You are an angel, thank you.

Didn't understand 80% of what you said, but then I don't speak DIY, you see. Will get other half on the case 

[hillfooter]

Hope OH manages to understand and build your run.   I just noticed I said make the verticals (uprights) 45cm which is too small for the tent run.  Mine are actually 60cm which means you get one panel from 3x 1.8m lengths.  Obviously you can adjust this to suit but I decided on 60cm sided triangle for mine as I but it up against a smal triangular ark I use for growers and an isolation house.  With the panels I can link as many as I want together or extend both ends as required.  I have triangular end panels.

When forming the frame place the short uprights inside the long laterals and but joint them.  Fixing together using the 45deg corner fillets.  This leaves one side of the frame flat which makes fixing the welded mesh easy.  If you tack the frame together with panel pins, drill and screw them too as the panel pins will quickly rust through in use.  The centre upright can be fixed by two screws into its end passing through the top & both laterals.  You'll need to drill holes for these to prevent the wood splitting but when screwed up it makes agood tight joint.  The welded mesh I use is 25mm x 12.5mm.  Mesh is cheaply available on ebay.

You can obviously fashion better less ricketty fastenings than I've suggested but the copper wire and bungees are cheap and quick to errect and change the configuration.
Regards

[Bruced]

For a temp run, we use 4' plastic mesh supported by metal fence posts that we just knock into the ground with a mallet. Cost about £30 for 10 metal posts and 50m of netting. It basically allows us an area in which we can let them run in the garden so as to protect plants and let lawn recover. Clearly not suitable for keeping anything out so they stay in their permanent run first thing in the morning and the evening, and we do have the occasional escapee (that's YOU Norah, bad bird...) but works for us. I'll have to dig out some photos some time 'cos it's a great set up for a more urban setting.