Building a Fence with No Digging
I acquired chickens over a year ago. They are fun characters, but I’m not a big fan of their poo! It didn’t take them long to sit on my patio and beg at the back door. I hated having chicken s#$*% out on my back step and it didn’t matter how often I chased them off, they were always back.
…sassy Valentine on the patio where she knows she should not be….
Then, the spring of 2020, I built a deck. I absolutely DID NOT WANT CHICKENS ON MY DECK. And for a while, they respected the rope gates and stayed off. But, as the weeks went by, they discovered they could go under the rope, and even flap their way on to the benches (or as Girl #2 called it - “flap flap poof”). They were soon back at the door, begging (even though I never fed them from there!).
So I decided I needed to build them a fence. But I hate digging in this ground - it is so rocky! I wanted something not permanent and that I could move or adjust if needed. The researching began…
For this project, you will need (for each panel):
1/2 PVC pipe (2 lengths of the width, 2 of the height)
(2) elbows
(2) t-connectors
(2) 6” sections of 1/2 PVC pipe
(2) 6” sections of 3/4 PVC pipe
(2) 6x8 single cinderblock
netting or chicken wire
zip ties
velcro straps
conduit straps (optional)
pea gravel
I determined that I needed a 28’ long fence with a gate. So, I got 10’ lengths of 1/2” PVC pipe and set to cutting. Each fence panel was 3’ high and 5’ long. I used bird netting as the barrier on each panel, securing it with zip ties to the frame. When I was done assembling, I had 5 5’x3’ panels and one 3’x3’ gate. The tops were secured with elbow joints, and the bottoms each had a t-connector.
I laid out the fence panels and the single cinder blocks. Then, I started up by the wood fence and filled a block with pea gravel, keeping a tube of 3/4” PVC (6” long) as a sleeve for the panel to slip into. Be careful when filling up the block with the pea gravel that you don’t get any in your sleeve - you need it empty to slide the fence panel in!
For the other end of the first panel, I filled it with pea gravel and had two sleeves in place - one for the first panel to slip in and the second for the next panel. I continued down the hill to finish the fence.
The fence panels were secured to each other using velcro straps for added stability, but yet easy to remove if adjustment was needed later.
The gate was pretty easy - it was a 3’x3’ square with elbows on 3 corners and one t-connector as the pivot point. I put velcro straps along the side of the pivot, connecting it to the panel, and acting as the hinges. It worked perfectly!
I stepped back and admired my creation. I moved the chicken baths to line the edge of the fence - it added a pop of color and a bit of a block to the bottom of the fence. It was lightweight and temporary and I did NO DIGGING! I dusted my hands, smiled with satisfaction at the idea of my poop-free deck and went inside.
Not two minutes later I looked out the window and I SAW A CHICKEN in the backyard!!!! So much for my fence!!!! I knew where they had gone - straight under the panel. I knew what I had to do, and it required a trip to the Big Box store… :/
Ooops… I guess it was too lightweight. While I was gone to the store, the wind picked up and blew my entire fence down. I needed to make it more sturdy and semi-permanent. Fortunately I had all the materials to do just that!
I went back to the first panel and refilled the block and slipped the panel back into the sleeve. I then used a conduit strap to screw the side of the panel into my wood fence for stability and strength. I refilled the next block and moved down the line of panels.
One thing I did differently to add support and not stress the panels was how I combined the first and second panels. Because this fence went down a short hill, I swapped out the elbow joints in the top corners of each panel and measured the gap between them and put in a piece of PVC pipe to give it support in the gap. This created a V of space and I used velcro strops for support at the bottom of the V.
As I went down the line line, I put cinder blocks under the fence in each of the gaps. I moved the chicken baths closer so that they were also part of the block. If the panel was wobbly, then I used zip ties to tie the panel to the cinder block. I also continued to use velcro ties to secure each panel to the next.
When I got to the gate, I opted to swap the side it pivoted on - instead of pivoting on the left (the long side of the fencing), I decided to have the gate pivot on the single panel (which was also screwed into the side of the house using the conduit strap). To keep the chickens from getting under the gate, I cut the bottom section into smaller pipes and used t-connectors and sticks of PVC with a cap as supports. This also gives the gate support when it is open - it rests on the PVC sticks and there is no tension on the velcro strap “hinges”. The corner rests on the cinder block when the gate is shut and the sticks keep the chickens from going under (but the cats can still sneak through if they need/want to.
Fence Version Two is done. Now to see how it holds up and if the chickens find a weak spot! (Or if the wind takes it down again!)
Bonus: my chicken baths are simply painted tires and a mix of soil, diatomaceous earth, and builders sand. They add that color to the space and also give the girls a clean place to bathe!
Painting old tires to use as chicken baths
Latte loving the chicken bath!
