If you’ve ever wanted to give your chickens more space to roam but worry about predators or neighbourhood pets, you’re not alone. When we started expanding our flock, we ran into the same problem. We’ve had several encounters with a neighbourhood cat, so free-ranging isn’t a good option for us. I needed a secure way to let my chickens explore safely.
That’s when I decided to make a chicken tunnel or “chunnel”. Having already done a DIY shed-to-chicken-coop conversion, I thought it wouldn’t be too hard. Today, I’ll share how I built it, what worked for me, and hopefully give you some ideas so can make something similar for your chooks.
Materials
When planning my chicken tunnel, I spent some time searching for ideas and comparing them to my limited know-how and the materials I already had or could easily get.
I reused a lot of old materials we had laying around from previous chicken related projects. In the end, this project cost me around $80 to $100.
Here’s what I mainly used for the tunnel:
- Stakes
- Landscape Pegs
- Wire Mesh
- Chicken Wire
- Zip Ties
The Plan
I wanted to have the tunnel run along the back fence and then this evolved into having a second run area that the tunnel would lead to. Where I would be able to grow extra things for them to forage and just hang out in.
Building the Tunnel
I initially tried using some old wire we had lying around, bending it into shape to make the tunnel. I think it would’ve worked fine, but there were a couple of issues. First, we didn’t have enough wire for a 10-meter tunnel. Second, some of the holes were larger than others, and I was worried smaller chickens could slip through.
Length of the Roll
I thought about solving this by wrapping it in chicken wire. The thicker metal wire would still work as a frame, and I could just attach the chicken wire with zip ties. But in the end, I decided to buy a 10-meter roll of wire mesh, which made things a lot easier.
Size of Holes
The wire mesh holds its shape really well, and the holes are small enough to keep the chickens in and predators out. My main concern was the neighbour’s cat and possibly birds of prey, but this setup works fine for both.
Chickens can fit through pretty small spaces so make sure the holes are no larger than 4 cm (1.5 inches).
Attaching to the Ground
There’s no bottom on the tunnel because I wanted the chickens to be able to scratch around more (and honestly, the wire roll wasn’t big enough for a floor). This does mean there’s a chance predators could get in, so if you want to make a predator-proof chicken tunnel, I’d recommend enclosing the whole thing—including the floor—in steel mesh.
The tunnel is attached to the ground with landscape pegs spaced about half a meter apart (20 inches).
I found the pegs didn’t hold well in soft sand, so if you’re attaching it to solid soil or lawn, this method will work a lot better. If you’re working with softer soil, I’d suggest using small rods or stakes to drive into the ground and attach the tunnel to.
Tunnel Dimensions
The tunnel itself is about 40 cm wide and high (16 inches) so there is plenty of room for chickens to move around comfortably.
If you buy a roll that’s the right length, you can just unroll it and bend it into shape without needing to cut anything. This makes the whole process quick and easy. I initially bent it into a triangle with my hands, then smoothed it out a bit to form more of a curve—just because I liked the way it looked better.
Connecting the Run to the Tunnel
There was one tricky part where I needed to connect a small gap between the existing chicken run and the tunnel. To solve this, I used some leftover poly pipe and bent it into semi-circles. I added a small piece of wire inside the pipe for extra rigidity, but it didn’t work as well as I had hoped.
If I were to do this again, I’d opt for a thicker pipe to make it more rigid.
To reinforce it further, I drove some small plastic stakes into the ground and tied the pipe to them. Then, I wrapped some old chicken wire I had leftover from a previous project around the frame.
Ideally, this section would have a gate, so I could close the tunnel for maintenance or to give foliage at the other end time to grow. But after spending a whole day in the sun building it, I couldn’t be bothered. Maybe down the line, I’ll add a gate, but for now, it works just fine.
This section is definitely a weak point in the design. However, it should work against cats. If you’re aiming for a more predator-proof setup, I’d recommend using wire mesh along the entire length.
Building the Second Run
The idea for this area was to have a semi-wild space where plants could grow for the chickens to forage. The plan is to close off the tunnel for a few months at a time so the plants can grow back before the chickens get in there and wreak havoc again.
I started by putting some T-posts in the ground and making a fence with chicken wire I had left over from a previous chicken run.
At the end of the tunnel, I zip-tied it to the wire fence, just like on the other side. This way, the chickens come straight out of the tunnel and into the forage area.
To fully enclose the space, I added chicken wire over the top and attached it to the boundary fence.
For access, I reused a gate I had built for an old chicken enclosure. Instead of reattaching hinges, I used two elastic straps as makeshift hinges, and it works pretty well. I do have to duck a little to get inside, but it’s no big deal.
Some of the plants inside are still small and vulnerable to the chickens, so I put cages around them until they grow larger. To deter the chickens from scratching at the base of the plants, I also added small stones around them. This setup gives the plants a chance to establish themselves and eventually provide shade and forage for the chickens.
Conclusion
Overall, this project turned out to be much easier and cheaper than I thought. It’s the kind of project where you can use your imagination, and materials you already have can save you money.
The key takeaway for anyone planning to build their own chicken tunnel is to invest in sturdy wire mesh that’s both flexible and strong enough to stand on its own. With a large, long piece, you’ll find that constructing the tunnel is quick and hassle-free.
