The Ranch of Questionable Choices

Do not build the breezeway frame until the auto door is installed and you know exactly where the opening is. The breezeway frame is built around the door — not the other way around.

Follow the Run Chicken manufacturer instructions. The unit mounts to the outside face of the greenhouse wall surface. It attaches over the opening with four screws. The door panel is already inside the unit and slides upward on the wall surface to open.

Once the auto door is installed, tie a string to the bottom of the auto door opening (the sill). Pull the string level — hold your level against it — and extend it 10 feet toward where the run end of the breezeway will be. Measure straight down from the string to the bedrock at the run end. Write that number down. That is your rise.

It should be close to 9 inches but measure it — the breezeway may not start exactly at the base of the slope.

Every station is identical: concrete block on the ground, adjustable deck pedestal on the block, bottom plate on the pedestal. Posts stand on top of the plate later. One system everywhere — no special connectors.

Place one 2×8×16" concrete block flat on the ground (2" face up) at every station — approximately every 24 inches along where each bottom plate will go. Back wall (126"): 6 stations (at 0", 24", 48", ~63" midpoint, ~96", 126"). Front wall (144"): 7 stations (at 0", 24", 48", ~72" midpoint, 96", 120", 144"). Total: 13 blocks.

The ground here is a mix of solid bedrock, soil, and broken rock. On solid bedrock sections, secure each block with a dab of construction adhesive so it doesn't walk. On soil sections, press the block down until it's stable — the soil gives you a natural seat. On broken bedrock, clear loose chunks first so the block sits flat.

Set one adjustable deck pedestal on top of each block. Twist the collar to roughly the same height at each station — you'll fine-tune once the plates go on.

Lay the two bottom plates on the pedestals — the 126" back plate and the 144" front plate — exactly 36 inches apart. The pedestals have screw holes in their top plate — drive a screw through each one up into the bottom plate to lock them together.

Check the plates are parallel by measuring the gap between them at three points — greenhouse end, middle, and run end. All three should measure 36 inches.

The posts stand on top of the bottom plate. The full foundation stack (block + pedestal + plate) is about 5.5" — so the posts need to be roughly 30.5" to reach 3 feet above ground level. But measure on site: measure from the top of the bottom plate up to where the top plate needs to be. Cut both from board 1.

Stand one post at each end of the greenhouse-end gap. The 4×4 (3.5" × 3.5") sits on the 2×4 plate (3.5" wide × 1.5" deep) — the widths match flush. Orient the 2" overhang to the outside. Drive two 3" screws straight down through the post into the plate. Then screw through the post into the greenhouse structural frame — the metal or wood ribs, not the wall panels themselves.

Before fully tightening the greenhouse-end uprights against the wall, press foam weather strip tape into the gap between the breezeway frame face and the greenhouse wall surface. Push it into every gap all the way around the auto door opening — top, both sides, and any gap between the bottom plate and the wall.

This seals the connection so birds and predators can't find a crack between the two structures. The foam tape sticks with adhesive backing but peels off cleanly — fully removable.

Take your greenhouse-end upright height and add the rise measurement from Step 2. That number is your run-end upright height. Example: if your GH-end uprights are 36" (3 ft) and your rise is 9", your run-end uprights are 45" (3 ft 9 in).

Cut both run-end uprights from board 2. Stand one at each end of the run-end gap on top of the bottom plate and screw straight down through the post into the plate — same method as Step 4. These will be visibly taller than the greenhouse-end uprights — that is correct and expected.

Rest the back top plate (126") on top of the GH-end upright on the back side and the run-end upright on the back side. Drive two 3" screws down through the top plate into the top of each upright. The plate will sit at a slight angle because one end is higher — this is correct. Repeat with the front top plate (144") on the front side.

Repeat on the right side with the second top plate.

Your structure will feel wobbly at this point — four corner posts connected by plates, nothing in between yet. This is normal. The intermediate uprights and knee braces added in the next steps make it solid.

Mark a point every 24 inches along both bottom plates between the corner uprights. You'll have 4 marks per side. At each mark, hold a 2×4 between the bottom plate and the top plate. Mark the exact length. Cut it. Install it (toenail top and bottom). Move to the next mark.

Do not try to cut all 8 uprights at once — the top plate is angled and each position is a slightly different height. Measuring takes 2 minutes per upright. Getting it wrong wastes a board.

On the back wall, install a 4×4 upright (from board 3) at approximately 63" from the greenhouse wall. On the front wall, install the second 4×4 upright at approximately 72" from the greenhouse wall. These posts add structural rigidity at the midpoint of each wall. They stand on top of the plate — screw straight down through the post into the plate, same as the corner posts.

This is critical. Without knee braces, a structure with no ground anchors on bedrock will rack (lean sideways) in wind. There is no soil holding the bottom plates in place — only the anchors you drilled, which resist pulling-up but not sideways force. Knee braces convert sideways force into compression, which the bedrock handles easily.

Cut a 2×4 at 45° at both ends, about 18–20 inches long. Place it diagonally at a base corner, running from the bottom plate up to the upright about 18 inches above the ground. Drive two 3" screws through each end — two into the bottom plate, two into the upright. One brace per corner, on the inside face of the frame. Four total.

The roof is built as three separate panels that hinge open along the back wall. This gives you full access to the inside of the breezeway for repairs, cleaning, or retrieving a bird that's decided the tunnel is a good place to have an opinion.

Why hinged: A 36"-wide tunnel that's only 3 ft tall is nearly impossible to work inside of. A hinged roof lets you lift any section and stand over it.

Each panel is a small rectangular frame with hardware cloth attached. Build all three flat on the ground, then hinge them to the back top plate.

Panel layout (3 panels along the back wall):

• Panel 1 (GH end): Back edge ~42", front edge ~48" (parallelogram skew)
• Panel 2 (middle): Back edge ~42", front edge ~48"
• Panel 3 (run end): Back edge ~42", front edge ~48"

Build each panel:

1. Cut 2 cross rafters at 40" (1×4) — these span the 36" tunnel width plus overhang.
2. Cut 2 side rails (1×4) at the panel length (~42–48" depending on which edge). Connect the cross rafters to the side rails with 1-5/8" screws at each corner — you now have a rectangular frame.
3. Staple hardware cloth to the top of the frame. Pull taut, staple every 3–4" along each rafter and rail.
4. Screw a 1×4 clamp strip along the two short edges (the cross rafters) to sandwich the cloth.

Set each panel on the breezeway frame with the back edge resting on the back top plate. The front edge rests on the front top plate. Check that all three panels sit flat and cover the full length with no gaps between them.

Attach 2 T-hinges per panel along the back edge — screw one strap into the panel's back rail and the other strap into the back top plate. Use the 1-5/8" screws. Total: 6 T-hinges.

Test each panel: it should swing open smoothly toward the back wall and stay open when propped. If it binds, a hinge is misaligned — loosen and adjust.

Mount 2 barrel bolts per panel on the front edge — one bolt near each end of the panel's front rail. The bolt slides into a catch bracket screwed to the front top plate. Total: 6 barrel bolts.

When all bolts are slid home, the roof is locked down. To open a section, slide the two bolts on that panel, lift the front edge, and prop it open with a ~30" 2×4 offcut.

Where two panels meet side-by-side, there will be a small gap. Close it by overlapping the hardware cloth from one panel over the edge of the next by at least 2 inches. Alternatively, run a strip of hardware cloth underneath the joint, clipped to both panels with hog ring clips. The goal: no gap wider than 1/2" when the panels are closed.

At the greenhouse end and run end, the panel's cloth should overhang the top plates by 2–3 inches. The side wall cloth (installed next) will overlap this overhang and get clamped on top of it — locking the roof edge to the wall.

The side wall cloth panels are taller than the wall (5 ft panels for a ~3 ft wall). This is intentional — the extra cloth continues past the bottom plate, down the face of the blocks and pedestals, to the ground, and then folds outward as a 12–18" predator apron.

Unroll one cloth panel along the outside of the first long wall. Start at the top plate and staple down, working toward the bottom plate. A staple at every upright. Between uprights, a staple every 4 inches. Pull the cloth tight as you go — loose cloth bellies inward and the birds will push on it.

Clamp with 1×4 boards at the bottom plate (top clamp) using 1-5/8" screws every 12 inches. This is the primary structural attachment point — the sandwich between cloth and clamp board at the plate.

Below the clamp, the cloth continues down past the blocks/pedestals to the ground surface. Let it drape naturally — the rigid cloth holds its shape. Where the cloth reaches the ground, bend it outward to form a 12–18" predator apron.

The ground along the breezeway is a mix of surfaces. Handle each type:

• Solid bedrock: Apron lays flat on the rock. Weight with a flat paver or small block every 2 feet. Where the vertical cloth meets a dip in the rock surface, push foam backer rod into the gap.
• Soil: Apron lays flat and gets pinned with landscape staples every 12 inches. You can also bury the apron edge 2–3" into the soil if it's deep enough — this is better than surface pinning.
• Broken bedrock: Clear any loose chunks so the cloth sits as flat as possible. Apron drapes over the irregular surface. Weight with pavers. Check for daylight under the cloth — stuff foam backer rod into any gap bigger than half an inch.

Optional but recommended: Run a horizontal 1×4 strip at ground level along the outside face of each side, screwed into the blocks at each block station. This creates a second clamp point at the bottom, pinching the cloth against the blocks. The cloth between block stations is unsupported across the 24" span — hardware cloth is rigid enough not to sag, but a determined raccoon pushing inward could flex it. The ground-level strip eliminates that.

Repeat for the second long wall.

If you needed to join two panels of cloth anywhere (side-by-side panels, or cloth folding from the roof to the wall), overlap them by at least 4 inches and squeeze hog ring clips through both layers every 3 inches using your hog ring pliers. The clips go through both mesh layers and crimp shut — no gaps, no sharp wire ends sticking into the tunnel.

Use this table to know which solution goes where:

At each of the four corners where two walls of hardware cloth meet at a 4×4 post, there will be a small triangular gap. Cut a small square of hardware cloth offcut and clip it over the corner gap using hog ring clips. This closes the one spot that two wall panels can't naturally cover.

Kneel down and look along every edge of the breezeway from the inside. Anywhere you see daylight is a gap. Work through the checklist:

• Bottom of both side walls where cloth meets ground — foam backer rod in any gap on bedrock, staples in soil, pavers on broken rock
• Predator apron flat and weighted/pinned along entire length — check each ground type
• Where the frame meets the greenhouse wall — foam tape flush all the way around
• Every corner post where two cloth panels meet — patch clips in place
• Every cloth join — hog ring clips through both layers
• Roof edges where cloth folds over the top plate — clamp board flush

No daylight. No exceptions.

Use the manual button on the Run Chicken unit to open and close the door several times. Confirm the door panel slides freely without binding against the breezeway frame. There should be at least 1/2 inch of clearance on all sides of the door panel as it moves. If it's binding, the breezeway frame is too close — loosen and adjust before the birds use it.

Follow the Run Chicken app to set light sensor sensitivity and any timer overrides. The door is set by default to open 20 minutes after sunrise and close 20 minutes after sunset. In Central Texas summer, sunset is late — make sure the close time gives birds enough time to return to the greenhouse before dark.

Stand outside and watch the door open and close through at least two full cycles before trusting it with the birds unsupervised.