Cedar Rabbit Hutch Re-Do -- Run Qs on Page 3 - Page 3

It snowed again last night and the girls have pushed all of their bedding -- and their tray feeder -- down the hole into the run. Grrr! They are warm and dry this morning, but I had to simply sprinkle their food on the coop floor before going to work. This weekend I'll have to make solid door covers and a lip for the hole to keep drafts out and bedding in the coop. As for the feeder, I think something that is mounted to a wall or hangs from the ceiling is in order. They simply like pushing the tray around too much. 

Finally I have photos of the interior renos to the hutch. Hubby made a run below the coop, two raised nesting boxes (the girls love to huddle together in the rear one), and a perch across the back. We'll be making a larger run to attach; this is not big enough for three hens.

I'm using leaves, shredded paper and straw as bedding, whatever is handy. (The shredded paper blows everywhere, so I might not use it again.) A hardware wire door off another old rabbit hutch is wedged on the floor and keeps the girls from pushing bedding and their feeders down the hole into the run. I clean all of the bedding from the coop every week and put it into the composter. The contents of the run below haven't been removed in a month and there are no odors; this is the "deep litter method", I suppose.

That's a dollar store solar light strapped to the front. A blanket and blue tarp provides protection from night time wind, rain and cold. I slid a dolly underneath in case I want to move the coop, but I haven't actually moved it yet.

You see a straw bale on the left side. It shelters the run from wind and the girls love to lay under there.

Dorothy Gale is the Columbian Wyandotte. Momma is the Buff Orpington who is now 18 weeks old and may lay by the end of the month. You can't tell, but there is a third bird sharing that nest.

Tripp is the Barred Rock. There is a golf ball in the bin.

I have some materials with which I could slap together a larger run immediately. I am debating my options:

 1. a 7 foot long, a-frame detached tractor so the girls may enjoy grass

 2. using the 10 foot long existing space between the shed and fence which is out of the way but gives them no grass (its on gravel) and will be a bit more awkward for me to clean

 3. a 7 foot long, rectangular run that I could make permanent (on gravel) or detachable so they can be moved, along with their coop, onto grass

Thoughts?

The temporary run that I rigged did the trick for the girls, but didn't keep our dogs out. The dogs are LGD breeds and are fine with the chickens, but its our preference that they don't free range unsupervised. The girls were getting out a few times per week.

Momma (Buff Orpington), Tripp (Barred Rock) and Dorothy Gale (Columbian Wyandotte)

Hubby is building a new run, 50 square feet, which means if I can add a small, raised coop, I can accommodate two more chickens.

It was raining today, so the coop was covered.

There is hardware cloth two feet high and then, temporarily, plastic deer fencing because that's what we have on hand. We'll replace the deer mesh with chicken wire later. The two ends will get lattice for added privacy and protection from wind. Hawks are our only predators here.

The run needs a cover. The coop needs a roof, solid doors for winter and possibly insulation (we can go down to the -30s). The whole thing needs paint or stain, too, but its functional now and the girls are enjoying more space.

UPDATE: The run now has the deer fencing over top, too, to keep Hawks out.

Two immediate family members were hospitalized unexpectedly this fall and so the girls were relocated to a friend's farm because I wasn't able to be home enough to care for them. Now that life is starting to get back to normal I am thinking about putting a couple of Muscovy ducks in the space. Muscovies are even quieter than the quietest hens. Our pet rabbit enjoys the pen, but we had to add more height to the hardware cloth because he chewed through the deer fencing in no time.