any ideals on additiona of a run

[Tlco]

Hello again Ridgerunner, yes alredy have the pen ( it was my chihuahuas but he passed away last year) I can buy extentions to make it bigger if needed. It has a gate and the whole thing sets under 2 very large oak trees with plenty of shade all around. I don't plan to have a rooster as I such a small area I figure he will just drive my girls crazy. In about a month my mother will be taking 3 of the hens which will leave me with 4 now that the "lost" chick found its way home. I am single and live in a small RV park so for me 4 hens is more then enough. I will have to cover the top of the dog pen so they can't fly out and predators can't fly in. I was also wondering about anchoring all this so it can't be tipped over but strong wind or animals.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't have photos on hand but my set up is a 10x20x6 chain link dog kennel run (mine's permanent though, concrete under each post) with an additional 17x20 run next to it. I have the coop in the center of the smaller run, it's very small at 4x4.

I understand that since you're not able to actually build something that it's going to be a little tricky. You said you can add extensions to the pen so I would definitely add as many as possible to give them space. As far as anchoring the run itself down, you could maybe use tent stakes to stake it down to the ground since they're removable so you can move it later as needed. Or better yet... I don't know what your pen looks like but if it's not made of a solid surface like wood or a strong wire like welded wire/hardware cloth you'll want to reinforce the bottom edge with some hardware cloth with openings no larger than 1/2" and also make an apron that extends out over the ground as well (and by securing the apron you'll be anchoring the run as well). A roll of 50' of hardware cloth plus all the necessary supplies like hog rings, pliers, wire cutter and lawn staples will run less than $100 and is a good investment. Do a search for "apron" and there should be plenty of photos of how others have secured the bottom of their runs.

 

[Tlco]

This is the coop probably not much bigger then yours. I am planing on getting 2 more extension for the pen at lest 4 feet each that will give 8x6 and 4 feet high that should give me 48sq feet..if I did math right. So how does that sound? That is about all the space I have the coop will either be in middle of pen or right on outside with entrance to the pen.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You said you'll have 4 chickens once they're grown, so while 8x6 is a little tight it at least gives them some room to move around, provided the coop is not inside the pen. I am a little concerned about the run being only 4 feet high but you said you plan to put a cover on it right? As long as they can't get out it'll be fine for them, but make sure the cover can be removed because it'll be hard for you to clean the run since you can't easily fit under there. My larger run has a 4 foot fence on three sides and is open on top but my chickens have never shown any interest in leaving so it hasn't been an issue.

Do make sure you put in things for them to do if possible, like providing a pot of dirt to play in. You mentioned there being trees around for shade, so maybe you can throw in a branch or two for them to sit on. A bored chicken is more likely to cause a ruckus and pick on the other chickens.