The time had come to build our girls their own large covered Run. We had a small flock of 4 hens and we built their coop the summer before. We had been using a 5x7 dog kennel as a run. Which worked ok.. But we wanted to expand our flock and have just have more space for winter time. Plus my husband was too tall to stand up in the current dog kennel run. So he was ready to get building for sure! 
Now with all our DIY projects, I forgot to take photos until we’re halfway through the project. So there’s that…
But here’s a few notes and photos of the project:
- a lot of scrap wood from other projects was used for this run. I always keep a look out on freecycle.org for free building materials so a few pieces of wood came from there also. The rest was purchased at our local Lowe’s. That is also where I found this paint color. Lowes clearance rack had a gallon of outdoor paint for $7. Originally almost $50!! So thank you to whoever returned that paint
-our “intro pen” is separated by the teal/blue door inside the run. The door was from an old fence and we wanted to use it somehow. Very glad we did! It’s been beneficial for introducing new flock members and also when a hen needed separated from the rest of the flock because of injuries.
-we used HARDWARE CLOTH along with screws AND washers for the ultimate predator protection. That “good ole fashion” Chicken Wire only contains chickens. It does not protect against predators like groundhogs, raccoons and foxes.
-the roof is 2x8 polycarbonate clear panels to provide the flock with the most sunlight possible for the winter. In the summer we add a shade cloth on the inside. There are 3 panels on the far end overhang/porch that are not clear. That was to be sure we had *some* shade in the run during the hot summers.
-there is several natural wooden roosts in the run and also A CHICKEN SWING! They love their swing!
-we bought the polycarbonate clear panels in bulk (cheaper that way of course) so we would have extra to winterize the run. They make a huge difference when it come to freezing temps and worth the money. Before theses panels, we used clear shower curtains - they worked to keep snow out, but did nothing for warmth.
-Our dimensions for this run are 15 x 7 feet and it’s a little over 7 feet tall in the front and slopes down about a foot towards the back. The run has a 2 foot overhang/porch on the side and another foot overhang in the back to help with rain not coming in.
-I eventually added shelving to overwinter my terra pot collection. The flock stays off the shelves because I keep them full enough they can’t land on them
*This Run has now seen all four season and we’ve had no issues or complaints. We are very happy how it’s turned out considering we didn’t have a plan or blue prints to follow. We’ve been pretty good at just “winging it” with all these DIY projects
Now with all our DIY projects, I forgot to take photos until we’re halfway through the project. So there’s that…
But here’s a few notes and photos of the project:
- a lot of scrap wood from other projects was used for this run. I always keep a look out on freecycle.org for free building materials so a few pieces of wood came from there also. The rest was purchased at our local Lowe’s. That is also where I found this paint color. Lowes clearance rack had a gallon of outdoor paint for $7. Originally almost $50!! So thank you to whoever returned that paint
-our “intro pen” is separated by the teal/blue door inside the run. The door was from an old fence and we wanted to use it somehow. Very glad we did! It’s been beneficial for introducing new flock members and also when a hen needed separated from the rest of the flock because of injuries.
-we used HARDWARE CLOTH along with screws AND washers for the ultimate predator protection. That “good ole fashion” Chicken Wire only contains chickens. It does not protect against predators like groundhogs, raccoons and foxes.
-the roof is 2x8 polycarbonate clear panels to provide the flock with the most sunlight possible for the winter. In the summer we add a shade cloth on the inside. There are 3 panels on the far end overhang/porch that are not clear. That was to be sure we had *some* shade in the run during the hot summers.
-there is several natural wooden roosts in the run and also A CHICKEN SWING! They love their swing!
-we bought the polycarbonate clear panels in bulk (cheaper that way of course) so we would have extra to winterize the run. They make a huge difference when it come to freezing temps and worth the money. Before theses panels, we used clear shower curtains - they worked to keep snow out, but did nothing for warmth.
-Our dimensions for this run are 15 x 7 feet and it’s a little over 7 feet tall in the front and slopes down about a foot towards the back. The run has a 2 foot overhang/porch on the side and another foot overhang in the back to help with rain not coming in.
-I eventually added shelving to overwinter my terra pot collection. The flock stays off the shelves because I keep them full enough they can’t land on them
*This Run has now seen all four season and we’ve had no issues or complaints. We are very happy how it’s turned out considering we didn’t have a plan or blue prints to follow. We’ve been pretty good at just “winging it” with all these DIY projects
