A Run, or not?

[anniem]

It all seemed so straight forward, until the time came to actually transition the former fluff balls to the actual life of a chicken.
So the coop should be done today, hopefully they can live in it tonight or at least in a couple of days. I'm planning on letting them free range in our yard, our property is 1/3 acre and set up that it is completely fenced and there is access all the way around (not typical front/back yard set up). I had planned on making a large run from the coop to the back fence so they could always be out even if we didn't want them to have free run of the yard--like when kids are running around, or if I wanted them and the dog to be out at the same time when we weren't home. But now that is seeming like it might be unnecessary, but i'd like others thoughts.
The dog is doing well so far, and he hasn't been too interested in the neighbors chickens that are always along our fence, although I wouldn't take the chance of leaving them together outside unsupervised. I thought he'd be a bit crazy about them, but he's been pretty chill.
Then i'm wondering if they'll make a mess of the deck, or do they want to be down on the grass where the food is so they wouldn't really want to be on a deck anyway?
Here's what it's looking like:

The run would go to the left of the coop, the fence is about 65' away, it'd be about 10' wide at the coop end and going to probably 30'.

My thought is that it could be useful the have, but is it worth the work and the money?

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I like the idea of being able to contain the chickens in an area safely for the times you want to go away and rely on someone else to care for them, or if you have a gathering and can't let them out for the day, stuff like like. I'm no chicken expert, from what all my chicken friends tell me, they like to kind of stick close to their coop so you'd have more chicken poo near that area. I see the swing right there and wonder if the kids aren't going to have chicken poo on their feet to track into the house. Realistically, do you want to have to be outside with the dog every time the chickens are out? I don't think you HAVE to have the run, but I think you'll be glad that you do at some point. Just my 2 cents

 

[midget_farms]

A run is not necessary - but they can be helpful when you don't want the birds to run free. YOu have a nice set up. The birds may wan't to hang out on the deck or fence in the evening because they tend to roost. You may want the keep them locked up for a month or so until they learn where to sleep at night.

 

[anniem]

The chicken poo in the house will make a nice addition to the horse poo when my husband comes back from riding.

It probably would be good for the chickens to have a space of their own, my 2yo loves them a little tooo much.
And the roosting on the deck is a good point, hadn't thought of that...

Really locked up for a MONTH?!?

If there was a run would that make a difference in how long they spent in the coop before free ranging?

 

[gryeyes]

They only need to be stuck in the coop about 2 weeks - this is just to make them understand that's home, and safety, so they'll be sure to want to come back to it.

And runs are for security when you aren't there to supervise them during the day. Make it predator proof!

Everybody I know that lets their chickens on their decks discover soon enough that chickens KNOW you live in THAT "coop" and YOU bring the treats, so they hang around the door waiting for you to come out. And knock (peck) at the sliding glass door to remind you they're out there. And they leave their droppings there as they hang out.

If that sounds cute (except for the poop part) to you, then don't close 'em in a run.... Trust me, they'll learn where you go in and out of your house!

 

[anniem]

The coop is predator proof! I just hadn't thought a whole lot beyond that.

And we have 1 EE who I can just see pecking at every window, coming inside if one of the kids leaves a door open and making herself at home.

 

[SarahFair]

They will poo on your deck

 

[teach1rusl]

Unless I'm seeing things, isn't that a little run??? The little pen thing that has the housing built into it??? Why couldn't that work for times you don't want them out and about???
Yes, they'll poop on your deck. They can't reach our deck, because it's a 2nd level deck, but they do poop on our porch. But that's my fault, because I encouraged them to come sit with me for treats and such. I just keep a little hand broom there, and my dogs help out too...lol. To help them get use to "going home" each evening, you could just temporarily fence off an area the circles their coop...just wire and a few metal posts. It would only look tacky for a little while, until they got use to going inside each night.

 

[kateseidel]

I'm afraid I am not doing well on "transitioning" the chicks to the lives of hens. By 4 weeks they were too big for the brooder, so we moved them to coop (8 x 12). I did NOT build a run, because they are destined to be free range chickens. But....they are (even at 7 weeks) too small to be on their own, so we have built a run in the last week so they can have outdoor time in addition to coop time. Your coop is more open - ours is an enclosed building - but I like to have enough room for us to be inside with the chickens, and in the run too!!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Normally, I suggest people build at least a small run for their chickens, for all the reasons you and everyone else have suggested. Since your coop already has a small run incorporated into it, that would work for temporary confinements. I can understand why you are wondering if you need more of a run. How many chickens are you going to have in that space?

You may just need to live with your chickens for awhile and see how it goes. You can always build a larger run later, if you need it. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone saying they were sorry they built their run, though. Usually it's people wishing they either had built a run in the first place or had built a larger run. Every situation is different, though.

Have you lined your fence with some type of wire that the chickens can't walk through or will they be able to go in all your neighbor's yards? Can other people's dogs go right through your fence? That would be one thing to think about, when considering whether to build a larger run.

Also, do you garden much? Do your neighbors? Chickens like to eat vegetable gardens down to the ground and scratch in flower beds, flinging mulch all over. Will this be an issue for you? Will this be an issue for your neighbors? That's something to consider, too.