Amazon Chicken Runs Yay or Nay?

[Bock-Bock-Bagock]

The rocks and clay sound good. If you have tornado-like winds, another option is to drive T-posts into the ground next to the vertical posts of the run, and use pipe clamps (metal) to attach the T-posts to the vertical posts of the run after the hardware cloth is up.

Actually, adding t-posts sounds like a pretty good idea. Problem is getting them into the ground. Not impossible...Just very difficult. But may be worth the effort. Even the auger on the tractor has problems getting caught up on rocks. The clay would be fine on it's own. But add rocks the size of soccer balls to the mix. What a pain.

 

[Evelynh0924]

Looking to expand my coop/run for my girls. Currently I have 3 hens in a small coop made from scraps. The run is probably 8-10 feet long by about 4 feet wide. Today I added 3 chicks, so will have a total of 6. So in a few months I want to have them in a bigger coop and run. I have a space about 10 feet wide and can go up to 40 or 50 feet long. The area is fully shaded in the summer.
I was thinking of building a new coop to fit them all and buying the chicken runs on Amazon, and do a little modification. But I'm concerned about the quality of the metal pole runs. Looking for people who use them and their opinion on them.
My first option is the Amazon chicken runs and lay down a sacrificial wood base to attach the run to. Was thinking of railroad ties or pressure-treated 4"x4"s. But unsure how safe those materials would be in the run. With that I could do a large area pretty inexpensive. I would add corrugated steel around the bottom section to protect from winds and predators.

My second option would be to put wood posts in the ground and use something like hardware cloth or chain link fencing. But that option would be a little harder to add a roof onto. On the plus side, the run would be under trees and I'm not sure the hawks could swoop down between them. I could run an electric fence around the bottom as well to keep critters at bay. But being full shade I'm not sure I could get a solar powered fence to operate there.

Seeking some opinions on an economical and secure way to build out this area. Also, with this square footage, how many could I have without having them crammed in there. I feel like 40x10 for 6-10 total is plenty of room for them to not feel "cooped" up.

First time chicken owner and am currently building their permanent coop (modified Third Coast Craftsman design). The area where the coop will be is within a chain-link fenced area and I plan to let them free range within that area, especially when we are at home. I want them to have a secure run space also and am looking at the pre-built runs like you are talking about. Hardware cloth is so expensive! I live in South Alabama so a shaded roof and extra reinforcement at the bottom would be a must! Thanks!