Brand newbie here! Safe housing advice needed for my chicks

[teashka]

Hi chicken lovers

I have 6 pullets that I just got for the first time ever!! so excited!! However, I do have a VERY nasty little dog and a VERY slick wise old cat the is indoor/outdoor. As much as want my chicks (when fully feathered) to be outside playing in the yard, I am very concerned about my two other animals that I love dearly. I am more concerned about my cat though, as I have some control over my dog staying in while chickens are supervised playing in the yard. My cat meow meow is so adgile he has caught birds mid air!!

Here is my question....For 6 chickens, how large should a run be, (not including a coop) ? height, length, width etc to be humane and fun for them. And is it humane to keep them in a run most of the time as long as run is large enough?

I would like to say that I will have them out frequently but I wont know for sure until I see how "interested" my other two are with my chickens.

Please comment as my husband will be making his plans soon to build the run. Thanks

 

[Chick Charm]

10 sf per bird in the run can be used as a rule of thumb. For 6 birds a run of 60 sf is sufficient. How high you want it to be is totally up to you as long as it is 2' or taller.

Here is an example of one of my runs. Attached to the coop of course.

 

[teashka]

awesome, thanks

 

[MemesChicks]

I have three layers and two new chicks that will be joining them in the next few weeks. My run is about 10 x 20 (pretty big). We have cats as well, and other creatures in our rural area. With that in mind, we wanted them to have secure ranging room. I also wanted my access to be from within the run as well. We used full-sized fence posts and 48" chicken wire surrounding it. In addition, I used landscape staples to secure the fencing to the ground (side benefit is they deter digging under--they are about 5" long). I use bird netting that goes over the whole set up and is secured to the fencing as a protection from hawk attacks and cat invasions.

My girls go out there every day, and I've set up perches and a "tunnel" made with a pallet within the run. To hold the netting up, I've placed posts inside the run that raise it above my head and gives me free reign inside. My next phase will be installing a more permanent cover...that this summer's project.

I let my girls outside the run when I'm working outside. They love it, and my cats, while curious, just watch them. I, too, have one that is quite cunning; she stalked them at first, but stopped after I "grounded her" to the house. She's just follows and watches them now.

Chick Charm's rule of thumb is great (love your coop and run, too). Lots of great info is available on this site. I continue to make changes to my girls place thanks to what everyone shares here. Oh, and this is the first time I've ever had chickens in my life--it's a blast!

Post pics of what you do and of your flock

 

[Trefoil]

The larger you make your run, the easier it will be to keep and the less problems you'll have with possible aggression. Its nice to have roosts in the run as well. Where I live (Michigan) landscape staples wouldn't work, nor poultry fencing, although I use chicken wire for the top with no problems (so far). The more sturdy you build, the less repair and maintenance you'll have later on. The 10 square feet per bird is a minimum.