Building the ideal chicken run

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But in an ideal world, even if you have that wouldn't it be great to ALSO have a run TOO? So that when it's not safe for the birds to be just wandering loose (e.g. having a predator or fence problem that day) they can still be more or less out in the fresh air. Also lets you lock them into a rally safe coop at night without worrying about having to choose between 'up at daybreak every single day' and 'chickens sitting pointlessly in coop for hours after sunup, waiting to be let out'
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Sometimes (especially in 'if I win the lottery' type scenarios) it is possible for chickens to have cake and eat it too
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Pat
 
Quote:
But in an ideal world, even if you have that wouldn't it be great to ALSO have a run TOO? So that when it's not safe for the birds to be just wandering loose (e.g. having a predator or fence problem that day) they can still be more or less out in the fresh air. Also lets you lock them into a rally safe coop at night without worrying about having to choose between 'up at daybreak every single day' and 'chickens sitting pointlessly in coop for hours after sunup, waiting to be let out'
wink.png


Sometimes (especially in 'if I win the lottery' type scenarios) it is possible for chickens to have cake and eat it too
wink.png


Pat

Oh I intend all those things, Pat, in my ideal scenario. The paddock and run are one in the same, not separate. My coop is in the middle of the paddock and accessible to all of the sections. It would have auto opening/closing doors, auto feeders and waterers and so on. It is on wheels and so off the ground and can move to a new paddock each year.

The paddoack pasture area in use is planted in amaranth and sunflower for more than the feeding value these offer - they are tall and protect the birds from both hot sun and aerial assault by raptors.
It is also fenced as part of a layered perimeter defense plan, thus electric and wire fencing around the paddock, and of course property fencing at the perimeter. Dogs are included in the plan.

The definition of 'run' commonly held by most differs a little from mine. Most see it as a fortress, a bastion against the predacious world outside the fence.
I don't. I recall the city sieges of the middle ages and realize that the enemy outside the gates were free to conduct their campaigns while the residents were really the prisoners. At best, all that could be attained was a stalemate. The difference there was that the human attackers might eventually get tired and give up - animal predators rarely do.

In my ideal world I would also be able to hunt and trap all predators without being hand-tied by government watchdogs. You name it, they are fair game. There wouldn't be many around. My apologies to the ARsers, but there it is. In effect, I would take an active role to tip the balance in my preeminent favor and not settle for a stalemate.

Would I intend an armored safe run, a fortress against the seige of tooth and claw outside the gate? A place where the chickens could be safely locked up, albeit in a cage of wire? No.
 
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in an ideal situation... i wouldn't have any predators of any sort... just green grass, tall trees and bright warm sunshine.. so fencing and hardware cloth wouldn't be necessary... i live in the city.,,, so some land (5acres) will do for me....

Happy Fourth Of July everyone!!!!!!!
 
Quote:
Ok, well, let me rephrase it then... wouldn't it be great for the chickens, since they will (evidently) be shut into the coop at night, to have a PART OF THE COOP (since you don't want to call it a run
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) that was basically open-air and sunshine, but just as well protected as the 'indoor' part of the coop.

I did not mean to start a thing about semantics
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-- I just think that, unless one is inclined to just let the chickens go wherever they want whenever they want (i.e. they are NEVER shut in ANYwhere), it is awfully nice for them to have an outdoors part to enjoy til they're let loose, or when unexpected things arise.

In my ideal world I would also be able to hunt and trap all predators without being hand-tied by government watchdogs. You name it, they are fair game. There wouldn't be many around. My apologies to the ARsers, but there it is.

Sure, and in my ideal world I am lying on a beach in Fiji with handsome young men, all oiled and sun-tanned, fanning me and peeling me grapes and so forth. Well, plus the whole 'world peace, harmony with nature, no parking tickets, etc' type stuff
tongue.png


But even if you were allowed to trap and shoot whatever you wanted whenever you wanted, there would still be some predators that wandered in (predators, by their nature, have large ranges and roam quite a lot) and saw your chickens before you saw them. Also, more to the point in this partiuclar discussion, there will be days when a tree knocks your paddock fences flat, or your charger goes to the great junkpile in the sky, or you *know* you have a predator around that's taking your chickens but you just haven't gotten it yet . At times like those, it is *awfully* nice to be able to put animals somewhere really secure yet (as much as possible) comfortable for them.

This is why for horses, even if you have 100 acres of pasture and they live out 24/7, you still really ought to have a small very well-fenced paddock available
wink.png


JMO,

Pat​
 
Quote:
Ok, well, let me rephrase it then... wouldn't it be great for the chickens, since they will (evidently) be shut into the coop at night, to have a PART OF THE COOP (since you don't want to call it a run
wink.png
) that was basically open-air and sunshine, but just as well protected as the 'indoor' part of the coop.

I did not mean to start a thing about semantics
wink.png
-- I just think that, unless one is inclined to just let the chickens go wherever they want whenever they want (i.e. they are NEVER shut in ANYwhere), it is awfully nice for them to have an outdoors part to enjoy til they're let loose, or when unexpected things arise.

In my ideal world I would also be able to hunt and trap all predators without being hand-tied by government watchdogs. You name it, they are fair game. There wouldn't be many around. My apologies to the ARsers, but there it is.

Sure, and in my ideal world I am lying on a beach in Fiji with handsome young men, all oiled and sun-tanned, fanning me and peeling me grapes and so forth. Well, plus the whole 'world peace, harmony with nature, no parking tickets, etc' type stuff
tongue.png


But even if you were allowed to trap and shoot whatever you wanted whenever you wanted, there would still be some predators that wandered in (predators, by their nature, have large ranges and roam quite a lot) and saw your chickens before you saw them. Also, more to the point in this partiuclar discussion, there will be days when a tree knocks your paddock fences flat, or your charger goes to the great junkpile in the sky, or you *know* you have a predator around that's taking your chickens but you just haven't gotten it yet . At times like those, it is *awfully* nice to be able to put animals somewhere really secure yet (as much as possible) comfortable for them.

This is why for horses, even if you have 100 acres of pasture and they live out 24/7, you still really ought to have a small very well-fenced paddock available
wink.png


JMO,

Pat​

Okay you win, I'll make a fenced in run.
 
Oh my goodness, you guys crack me up! I think if we combined all our "Dream Runs" we'd end up creating a garden of Eden! I'll add that each chicken has her own hammock, and Monte Carlo for shopping trips to town!!
But seriously, when you state you bury the mesh, etc, how are you doing this? Is the wire under the soil a foot or so, or? And is this for the width of the run? I understand we are trying to prevent predators digging into the run... And, what do you mean by fabric? Never heard of that.
 
Quote:
You got it right on the below ground wire. How to bury it? Theres a special tool made just for the job - called a shovel.
And, yes, it encircles the entire run. Digging predators have plenty of time and will try many places to get in.
Fabric is shade fabric, the open weave poly cloth often associated with greenhouse growing.
Some also mean netting when they use the term fabric, but the two are really distinct from each other.
 
my run is a wood frame covered in chicken wire and about 2 1/2 feet above the ground the floor of it is a section of stockade fence it is hinged so you can lift the cage off and hose it off. It's a big chicken wire box
We built off the ground so nothing could dig in.The new coop which we are building now is also above ground on stilts it is 7x10 and the run is 8x12 i think got to ask DH

I keep seeing everyone using dog runs and chain link fence , but every time I go on the predator posts someone with chain link and dog runs have lost chickens because racoons have pulled their chickens through and popped their heads off.
I have to find some of this hardware cloth is it made of fabric? That doesn't seem very sturdy
 

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