Can you get into your run?

[bucky52]

you need excess to your run,you do need to clean and mantain it.you will more and likely have chickens dye.my coop sits in the middle of two runs.we started out with a small run attached to the front of the coop.than i wanted a bigger run.which my husband built around the small
run.than i wanted another larger run so he built that behind the coop.now we are in the process of building a larger coop.lol he has already warned me no more.so i have three seperate runs in case i have the need to seperate my flock.

 

[leight54]

Part of my run is under the raised coop, and is just high enough for me to get into, stooped over and sit on my little seat to visit. The "door" is the whole end panel on hinges, about 3' x 3', framed in, with hardware cloth. The back part of the run, though, I have to "duck-walk" around in. I can reach it all with a rake for cleaning however, so it's not a problem. Except one hen often lays her egg at the extreme far corner - maybe she likes to watch me make a fool of myself trying to get that thing, quack-quack.

 

[SkinNFluff]

here is our 8'x8' run. 4' walls 6' on the high side of the roof. i will have our run finished next week and will be getting started on the coop.

 

[gapeach717]

Thanks guys! I live yours bobbi! That would be fantastic (scaled down a bit to fit in my tiny yard of course) I feel like I can do this if I try super hard! I am just scared, and this has been a lot harder than I thought it would going the free as possible route. I have never even swung a hammer before this adventure and now I can drive 3" nails into solid oak pallets!! Lol!! Just getting tired and not a lot of confidence in myself I guess. Your pics help a lot!!!

I sure hope I don't have chickens that will surely die! ( I think that's what you meant by dye??!?!) why should I expect that?

 

[joan1708]

I thought the door was the hardest part also. I wanted mine tight enough to keep rats/mice out. Everyone's situation is a little different. Keep looking at everyone else's doors and you will figure yours out. It takes us amateurs just a little longer. Here is mine

 

[gapeach717]

Thanks Joan, I like yours very much too!

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks guys! I live yours bobbi! That would be fantastic (scaled down a bit to fit in my tiny yard of course) I feel like I can do this if I try super hard! I am just scared, and this has been a lot harder than I thought it would going the free as possible route. I have never even swung a hammer before this adventure and now I can drive 3" nails into solid oak pallets!! Lol!! Just getting tired and not a lot of confidence in myself I guess. Your pics help a lot!!!
I sure hope I don't have chickens that will surely die! ( I think that's what you meant by dye??!?!) why should I expect that?

Unfortunately, that's part of chicken keeping. Sometimes, they will just up and die. Sometimes they get sick, and sometimes - no matter how critter-proof we think our runs and coops are, some darn animal will find its way in. A thought for a door - check your local lumberyard and see if they have any reject doors. Something with a scratch or a dent, if you don't care about that. Build your run to fit the door!

 

[gapeach717]

I know animals die, I just couldn't figure out what was meant by the comment, :/

That's a good idea about the door, I will look into that too. Our four days of rain just kicked in about 20 mins ago so I have time to ponder!

 

[nikki1]

Doors are the part of the building we were dreading the most, but it turns out doors are pretty easy to score cheap premade. For the house part of the coop we got an old exterior door with a window in it free from a friend. We chopped off the bottom, and we were good to go. For the run, we found a $20 brand new wood frame screen at Lowe's. We're going to put 1/2 inch hardware cloth behind the screen to keep the raccoons out, but other than that it's ready to use.

At the nearest Habitat for Humanity Restore Store they had literally dozens of doors...interior, exterior, screen, you name it, all of them for under $20.

--Nikki

 

[gapeach717]

Great ideas Nikki thank you!!!