Chicken Run Design Questions

[BrendaJune]

We are in the middle of building our chicken run. Our coop is inside a run that is about 16' x 16'. Should the door to the run open in or out or does it matter?

My husband wants to build the run with half the roof being solid and the other half with only 1/4 hardware cloth. I don't think it is necessary to have the solid roof since the coop is raised off the ground 2 1/2 feet so they can go in the coop or under it for protection from rain or snow. What say you?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Run door opening outward saves a lot of hassle.

If there is a large snow you can still get in.
If a bird is in distress no worry about shoving/crushing her by pushing in.
If a predator tries to get in the door (built right) won't push in.

As to the roof.....mine appreciate a dry area created by roofing. They always have a shaded area that way too.

I did find hardware cloth allows snow to build up and sag it inward. Put enough support under that it won't collapse. Chicken wire on top allows more snow to fall through instead of build up. if the flakes are huge It will build up on chicken wire too though. It does keep hawks out too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine opens inward... my thought was that it would push chickens out of the doorway as I came in. Then last year happened and we got a lot of snow over a few weeks. Had to inch open the door, clear a bit, inch again, clear more, etc. just to get into the run... nothing like panicking in the morning because the chickens are waiting for breakfast and I can't get in the run!

Roof would be nice if you can afford it as it provides shade, snow/rain cover, and predator protection well beyond any netting.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We are in the middle of building our chicken run. Our coop is inside a run that is about 16' x 16'. Should the door to the run open in or out or does it matter?

Are you talking about the door from the run to the coop? How much bedding are you going to have in the coop? Chickens can scratch and build it up. If the door opens inward, it needs to be higher than the bedding. Your pop door also needs to be high enough that bedding doesn't fall out.

Are you putting any bedding in the run? If you are any door that opens into the run needs to be higher than the bedding. I typically put a 4" x 6" piece of treated wood to act as a sill at a run door. That stops things going under and allows you to raise the door a bit.

If the door swings inward, you have to leave enough room clear of roots, nests, feed, and water so the door can swing in. If it opens outward you don;t have that issue. Other than that, I don't think it really matters if it swings in or out as long as the bedding doesn't block it.

My husband wants to build the run with half the roof being solid and the other half with only 1/4 hardware cloth. I don't think it is necessary to have the solid roof since the coop is raised off the ground 2 1/2 feet so they can go in the coop or under it for protection from rain or snow. What say you?

A run with a solid roof will help some with rain and sun, but only some. Rain will blow in from the sides. As long as the sun is high it will provide shade but when the sun sinks a bit a lot of heat can shine in from the sides. My 12' x 32' main run is covered about 24 feet with the last 8 feet covered with netting. The covered part will help a lot with rain and shade, but it is not perfect. I personally side with your husband. Covering it will help, especially if it is sloped enough so rainwater runs off. but think what will happen if the western side is open and it gets hot in the afternoon.

 

[BrendaJune]

We are in the middle of building our chicken run. Our coop is inside a run that is about 16' x 16'. Should the door to the run open in or out or does it matter?

Are you talking about the door from the run to the coop? How much bedding are you going to have in the coop? Chickens can scratch and build it up. If the door opens inward, it needs to be higher than the bedding. Your pop door also needs to be high enough that bedding doesn't fall out.

Are you putting any bedding in the run? If you are any door that opens into the run needs to be higher than the bedding. I typically put a 4" x 6" piece of treated wood to act as a sill at a run door. That stops things going under and allows you to raise the door a bit.

If the door swings inward, you have to leave enough room clear of roots, nests, feed, and water so the door can swing in. If it opens outward you don;t have that issue. Other than that, I don't think it really matters if it swings in or out as long as the bedding doesn't block it.

My husband wants to build the run with half the roof being solid and the other half with only 1/4 hardware cloth. I don't think it is necessary to have the solid roof since the coop is raised off the ground 2 1/2 feet so they can go in the coop or under it for protection from rain or snow. What say you?

A run with a solid roof will help some with rain and sun, but only some. Rain will blow in from the sides. As long as the sun is high it will provide shade but when the sun sinks a bit a lot of heat can shine in from the sides. My 12' x 32' main run is covered about 24 feet with the last 8 feet covered with netting. The covered part will help a lot with rain and shade, but it is not perfect. I personally side with your husband. Covering it will help, especially if it is sloped enough so rainwater runs off. but think what will happen if the western side is open and it gets hot in the afternoon.

Thank you for your detailed reply. We are going to put sand in the run and pine shavings in the coop. We will go with the outward swinging door for the run. We are going to see how the weather affects the coop and the run this winter and determine how the roof over the run should go. Chicken will arrive in the spring after we are all set up.

 

[BrendaJune]

Thank you! That is very helpful.

 

[BrendaJune]

We don't usually get more than 4" of snow at a time and it always melts between storms.

 

[TomZilla43]

Yup, I would definitely say that outward is better than inward on the door. My entire run is roofed(but it's only 14' x 6') if the run is under a good bit of shade the roof typically becomes a little less important but some area out of the rain and possible snow depending on your location is something that will make life a little sweeter for your feathered friends. If you wind up going the uncovered route on most of the run Amazon sells some aviary netting that works great for keeping hawks out and is very affordable. I don't use it but my father in law does(he has a much larger run w/ no roof) and like the chicken wire I don't think it would hold the snow like 1/4" hw cloth although since we live in TN we know very little about that. Good luck with your run

 

[aart]

I don't think it is necessary to have the solid roof since the coop is raised off the ground 2 1/2 feet so they can go in the coop or under it for protection from rain or snow. What say you?

How big is coop and how many birds?
I think in your climate you're going to want all the shade you can get.

 

[BrendaJune]

How big is coop and how many birds?
I think in your climate you're going to want all the shade you can get.

The coop is 4 x 8 feet and we plan on getting 6 chickens since there are only two of us.