Chicken run, do I need a coop?

[Rdcranno]

Hello,

My chicken run is as predator proof as I can make it. 1/2inch weldmesh on the sides and roof. The base is concrete. I also have onduline roofing above the mesh on the roof to keep the rain out.

I’ve have 3 bantams and have had them in the run with a homemade wood coop for nearly a year now with no issues. We have had a few foxes come to visit (I’ve heard the alarm call and ran out to see a fox scampering away) but at no point did I feel they were a threat to the birds when they were in their run.

This year I have been surffering with red mite. I have now dismantled and burnt the coop as no matter what I did I couldn’t seem to clear them. The hens have been roosting outside in their run for the past 2 nights. I have put a small shelter out which they have been laying in.

This has led me to think - if I was to put the translucent corrugated pvc panels around the sides. Theoretically the run would be weather proof.

Do I need to go to the hassle of having a coop?

I’m in Yorkshire, UK. Last year the temperatures got down to -12 although that is abit of a rarity. If the run is draft free do you think it could work?

Cheers.

 

[TheYLWFlock]

I’m not sure what do about the weatherproofing, but you could always somehow turn a small plastic structure like a play house or even maybe a large doll house into a coop, you wouldn’t need to deal with the problem of wood or mites.
Example:

 

[Rdcranno]

I’ve been looking at plastic coops as an alternative.

I’ve been thinking I could fashion something out of a wheelie bin but add a lot of vents. - probably should just bite the bullet and purchase one

I forgot to add the run is maybe 20ft x 20ft so fairly big.

I was worried if I went with the coop free idea, although draft free, they’d struggle in the cold. Atleast when they’re coop’d up they’re creating abit of heat.

 

[Feathers Brady]

Are they layers?
It sounds like you have a preditor proof run and a good idea with PVC panels.
Good luck ! And keep up the good ideas!

 

[Zinjifrah]

Honestly, if you weather-proof the sides to prevent wind just blowing through, I think you're basically turning your run into a large coop itself. But I'm new at all this!

 

[Feathers Brady]

Where ever they feel safest

 

[Rdcranno]

Are they layers?

Yeah they’re layers. Like I say 3 bantams so far but I built a largish run so I could add to the flock eventually. They have free roam round the garden when I can supervise them.

Honestly, if you weather-proof the sides to prevent wind just blowing through, I think you're basically turning your run into a large coop itself. But I'm new at all this!

That’s what I thought too. I was just concerned due to the size would the birds struggle in the cold weather.

 

[fur-mum]

I'm assuming your -12 is Celcius and not Farenheit. Which makes it about 10 degrees here. My girls are in fairly small open coop, and roost in the open most of the time. It only has a small closed in area and the only time they move to the enclosed part is when the temp is near 0F. I think that your girls would be alright, even in the winter, with either way you decided to go. If there's no drafts and adequate air circulation, in my experience, they do pretty good creating body heat inside the coop. They'll huddle together if they're cold and spread out if they get warmer. If it gets really bad, I've seen good ideas on here about supplemental low-grade heat for coops in the winter.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Short answer: no, you don't need a coop. Chickens don't care if you have an enclosed wood structure and then a wire structure outside of it, as long as there's sufficient space overall to cover their needs.

What you're proposing is more like an open air coop or coop/run combo. Should work fine as long as you can provide protection from the elements during periods of bad weather.

 

[Rdcranno]

Short answer: no, you don't need a coop. Chickens don't care if you have an enclosed wood structure and then a wire structure outside of it, as long as there's sufficient space overall to cover their needs.

What you're proposing is more like an open air coop or coop/run combo. Should work fine as long as you can provide protection from the elements during periods of bad weather.

Aha that’s the term I was looking for ‘open air coop’. Just done a search on the forum and there’s quite abit of info for me to read through. Cheers!