Choices? What to do with my run!

[Gospel_Bird_house]

I have a muddy mess and the girls have only been in the run a couple of times. I was concerned about the look of the chicken wire i used on top too. I have a guy that said he would give me some metal studs to frame a roof over the run, but I would have to buy metal to cover it with (kinda strapped after the $300 I've spent so far). Another guy said he would give me the fabric from 2 trampolines that I could cut and place over the top which would look better than the wire and provide shade but wouldn't help with the mud. Can't make my mind up.

I'm thinking about putting sand in it too, but that is money too!

best picture I got of the run

 

[teach1rusl]

Sand is pretty cheap if bought by the truckload (or partial truckload). But you'd need to frame in the bottom so the sand would stay where it needs to stay.
How do you get inside your run?
Really, chicken wire is fairly useless against raccoons and such anyway. You'd do better to add a pop door cover and close your girls inside each evening. It's really hard to cover a run that's not framed...I don't think most folks do who just use posts and wire with no framing - because of the issues of support.

 

[ocpoolguy]

I am too new to know but thats a cool looking set up. I am worried about mud as well. It dos't rain a lot where I am but my soil has a lot of clay.

 

[Gospel_Bird_house]

Quote:
run door is on back side with wooden post for hinge side and coop for lock side. I plan to build pop door tomorrow, but i have a piece of plywood I've been screwing up on the inside in the evening to secure them. I went back and ran some pieces across from post to post for support but still don't like the look.

 

[teach1rusl]

So then are you mostly using the chicken wire for protection against hawks?? If you know that you enjoy having chickens and think they'll be around for years, you might want to start collecting scrap wood to frame out a more traditional run. It just gives you a lot of peace of mind having a covered (strong wire or otherwise) run, and it's much easier to cover one that is framed out. Even if it takes months and months to save up or collect supples. It looks like you put a lot into your coop (very cute

). So over the next many months, put a little more into a run. You won't regret it.