Covered chicken Run?

[DramaBrahmaMama]

We have to do a run due to location. We are coming off the front of coop and doing a pitch. (With tin) It will be 7 ft high at coop and 5 ft at the other end. Hopefully that's enough. But it's also giving us a little piece of mind about the bird flu....

 

[jrob712]

I would cover it, and add a pitch, as @DobieLover said, to shed rain. If it's covered, they have shade, protection from rain, and protection from aerial predators. It will also keep wild bird poop from falling in, which is a concern now with Avian Influenza circulating amongst wild birds.

Are you planning to make it tall enough for you to stand up in ? Your back will thank you if you do.

Thank you!

No. Bc of materials and trying to just repurpose stuff we will Not be able to stand in this one. All the cleaning, food, water and egg retrieval will be accessible from outside.

And my daughters are short to stand up in there so I’ll make them go in if needed

 

[DavidReaves]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forums and am building our first coop. I built a coop for my mom when I was much younger but now this one is for my family! We are really excited about this new adventure!

My question would be regarding my coop design. I'm building this coop with pallets and other reclaimed materials since lumber prices are so high and we are new to backyard chickens. So the design is based on the size of available materials.

You'll see in the photo I've got a long run planned but have never thought to ask if it'd be best for that run to be covered. It's all open with hardware cloth on the walls and top but it would not be hard for me to add some tin roof on top for rain and sun protection. What are the pros and cons here? Is it even something I should be worried about? Any suggestions are welcomed! I'll post more photos below of my progress.

That's a nice sketch for sure. I'm building a chicken tractor now. The bit of advice I'd give is 1) don't count on your cut list from the drawings. 2) Once you've started, measure twice, mark cuts, then measure again!

 

[jrob712]

That's a nice sketch for sure. I'm building a chicken tractor now. The bit of advice I'd give is 1) don't count on your cut list from the drawings. 2) Once you've started, measure twice, mark cuts, then measure again!

Thank you for the advice! It’s coming along slowly but surely as I find time!

 

[townchicks]

Cover it. Protection from sun,rain,snow and wild bird droppings are all good reasons. I do hope you are going to let them out into your yard on a daily basis, that's a really nice coop, but the run is too small for full time confinement. Welcome to the chicken club!

 

[jrob712]

Cover it. Protection from sun,rain,snow and wild bird droppings are all good reasons. I do hope you are going to let them out into your yard on a daily basis, that's a really nice coop, but the run is too small for full time confinement. Welcome to the chicken club!

Thanks!!

Yes the whole backyard is fenced and will be there’s when we’re home! My daughters will want them out so they can play!