Covered or uncovered run?

[Ebony Rose]

Build the coop you want, and use the one you have in the meantime (assuming there's room). It'll buy you some extra time and then you can reuse the prefab as an isolation set up.

As far as covering the run, obviously if you build the one you want that'll be covered. Otherwise the chickens can manage rain by themselves and covering the run would mostly be for predator protection and shade.

x2 The prefab would also make an excellent brooding house which if placed next to the coop and run you are custom building, with chicken wire between the two spaces, will allow for constant 'Look, Don't Touch' of your chicks for super-easy integrations, or if using as a chicken hospital, will allow the sick bird to better maintain their status in the pecking order.

 

[gumbita]

I am really leaning towards building the more accessible covered coop and keeping the other for isolation or sell it! It just seems like the best thing to do in the long run. Thank you all for your help sorting this out!!

 

[Mvan42]

My son bought a coop similar to that from tractor Supply for his chickens. They are nice but here where winter is cold and lots of snow they don’t with stand the elements. He has only had the bigger one (hold 6-8) for a year and the one door broke this winter. 5ey are hard to clean. So we are in the process of building a bigger coop and run. We may or may not cover the run right away but eventually we plan to. Saves on snow and rain and also gives shade.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Here's the one I had the plans to build:

Nice! I would have to agree with you that it is much better if you can go inside.

 

[gumbita]

That's what I was thinking. As it is, I have to wedge my whole body through a small door to reach the very back of the coop. It definitely gets grosser every day... And there is literally no way to get to the second half of the run under the coop unless I crawl in the actual run, which I had to do today...not fun.