Covered Run?

[nono]

We had purchased clear plastic corrugated roofing but later returned it due to concerns of snow load.

 

[lisababes]

Our run is only a few feet tall, and has hardware cloth on top, like just discussed above. After one year with rain and snow, we got two of those alphalt 4x8 panels to lay on top of it, which is good for summer shading, but in winter it gets kinda dark, plus in winter they're not free ranging. So we recently changed it to some "new" dumpster-dived glass windows (Actually, small sliding doors) that we lay on top of the hardware cloth Makes for so much more light. Probably will put the corrugated panels on again for summer though. Meanwhile, our yard is looking mighty fine with random roofing material strewn about!

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Sliding glass door is a great idea!

I could reinforce that to hold the weight of a sliding glass door.

 

[audiomilk]

Wow those are some eccentric and beautiful coops, although probably pretty expensive to build. Great job though, you oughta get awards for design

 

[JimWWhite]

Here's my run and the coop. A few years ago a friend bought a new house and someone put up a metal carport out to one side. When I was driving by one morning I saw him about to start taking it apart and I stopped. He said if I wanted it I could help him take it down and he'd help me put it back up on my property. It was free so 'Yeah, Boy!!!' I jumped on it. We set it up in my backyard, laid down about 3 inches of Crush 'n Run and then another couple of inches of creek sand. Then I put the coop inside and fenced it in with 2x4 welded wire and chicken fabric wire. Built the gate and added the chickens. The next week we got hurricane Ida that blew through and everything was soaked from three days of torrential rains. Everything except for the inside of the run. I went down during one fierce squall and there were the Gals taking their sand baths. Dry as could be. Go figure. Anyways, luck was on my side to get something so nice to re-purpose it as a chicken run.

One thing I'm planning on doing this year is to somehow add some gutters to the roof and a big plastic rain barrel to catch the runoff so I don't have to keep carrying water down to them all the time.

 

[dlbeckwo]

If you had room, you could add some wheels to that thing and have one nice chicken tractor lol

 

[lvp1963]

We covered our run with chicken wire,

 

[blucoondawg]

I bought 2 inch square bird netting off amazon its quite cheap and snow won't damage it,it will sag if not supported well enough but it pops back up, won't break. I am very impressed with how its held up, I wouldn't use anything else, that plastic netting is junk in my opinion.