Do Chickens Really Need a Run?

[Wendy Case]

No need to replace, just dump another bag on top and they’ll go crazy again.

Perfect! Thank you hun.

 

[Kris5902]

From my observations of the birds on our farm, I think that outside access does make for happier and healthier birds. Granted the coop is too small for proper confinement of more than 2 or 3 birds and there’s over 10 in there. 2 of the girls were transferred in there by the owner from an outside run that’s also too small and a mud/poop pit. They try (very hard) to escape from the coop every time the door is opened. I think even a poor run is better than no run, and those two seem to agree.

My birds on pasture in a chicken tractor seem happiest, granted with the current bad weather they hang out in their roosting area a lot and I’ve had to be careful not to park them in any deep puddles. I’m hoping to free range soon and start using the tractor for breeding pens.

Could chickens be kept well and happily in a large enough coop? Probably, but I’m thinking they would need more space than the average owner is willing/able to setup and maintain. I’m thinking about indoor aviaries for exotic birds being kept in northern climates, aquariums, and reptile enclosures... and then how chickens would behave most naturally in total confinement. I don’t think that commercial chicken barns as an example of total confinement keeping is a standard most keepers here would find acceptable for their flocks.

 

[Mimi13]

Why would the birds be confined in a run if there IS no run?
The question does not ask about the presence of a run, it asks about the lack of it.
Wild birds transmit diseases to chickens whether or not they have direct contact. Their feces and dust are enough.

Therefore, having no access to the outdoors should greatly reduce the risk of contracting diseases from wild birds.

Well dang, I completely read that wrong. And I swear, I’ve had nothing to drink.

You’ve definitely got a point; however, when you talk about disease transmission without direct contact, that could still be achieved through wild birds sitting on open window sills. During warm weather all 6 windows in my coop stay open 24/7. They are covered by HC. Just a thought.

 

[Amer]

(Edited my post. I said yes instead of no. Kind of a key detail. XD)

 

[Mimi13]

Agreed 1000%. I grew up in a small Welsh mining village and as they say "It takes a village...." Wish it hadn't. I'm an introvert, horribly so.
I had great jobs in management when I lived in Wales and dated a farmer...
That's it. I was paid to interact and when not working at my paid job, I was working on my boyfriend's parents farm.
The Welsh are naturally suspicious and that was me to a T, so apart from school and work I didn't interact with many. That was way before internet and cell phones. I'm 65 this year. I never touched a computer or cell phone till I moved over here in 1998!!!
Because the cultures between my Homeland and my adopted USA are SO different, I hardly spoke to anyone because meanings weren't/aren't the same and nobody could understand me anyway!! Over the past 20 years I've slowly come out of my shell thanks to social media. But I'm still scared of upsetting or offending anyone. So PLEASE let me know if or when I say the wrong thing. I'd rather talk about it than have someone think of me as mean, when it was probably because the wording wasn't right as many of our words have double meanings!! I still think Welsh.
And I have many faults!! But have a great sense of humour!

Truth is, we all have faults, like it or not. But, we don’t all have a sense of humor, and that sucks. And humor is one of the best ways to help with communication.

And this world needs introverts just as much as extroverts. We coexist perfectly!

 

[PouleChick]

I think if it 'had' to be done for whatever reason in a backyard setting a Woods coop would be the way to go, plenty of fresh air and sunshine getting in.

 

[Wendy Case]

Truth is, we all have faults, like it or not. But, we don’t all have a sense of humor, and that sucks. And humor is one of the best ways to help with communication.

And this world needs introverts just as much as extroverts. We coexist perfectly!

Awww thanks Mimi's13.

 

[Cyprus]

I think if it 'had' to be done for whatever reason in a backyard setting a Woods coop would be the way to go, plenty of fresh air and sunshine getting in.

I would agree
I'm not really asking for myself, although a lot of people may think I am. I am asking for others who may wonder but won't ask

 

[Cyprus]

So it seems that a woods coop may be the best alternative OR a coop with an insane amount of space and ventillation/windows.

 

[Mimi13]

So it seems that a woods coop may be the best alternative OR a coop with an insane amount of space and ventillation/windows.

I agree. A Wood’s coop or other design of an open coop, so to speak.

The breeder where I bought my first chicks had several coop/runs for many of her chickens (not her breeders though) that looked to be a permanent chicken tractor. It was basically a partially uncovered chicken run with the coop section in one end. The side and back walls were covered with tin and there were roosts and nest boxes built in. This was in west central Georgia and the weather is not too extreme in the winter. I’m not sure if this type setup would work in much colder climates.