Do they have to have a run?

[Tala]

Chickens definitely are outside sunlight-dwelling creatures. They would LOVE the overgrown area, actually that's what mine have. We kinda just had to whack out an area to build the fences for their protection.

 

[cherylcohen]

They need sunlight, is there a way to convert part of the barn to where the sides are not walls but chicken wire?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Think of your chickens as houshold pets when it comes to staying near you or coming when called....after that they are what they are...Chickens!

Seriously, if your out in the yard for hours before dark then let the girls out. They'll peck about and stay close by. The big problem is if your needing to herald your birds as in a small area/close nieghbors then you can't let em out until you know they wont cause problems. As getting em all back in the run/coop is near folly until it's getting twilight then they go themselves....

Timing of letting out and knowing your own duties makes your chicken's free range time all the merrier. If I'm working in the yard all day then I let em out in the morn to freely go about. They stick close by. WIthin reason, whistle distance. And don't wander as would unattended. Tending I'm saying is merely doing yard work, they see you as rooster/food giver/protector and wont go far from you.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That's not really very large if it's all they've got. It's the equivalent of, like, 3 sq ft per hen indoors plus 7 in the run, or any other combo adding up to 10.

FWIW, I give mine 15 sq ft per chicken indoor *plus* ample roofed windbreak-ed run, and while they are ok staying indoors for a week at a time if circumstances require (e.g. if I'm away and do not want the farm sitter to have to deal with extra things) I would not be totally sanguine about it as a full time 365-a-year proposition. For some birds it'd work (the 15 sq ft apiece) and for others I'm pretty sure it wouldn't. Depends on your particular chickens.

Also there is a difference between X indoor space plus Y outdoors, versus {X+Y} space all in one place. The latter doesn't give them as much variety, nor as much choice about who to be around.

We have a major predator problem here, (coons, coyotes, skunks, foxes, weasles, hawks and owls!) The area that I want to build the coop in is on the south side and has cement floor and walls and windows for ample natural light. There is plenty of space to work with which would allow enough room for a lot of roosts, stumps ect. to keep them entertained.

Well, you can try it, but it would really be a WHOLE lot better to build a secure run, even if you can't manage a large one at present. ANYthing is better than nothing. If you can commit to locking the popdoor every night by dusk, it need not be that expensive to do a pretty-predator-proof outdoor run... even just heavy gauge good-quality 2x4 wire with something smaller added on the bottom 2-3' and a digproofing apron would do pretty well. In fact the digproofing apron wouldn't really need to be installed til spring thaw, now, since at this point ain't nothing digging thru the ground (unless you're one of the places that got vast dumps of snow and the ground is still thawed underneath)

It is not necessarily a problem (just a little extra work and expense) to have the run on a different side of the barn than the coop. Simply build a tunnel or narrow passageway from the indoor coop to the desired outdoor area... either outside the barn or inside, whichever seems more feasible. (Indoors is better if you can swing it, since it needn't be as predatorproof). Or, just build a small but *nice looking* run on the side with the manicured lawn... it can be pretty close against the barn, and can look as Martha Stewart-y as you like

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[shadowman]

Thanks for all the suggestions and input. I have decided to put a run on the outside. It will still be on the north side but if I make it 90 degrees to the barn, (rather than parallell to it) it will allow for an area that is shaded from the barns overhang and shadow. It will extend far enough to allow full sunlight in the rest of the run. I will have to "hack out" the brush and cut a few small sumac trees to lay out the perimeter of the run. The chickens will think they're in the jungle!!

 

[ZombieChickens]

I think your birds will be happier with it. My chickens LOVE being outside!

 

[BWKatz]

Don't cut ur trees! The chickens will need the shade in the summer and they will help hide them from hawks.

 

[WhySayWhat]

If your Sumacs are anything like our's, they probably need to come out anyway, lol. We had them lining 3 sides of our backyard (placed there when the house was built in the early 1970's) and over the past 3 years they have all gone capoot! They've been falling out of the ground by the roots, making a real mess too. In fact, a windstorm took out the 2 left standing in the corner just before it snowed so they're still laying in my yard! During the summer we cut down roughly 25 Sumacs! We did most of it using a hand saw too, the wood was that dry.

Anyway...our Sumacs don't provide that much shade, I would think you'd be fine as long as they have "some" shade.

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

Our situations sound very similar. Predator dense, old barn, sunlight, Ontario...here are some pics of mine built this year. I needed a tunnel to get a window for the coop, and the run is on the north side, but I do let them out mid-day for a couple hours when I can.

Good luck!