Do you absolutely need a run?

It isn't absolutely necessary but unless you have an automatic door it becomes very hard to leave for the weekend without a run. It is also a pain if you are say planting new grass and need them locked away until things are established.

 

I didnt have one all winter, because we moved our coop and the ground was frozen. However it is back on now because we are planting grass.

 

I have foxes about. my chickens free range all day, I can hear them clucking if there is danger about, that's when I have to put them in the run. I also put them in the run if I'm out for the day. It's just for piece of mind. Also if predators move in to the area they will start stalking out the area. I would advise to have one for emergencies.

 

Welcome! Having a run will save many lives; a safe place for them when raptors are about, for example. My run isn't as safe as my coop, but still a huge safety feature here. Mary

 

We have a large run and we keep adding on to it. (more chickens) LOL I wish they could free range, but even in the day time there are hawks here, waiting to snatch one up. A hawk even tried to get one of my hens through the chicken wire and my neighbor said a hawk almost got one of his roosters. His are free range and he has lost a lot of them to hawks and owls. Also, if you have to keep them in a coop for awhile, will they have enough room ?

 

If you put a run up you will be glad- it will come in handy down the road. Lots of reasons that others have mentioned already.

 

I have a fenced yard. I don't worry about predators because I live in the suburbs (no racoons or foxes, only crows that will pick off chicks, but are harmless to adult hens). Instead of a proper run (enclosure with a top on it) I just fenced off a corner of my yard. The only reason I even fenced off the corner of the yard is to make sure the hens would use the coop and lay their eggs where I could FIND them. My yard has lots of good nesting spots (including a crawl space under the house and under an old junky car) and in fact, once my hens were too old to lay, I let them loose in the back yard and they totally stopped using the coop and just slept under the house at night. Now that I have new chicks, I fenced off the corner of the yard again to make sure they use the coop just so that I can gather the eggs. If you don't have the chickens contained somewhat, there's no guarentee they will return to the coop at night if there are equally comfy spots in their range to hole up for the night.

 

Up until this year when hawk attacks made it necessary, I did not have a run. The chickens had free range of my yard which is fenced in. I didn't have any run, as it wasn't necessary, until the hawks decided my backyard was the new fancy place to go for chicken.