Does a run need a cover?

[laura760]

I'm brand new at this, so forgive me if my question doesn't make much sense. I've cleared out an area, put up a coop, and hope to get my chickens this weekend. The only thing I need (at least I think it's the only thing) is to build a run. Can anyone please tell me if I need to put a wire cover on top? My initial thought was keeping them in, but then I thought that without a cover, other animals could get in as well. Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[chickenhound]

I think it depends on your location. I live in a rural area in Northeast Pa. and have a 4 foot fence around the run but do not have a top over it.
I haven't lost any chickens to predators yet. At night it is extremely important to have the chickens in a predator proof coop as most attacks happen at night. If you have a lot of hawks, you may want to consider covering the top with chicken wire.
I hope this helps

 

[SMonroe1990]

I am having my DH put a roof/cover on my run. I have hawks that fly around my house and I figured if half of it was roofed in it would allow me to let them out of the coop whether it was raining or snowing. The half that doesn't have a roof is going to be covered in hardware cloth to prevent, hopefully, anything from getting in. I think it really is all preference though. If you have hawks or other birds that could potentially harm your chickens I would definitely put some sort of cover on it. But that's just my opinion.

 

[laura760]

Thanks for the quick responses. The hawks are a concern, so I think I'd feel more secure having the run covered. Thanks again.

 

[SMonroe1990]

Not a problem. It's nice to have people to bounce ideas off of. Nothing is worse than worrying that your animals might die because you didn't do something.

 

[6of6chicks]

Another factor to consider is shade requirements - if you've got the run in a sunny spot you might want to cover at least part of it to offer shade for the summer. I put my run under an oak tree, so I went with clear corrugated panels to let as much light in as possible. But I also did hardware cloth under that because plastic is chewed pretty easily by all sorts of things.

If it's just hawks you're worried about, you might not need hardware cloth over the top (?) - other folks would be able to tell you better if something like netting or chicken wire would be sufficient. I have every predator under the sun so I had to build Fort Knox, but you might not need to? I mention that because hardware cloth is expensive and a pain to work with.

 

[chickenmadness7]

I'm a new chicken and guinea keet owner, and put a cover over top of our temporary run. There are problems with this:
1. It's four foot high, so we have to stoop every time we go in and out, which is hugely inconvenient.
2. I have guinea fowl, and when they are out to free range, they won't be able to get back in.
We're planning on removing the roof asap, and will hope for the best. Our run is under trees and very nicely shaded,

 

[turtleguy]

If you have hawks or raccoons, you probably should. My run is covered with a roof, which is nice because it gives shade, but the dirt is always dry, dust dry. I'v tried making compost, but it dries out too quickly. And a dusty environment isn't exactly pleasant on a hot day, so I would suggest having part wire to let the rain fall, keeping the soil moist, which would also allow for more earthworms, insects, and maybe even plants (none of these in my run).
Also, I just lost a chicken to raccoon during the daytime last week, maybe its rabid or something. but I cant trust a run without a cover even if just for the day.

Hope this helps

 

[laura760]

Lots to consider. Just wondering if a hinged or removable roof/cover might work. Thank you all.

 

[dclark]

We have a mobile coop the girls stay in at night and the run I initially built did not have a cover over the run. One day something from above snatched one during the day when they were 8 weeks old. I built a cover out of 2x4s and some greenhouse panels to provide shade and rain protection. When I added 10 feet to the run I built a frame out of 1x2s and chicken wire to provide daytime protection against predators from above. I added an access gate at one end too, but as someone mentioned earlier you need to stoop to do anything inside the run since it is 4 foot high inside