Finished coop (mostly).. planning a run now

[Dennisi01]

Hey all, just (finally) finished a 6x3.5 coop for 4 hens (still need to paint & trim). I am trying to plan out a run and am not sure how to proceed.. What do you guys think regarding a covered vs. uncovered run? Not sure if it's worth the time or expensive to put some sort of roof on top. Thanks!

 

[snow5164]

Looks good , as to a covered run if you want them out in the rain you’ll need it , you could let them go under your coop and solve the problem

 

[Dennisi01]

Looks good , as to a covered run if you want them out in the rain you’ll need it , you could let them go under your coop and solve the problem

Yeah I have a hatch inside of the coop to let them go down and be completely enclosed, which will be good if we go away for a night or 2 (5 gallon buckets of water and food available), and I built a gate that swings open on the back side of the coop to allow entry from the future run.

 

[BCChicky]

Depends where you are located really but I have partly covered and partly uncovered. Serves as a protection from weather and predators. I can close off the uncovered area and stop them from going out there if there is a spike in our aerial predator numbers during the day. My girls do not seem to like the rain at all and stay in the covered area on rainy days.

 

[Susan Dye]

I also vote for a least a partially covered run for shade as well as protection from snow and rain. Mine don't mind the rain, but they hate the snow. Depending on the size of your run, you can use a tarp for cover instead of a "roof". Inexpensive and effective.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Really depends on your location and weather. My run is covered with netting, there's no roofed areas. I don't find rain to be a big deal even though we get a lot of it as it drains off well and the chickens don't mind it. My girls won't come out in snow though, but that's sporadic for us.

 

[Dennisi01]

Thanks all! The area designated for the run doesn't get too soggy now, but I'm not sure how that may change once chickens are scratching the grass out of it. I may elect to partially cover the run for now and leave the option open to fully cover it down the road if it becomes a soggy disaster