Help me decide

[Uzuri]

So I have this mobile coop:

(Pretend it has a roof on it for me. It will.)

And I'm trying to decide how to do part 2 of all this, the run. It also needs to be mobile, but no matter what I make, it's not going to be so heavy that it needs wheels, so we should be OK there.

So, I'm trying to decide if I want to make a run big enough that it could be set OVER the entire coop and have a people door in it for letting the chickens out, feeding, etc., or to make a smaller, lower to the ground run that butts up to the "pop slot" (basically what I did, to limit moving parts, was to take one of the siding boards of the mobile coop and hold it on with bolts and wing nuts, with the nuts on the inside), and does not have walk-in access. I'm hung up on how to safely get the smaller version to mesh with the tractor while still making it easy to take off the pop slot; I don't think there's a way to do so that's not at least a little weird to handle.

I suspect that pricing isn't going to be a whole lot different either way. I'll need somewhat more fencing for the tall version, the additional lumber would be negligible, with 2" x 4s" being nice and cheap.

I'm leaning toward the walkin version, though I know it'll be heavier and more awkward to move, but way, way more convenient to deal with the day-to-day stuff.

So I want thoughts and opinions, ideas, whatever.

Edit: I'm a dork -- you can actually see the "pop slot" in that picture there, through the door on the left and I neglect to say anything about it XD

 

[LynneP]

"I'd make it big enough so you can roll the tractor in, and lock the door. I'd have part of it roofed and put the mobile coop under that. I's also use 1/2" gauge hardware cloth and floor the bottom with it too, to make it predator proof."

Says 'she'...