How tall should my run be

[Midlandchick]

i am building my first chicken run. My original plan was for a 4’ run with a wired roof (we have lots of owls, hawks, raccoons and foxes). I am wondering if I’ll regret it only being 4’ and wish I had spent the extra $ to make it 6’.
It’s already costing more then we expected. The run is 18’x30’ for ten chickens. With a run that size how much “cleaning” will I need to do? Is it worth the extra expense. We have a 7acre meadow they can free range in sometimes (when our dogs are inside) but probably not everyday.

 

[Happy Quack]

I would make it taller. Your life will be easier later on.

 

[jolenesdad]

Taller than you....

 

[TheAmundsons]

You'll want it tall enough to comfortably walk in without worrying about hitting your head. For us, that was about 6.5' as hubby is over 6' tall.

What do you mean about cleaning the run? We never clean it. We put the old bedding from the coop into our run which the chickens spread around and scratch up so it eventually becomes compost. Our run is basically always a dirt floor. I know everyone does it differently, so I'm sure someone else will share what they do!

 

[wyoDreamer]

If you need to go in there to pick up errant eggs, catch a sick chicken or get at a predator, you will really appreciate the taller run. I am in the run a lot to spread out treats and rake the leaves away from the door - the chickens scratch everything downhill and it ends up in front of the door...

 

[Jake270]

We just rebuilt our entire run to make it easier to get into. Give the tallest member of the family assisting about an extra 6 inches of height and you’ll never regret it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Definitely taller.
Eventually you will have to scoop it out. I wish that mine was even taller. It IS 6' but with how they scratch things around I have actually hit my head. I am only 5'4".

I cannot even imagine how difficult a roof, wire or otherwise, would be to put on a 4' tall run.

 

[Jake270]

And just to give you an idea. We used the 6’ 3”x2” welded wire available at Lowe’s, comes in a 50’ roll. Our run is 36’x12’x7’ and we used 3 rolls of the stuff. Had four on hand but never opened the fourth. We set the post 6’ apart and cut panels vertically. Worked out well. It will ALWAYS cost more than you think.

 

[aart]

I am wondering if I’ll regret it only being 4’ and wish I had spent the extra $ to make it 6’.

Yep, you would regret it....go with 6'.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Make it at least 6' (or taller if you have taller family members!) - absolutely nothing as miserable as having to stoop over while taking care of chickens.

As far as "cleaning" I've never fully cleaned out my run. I do deep litter. I've removed some broken down litter for use in my garden but otherwise I just add more "stuff" as needed.