Ideas for building a chicken run

[mcb0374]

I just got my first set of chicks. 2 barred plymouths and 2 buff orpingtons! They are about a week old, and currently brooding in the house.

I already have a "chicken tractor," that is about 4 ft wide by 6 ft long enclosed in hardware cloth (except the floor of the run). The coop has four nest boxes. I think the coop is a fine size, but I'm not comfortable with the size of their outdoor space. They have the 4x6 foot space underneath the coop for outside space. I want to build them an additional chicken yard to give them more space outside. What would be a the best size run for 4 hens? I know that bigger is better, and I have a lot of space, but want to keep material costs down since the chicken tractor already cost me a pretty penny! I plan to secure them in the coop at night to avoid digging predators like raccoons and foxes.

Also, trying to figure out a way to make it so I can easily transfer them to/from the chicken tractor/coop without fencing the chicken tractor in...I'd like to keep it mobile so I can move the chickens around when it's wet, muddy, etc.

Ideas?

 

[TipihlowLadies]

I'm new to but what I can gather 7 to 10 feet per bird you could build on your existing or make doors that line up tractor to the run and cokes them in with treats.

 

[Trefoil]

If its just for daytime "roaming". The easiest and cheapest is to make a hoop run. To get an idea see the link: http://www.utm.edu/departments/cece/idea/mopens.shtml
You can make it any size and its portable. It can also make a good permanent run with some extra precautions & added security. Depending on how you made the door you could move the tractor up to it and it would work like an addition to the tractor. I made mine using 1" fencing 48" high and used chicken wire for the top. If you get snow it will need good support for the chicken wire.
If you put a wire floor on your tractor, you could probably let the hens have access to the whole tractor even at night.