Is a closed run necessary?

[Vicker]

I leave the little door at the bottom of the coop open wide enough for them to get in and out. They have a large area fenced off with electric poultry netting. I have no qualms about leaving them on their own for three days. There is no way to prevent every negative scenario that might happen to them even when I am at home. Usually, a neighbor will check on them after 3 days in exchange for the eggs they collect.

 

[Bob 1313]

I disagree with that.........I'm going to be elsewhere for a few days, leaving today, and we have someone taking care of our chickens and cat while we're gone. It's not bad to go on vacations with chickens as long as you can make sure they have proper care. I don't think that it's right to assume that they can function entirely on their own, but overall I think that OP isn't doing anything problematic with their birds.

The OP "I wouldn't plan to leave them for more than 4 days without a checkup from a friend or neighbor". That is too long! If there is a problem with water delivery, spills, leaks, whatever…they die. Chickens will not survive for days without water. Without food they might survive, without water they will not. That is a FACT.

 

[black_cat]

The OP "I wouldn't plan to leave them for more than 4 days without a checkup from a friend or neighbor". That is too long! If there is a problem with water delivery, spills, leaks, whatever…they die. Chickens will not survive for days without water. Without food they might survive, without water they will not. That is a FACT.

OOoh, I had missed that.....I agree that four days without check in is too long! And the water would definitely be an issue. I still don't think that OP needs to give away their chickens, however- they just seem misinformed.

 

[chickenchaser10]

Hi -

I'm a new chicken keeper (my girls just started laying two days ago, and I am over the moon!) and am deciding how to set up my girls for next year. Right now I'm using a cheap pre-fab coop from Tractor Supply Company, which I always intended to toss after a year or two to build something more permanent and suited to my needs. I could really use advice about whether or not to build a closed run in addition to a coop. My main concern is being able to leave the chickens for longer periods of time - e.g. 3 days, a week, etc. I wouldn't plan to leave them for more than 4 days without a checkup from a friend or neighbor checking up on them, so I wonder if building an enclosed run is necessary.
Here's some info about my setup:

• I live in a city which requires 4 square feet of coop space per bird.
• Right now my girls go in the coop only to sleep and free range in the rest of my yard during the day. My backyard is surrounded in chain link. I clip 1 wing on each bird, but they can still get on the chain link. C'est la vie.
• For Christmas, my roommate is building me a chicken door that detects the sun's rays and automatically opens at dawn and closes at dusk. This would mean my presence is not necessary for the girls to get in/out and access their food, water, and raspberry bushes (their favorite place to hang out).

With all that in mind, could I get away with just building a coop and letting my girls free range? Other than having some run space rooved in order to protect them from snow, am I missing anything critical about the benefits of a run? I know that predators must be kept in mind, but the only predator my girls have encountered has been a near-escape with a hawk while I was working from home, and I've seen a couple cats around after night. Nothing has ever been caught when I set my live trap. What would you advise, oh lovely fellow chicken keepers?

hey there, I hope backyard chicken keeping has brought you much joy thus far. I also live in a city neighborhood and currently have cats and a possum around. I do not have a chicken run, only a privacy fence for my residence which cats can easily get over. I also use a hentronix automatic solar door for my coop and have used it for over a year now. Some things to consider from my experience:
1. On rainy/cloudy days, my sensor opens slightly later but will also close earlier. I have had one dopey silky get locked out a couple times just minutes after the door closed.
2. use a good quality solar panel with agood size slow lead acid (SLA) Battery to store power. I still have to charge my battery about every six weeks because the hentronix solar panel is low quality and i still have to upgrade. The battery died once and my birds got stuck for a few hours.
3. If it’s a horizontal style chicken door, make sure it closes all the way (applies to any door ). Not sure about vertical style automatic doors, but the horizontal style swinging door (hentronix) uses a screw/bolt system to rotate a bolt to a certain tension to detect when the door is fully closed. Dirt can impede the screw drive and mess up the alignment, leaving the door slightly open.
4. if cats are unfriendly in your area, I highly recommend using a covered run. I have had all different experiences with cats. feral cats pose the most threat but cats that are fed never bother my chickens and are actually afraid of them.
5 for peace of mind, I also use a wireless Ring stick up battery camera right outside my coop facing the door entrance. Hooked up with a ring solar panel. I love it and can make sure all the birds get in before dark and nothing tries to come in after. I also get a motion detection to my phone instantly. They are $$ but highly recommended.

 

[Bob 1313]

More than misinformed. They want an automatic door. They want to be able to leave the birds without care for up to four days. They seem to want the benefits of and "joy" of having them without putting in the work required. Birds, like all pets take work. If you aren't willing to put forth the effort required, then maybe some reassessment of guardianship is needed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

More than misinformed. They want an automatic door. They want to be able to leave the birds without care for up to four days. They seem to want the benefits of and "joy" of having them without putting in the work required. Birds, like all pets take work. If you aren't willing to put forth the effort required, then maybe some reassessment of guardianship is needed.

Or kind education on good animal husbandry.

 

[Double Yolked]

My girls have a double run, one area is open forage and one is a closed run. After losing several of my lovely ladies to a dog attack a few years ago, then also having an early morning owl attack take out my favorite hen the next year I realized that fixing it so they have a safe, smaller run where I can leave them without worry was just common sense. I know those solar or timed doors do fail and I don't want to accidently get them trapped outside their coop or inside. So the small run gives me added peace of mind when I have to be away for a few days.

 

[David65326]

Hi -

I'm a new chicken keeper (my girls just started laying two days ago, and I am over the moon!) and am deciding how to set up my girls for next year. Right now I'm using a cheap pre-fab coop from Tractor Supply Company, which I always intended to toss after a year or two to build something more permanent and suited to my needs. I could really use advice about whether or not to build a closed run in addition to a coop. My main concern is being able to leave the chickens for longer periods of time - e.g. 3 days, a week, etc. I wouldn't plan to leave them for more than 4 days without a checkup from a friend or neighbor checking up on them, so I wonder if building an enclosed run is necessary.
Here's some info about my setup:

• I live in a city which requires 4 square feet of coop space per bird.
• Right now my girls go in the coop only to sleep and free range in the rest of my yard during the day. My backyard is surrounded in chain link. I clip 1 wing on each bird, but they can still get on the chain link. C'est la vie.
• For Christmas, my roommate is building me a chicken door that detects the sun's rays and automatically opens at dawn and closes at dusk. This would mean my presence is not necessary for the girls to get in/out and access their food, water, and raspberry bushes (their favorite place to hang out).

With all that in mind, could I get away with just building a coop and letting my girls free range? Other than having some run space rooved in order to protect them from snow, am I missing anything critical about the benefits of a run? I know that predators must be kept in mind, but the only predator my girls have encountered has been a near-escape with a hawk while I was working from home, and I've seen a couple cats around after night. Nothing has ever been caught when I set my live trap. What would you advise, oh lovely fellow chicken keepers?

Hello,

My suggestion is to train your birds to follow you when you call them. That way you can let them enjoy the freedom of being out and Bughunting but when you want them to come in they will do so. We have many predators. Several Bald eagles cats coyotes etc. However we still let our 50 chickens free in the morning. They dont stray too far away from the house area and their buddy our dog. When we shake the metal bucket with a bit of feed and yell here chick chick there is a feathered stampede for the coop area.

 

[AOrchard]

The OP "I wouldn't plan to leave them for more than 4 days without a checkup from a friend or neighbor". That is too long! If there is a problem with water delivery, spills, leaks, whatever…they die. Chickens will not survive for days without water. Without food they might survive, without water they will not. That is a FACT.

Disagree that it's too long if precautions are taken. Redundancy is key here, put out additional waterers when leaving for a bit. As long as you do that, you don't need to check in for a couple days. The redundancy covers you. The odds that all three+ waterers will leak beyond use (AND that the leaks are not where the chickens can drink out of it) is extremely low.

Ironically, this is a much bigger risk in a closed run. Free-ranging chickens are very clever... They will find dewdrops, beads of condensation on the undersides of leaves, frost in the morning, and other sources of natural water. Assuming you don't live in a desert or barren climate, take some time to really observe your chickens. There's a lot more moisture present in the environment than you are probably aware of. Watch carefully what they're doing as they move around the plants, especially in the morning. You will probably see them drinking little droplets.