debra and shenderra
In the Brooder
- Sep 5, 2020
- 25
- 34
- 44
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:
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?
- 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).