Is my idea going to work? Coop/Run

[vehve]

Even though it might be a touchy subject for you, I must admit I laughed when reading your comment about the dogs enjoying a good murder.

For the size of the run, people usually use 10 square feet per chicken as a rule of thumb, but if you have the space and plan on keeping them mainly in the run, there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving them much more space. Having two runs to switch between to take the stress off the lawn a bit is also worth considering, the more space they have, the easier it will be to keep at least some of the grass alive. Someone with experience of this might give you some numbers on how much lawn you need for it to not turn into a mudpit.

Good luck with your chickening adventures!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Everything comes down to your confidence in how predator-proof your run is. I use a philosophy of having a predator-resistant run during the day and a predator-proof coop for locking them in at night. Practically any predator can be out during the day but many are more active at night, plus people are not moving around at night to frighten them away. Your risk is much greater at night, though some animals like dogs are a huge threat during the day and fox, bobcat, skunk, and many other things also hunt during the day. If you are confident your run is predator proof you never have to lock them in the coop, but it is sometimes a wise precaution. Your choice.

In North Carolina, your winter temperatures will probably drop below zero Fahrenheit occasionally. That’s OK, as long as the chickens are not in a direct breeze, they can handle that. In summer you will probably get an occasional day over 100 Fahrenheit. That’s dangerous. Heat kills a lot more chickens than cold. Since hot air rises, I’d strongly suggest a gable vent of some sort up as high as you can get it and as large as you can manage. One on both ends would be a good idea. That is for year around. Additional ventilation down low during the summer would really help to get an air flow going.