Is your run covered?

[Yay Chicks!]

My run is only 5x10 and it has a solid, sloping roof with overhang. It rain a lot here, so it's great.

 

[churchx3]

My run is 36 x 48 which is quite large. During the summer I had no top on the run as it was located under large oak trees and was shaded and protected. As soon as the cold weather came to GA I started to lose some hens...thinking it was hawks I went and purchased a plastic netting product and put all over the top of the run....this seemed to be ok except for when it snowed last week and the netting sagged terribly with the weight of the snow. I also have one small area where I could not put netting and thus far have trapped 3 raccons inside the run at night! Coons are smart in that they figured out the one weak area. Have lived in my house 10+ years and have NEVER seen a raccoon dead or alive and cold weather hits and they come out the wood work! Not sure what to do at this point as it is such a large area...am thinking I may have to reduce the run size and then cover in chicken wire or something. Really getting discouraged!

 

[Chickenkate17]

My run is covered and in the rains Cali just got, the run ground was completely wet. I just used straw to soak it up. Since you don't get too much rain, it probably is fine as is....but it's up to you!

 

[PhilErvin]

My run is 6'x20' and during the winter I cover the half closest to the coop with a tarp just for my peace of mind. We let the girls out during the day to freerange but I like keeping at least a part of their run dry.

 

[mkearsley]

During the summer, my run is uncovered, although I do put a piece of wood over 1/2 of it to provide some additional shade. During the winter, I cover it with a tarp to keep their food dry & give them a dry place to roam. We get nearly all our moisture during the winter, with very few random summer showers. I haven't had any issues with raptors or other wild predators - just the neighbor's dogs.

 

[My6Chicks]

My chicks live in Maine. Our run is made from cattle panels and chicken wire. It is totally predator proof (so far) and during the winter we add a think translucent tarp over 80% of the run. The tarp keeps most of the snow out of the run and raises the temp of the run due to a slight green house effect.

The run allows us more flexibility with chicken care, we don't worry about closing them every night in the coop. Hope this helps...