Large tree in run?

[SparkMonkey]

We're in the process of getting our chicken house up and running. I'd like to build a run for them, but the chicken house is in a location that makes things a bit awkward. The best place has its own challenges--it's on a slope that levels out at the bottom, so the fence will have to be kind of... bendy. And there's a large maple tree smack in the middle of it, which is going to make it difficult to cover. I'm confident that there's nothing more nefarious than a squirrel or two living in that tree, but I suppose there's nothing to stop a raccoon or possum from climbing up the fence and across the top to try breaking in (I've never seen either in the area, as our house is in the middle of wide-open farm fields, but I can't rule them out).

I don't want to cut the tree down, as it's healthy, provides nice shade to our house in the summer, and will be good hawk cover for the hens. Does anyone have ideas as to how I can secure the cover around the tree without causing it harm?

 

[enola]

Is your chicken house at the bottom of the slope?

 

[SparkMonkey]

Is your chicken house at the bottom of the slope?

No. It is at the top of what will become the run. The ground does slope down a bit from our garage to the chicken house, but we can easily divert runoff through that area to go around and away.

 

[enola]

Run off was what I was concerned with...... Do you think your chickens will try to roost in the tree?

 

[SparkMonkey]

Run off was what I was concerned with...... Do you think your chickens will try to roost in the tree?

Nope. The lowest branches are at least 10 feet from the ground, and the roof of the run would likely be no higher than 6'.

 

[Blooie]

We're in the process of getting our chicken house up and running. I'd like to build a run for them, but the chicken house is in a location that makes things a bit awkward. The best place has its own challenges--it's on a slope that levels out at the bottom, so the fence will have to be kind of... bendy. And there's a large maple tree smack in the middle of it, which is going to make it difficult to cover. I'm confident that there's nothing more nefarious than a squirrel or two living in that tree, but I suppose there's nothing to stop a raccoon or possum from climbing up the fence and across the top to try breaking in (I've never seen either in the area, as our house is in the middle of wide-open farm fields, but I can't rule them out).

I don't want to cut the tree down, as it's healthy, provides nice shade to our house in the summer, and will be good hawk cover for the hens. Does anyone have ideas as to how I can secure the cover around the tree without causing it harm?

We're facing the same challenge. We know we have raccoon and such in our area, even though we live in town. The tree in question is one of my apricot trees, and I absolutely, definitely have NO intention of taking it out. Our lot is small - 130 x 110, so our limitations are very real - after weeks of trying to figure it out this was the only place to set up the coop and run.

What we decided to do was leave the tree and put the pop door on the same side of the coop as the people door. There is about a 2 foot space between the two. Then we're going to set up the run so that the end of it encompasses the pop door but ends just ahead of the people door. In other words, the run will only be in contact with the coop at that one spot. That allows us to leave the tree because the run will go alongside the tree, rather than have the tree right in the middle. The huge lilac hedge to the west and north will cut the winter winds and provide shade from our strong, west sun in the summer and the apricot tree will also shade the run.

My concern, more than the big critters, is the little ones. The tree is a favorite perching spot for all kinds of wild birds, including the hummingbirds, and their droppings will end up in the run. I've learned that wild birds in and around the run isn't a good idea, but I don't know what I can do about that. A shade or tarp over the run might work in the summer, but with our snow loads neither would stand up through a winter. This shows how we changed the run location to accommodate the tree. Might not work for your situation, but it's going to work here I think. We just had to work with the tree instead of seeing it as an obstacle.