Need advise on height of run

[Ladyhawke1]

Quote:
I, like you, want more....I only have four and now I would like a dozen or so. I am in the city limits. According to the zoning rules, you can only have five poultry.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i realize everyone else has given good advice, but couldn't help piping in. i put together a 4' tall x 10' long run for my showgirls so it would fit nicely under our kitchen window and be basically out of site. We ended up moving it and now using it as a grow-out pen for little silkies.

i deeeeeeeply regret having a run only 4' tall. i have to scrunch down to get inside and it kills my back and legs. i'm not able to sit and enjoy the chicks. Plus, being in that awkward position, i end up getting pecked by curious beaks in, um, let me say, some very uncomfortable spots.

i never thought about building it up taller. But now will definitely do so!

 

[oldchickenman]

my first runs were 5' im 6'3" my runs are now 6'6". yes build them tall

 

[Rusty's Ranch]

We went with a 5 foot run to keep it out of the view of the neighbors. You have to duck a little, but it isn't bad. Take a look at our page.

 

[mechagrue]

Quote:
I have a 4' tall run, and you would have to be really tall to reach over the top to clean it. I think you would need to climb in and out with a ladder. I'm 5'4, and the top of the run is at my shoulder level.

I'm just glad that it's a chicken tractor, so I don't need to clean it per se - every morning I drag it a few feet forward, so they have clean ground.

Unfortunately, I have had to get in there a lot to make repairs over the last 4 days since it was "operational." (Newbie; improvised coop design.) It is surprisingly hard to step over a 3" sill when you are bent forward from the waist!

 

[pbrian]

Quote:
I have a 4' tall run, and you would have to be really tall to reach over the top to clean it. I think you would need to climb in and out with a ladder. I'm 5'4, and the top of the run is at my shoulder level.

I'm just glad that it's a chicken tractor, so I don't need to clean it per se - every morning I drag it a few feet forward, so they have clean ground.

Unfortunately, I have had to get in there a lot to make repairs over the last 4 days since it was "operational." (Newbie; improvised coop design.) It is surprisingly hard to step over a 3" sill when you are bent forward from the waist!

Ooops, I guess I wasn't clear, it would have a door to get in. So what I'm picturing is the top being panels and it being attached to the top side posts by hinges on one side then clamped down on the other side. It would still have a door on the end...

I know, it would be just as easy to build a taller run, but we want to minimize the "coop-looking" effect.

 

[ducks4you]

BUILD IT TALL!!!! Can't emphasize this enough!!!

My basement ceiling is only tall enough for me to walk around in without bumping my head. THAT TRANSLATES TO-
I'm the only one (5'4" height) that works in it and CLEANS IT!!!

You'll get mighty tired of having to bend down to do chores.

I've been the ONLY caregiver to my
horses (23 years!!!!)/cats/dogs,
24/7, 365 days/year (more or less, with vacations.)

I try to make my chores AS EASY AS POSSIBLE. I even started using a separate small garden wheelbarrow that was retired for exclusive chicken chores.
Got one for Horse chores and a 3rd for gardening. Then, I don't have to clean any of them to reuse for another purpose.

 

[farmerboy]

one thing u could do if u want to keep it low and depending on how many hens u have is to make it 4' wide or as wide as 8' by how long u need or want with a gate and make panels for the top that u can lift up hinged on one side and u can tie or latch them drown on the other then when u need to get in the run just unlatch and prop them up open the gate and get busy

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
I had a coop/small run that had a hinged top, it worked fairly well although It was still a pain getting in the door as the frame around the door still was low. I would design it so the door frame on the top is part of the roof.... so you could life the roof back and just walk in upright as i still had to bend over to get everything out the door. Other than that it worked fine and it sure was nice as far as the ventilation when you were cleaning.... all that open air on top. But remember if you have bad weather, it will be tough to clean the coop.


Nancy

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Yes, i tried it in the last chicken yar I had. was 10 by 12. Had the roof divided into 2 havles which lifted up. A huge hassle. Hard to keep the roof open when I was working. the sides were low enough i had to watch the chickens didn't try to fly out while i was working. What a pain. So I kept the roof down and ended up hunched over while i tried to clean. very uncomfortable and hard to keep and eye on the chickens to make sure they weren't underfoot.
This time we will either build a yard with 6 foot tall walls and a covered roof.
*or* another idea i saw online I thought was very cleaver. the run had 4-5 foot high walls. Then they took PVC and bent it in an arch over the top of the run, spanning the width of the run. They afixed metal or wood mounts with holes in them to the sides of the runs. Each end of the PVC went into the hole on a mount on its side of the run. A ridgepole was affixed by whatever means worked along the top of the arch. then chicken wire was fastened to the PVC frame using wire . clips, or zip ties. Finally , if needed, the run was covered with a plastic or canvas tarp to keep out the rain. The upshot to this system is the walls would only be 4-5 feet high, but the center of the run would be 6-6 1/2 feet high, letting the flock man stand while working in the run.
3riverschick