Need input on Run Design

[jdcallahan]

Howdy all! Thanks so much for this site, it’s a treasure trove of info.

I’m in the ‘design’ phase of my chicken coop and would like to bounce my ideas off you kind folks. I am currently in Afghanistan, I have 11 more months to ponder this before I can return home and start building. My home is in centra/west Texas, just south of Abilene. I have 2.5 flat, treeless acres, so space is not an issue. I want to get 12-15 buff orpington laying hens and build a 12X8 coop to hold them. I am thinking about building three separate runs, one out front, and one to each side. I’m thinking 10 feet wide, 6 feet tall and 20 feet long. My idea is to rotate the runs. As I move the girls off a run I’ll plant a cover crop of field peas or some other chicken friendly plant, let it grow like mad then in 60-90 days rotate them back onto that run. I’m hoping to manage it so that about the time their run is getting gross, I can move them to a fresh one, with some kind of seasonal cover/feed crop growing. Perhaps even do a mixed planting of peas/beans/comfrey/barley/squash/melons.. other fast growing, edible stuff. Also I want to grow some fast growing climbing stuff on the outside that they will nibble on as well as providing them some shade. Hops perhaps? Beer brewing will be a side venture that I’ll need hops for anyway. The idea is to let them be in a run for about 45 days, then switch them to a fresh one with greenery growing that way each run gets a 90 day rest period and I’ll time it so they are using the south facing run in the cold of winter. I’ll just build 3 chicken doors/ramps instead of one.

Anyhoo, my questions are:
Have any of ya’ll used multiple runs before? How’d that work out for you?

Anyone have suggestions for things I should do to the runs in the downtime to make them healthier for the chickens? I’d like to stay as chemical free as possible.

I’m planning on making the runs from 10’ wooden 4”X4” posts set 4’ in the ground. I’ll staple chicken wire all around as well as up top.. LOTS of red tailed hawks in my area. Will Chicken wire keep hawks out?

I’m really getting sick of powdered eggs, looking forward to some REAL ones.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Jimmy

 

[Mahonri]

As long as you COVER the runs with chicken wire, it will keep the red tailed hawks out.

 

[TxCritter]

I don't use mulitple runs but your idea sounds great.On another note: Anyone who serves in the U.S. military is a hero to me.Thank you for your service.
Bob

 

[jdcallahan]

Thanks Bob, I'm actually a contractor over here now. I retired from the military in 2005 and came right back as a 'overpaid' govt contractor... doing what I can to help these kids (soldiers)

 

[valentinebaby]

Hi Jimmy -

I too live in Texas - north of Dallas and live on just a bit over 2 acres. Early on, I wanted to build something similar to what you've thought of, but I had a couple of problems: I have way too many trees and my back yard is too small to do what I wanted (picture below), and because I didn't want the coop and run to dominate the scene (we spend a great deal of time in the back and entertain). I have a "peninsula" in the back, bordered where 2 creeks meet, that would have been perfect for it, but it's quite a distance from the house and now that my coop is up, I realize it would have been a major pain to have to walk that distance several times a day (or at 4 in the a.m., like this morning, when I had to go close the windows cuz a large rainstorm hit us...again...).

Just remember, chicken raising is addictive and bigger is always better where chickens are concerned. So make your coop larger than you think you may want. When I built mine, I built it tall (8' at front sloping to 7' at back - I'm tall!), but now I wish I had built more square footage and not so much height - 6' would have sufficed - and I spend more time in the run than in the coop. I've a few pics of my coop on My Page (still an ongoing process) that I designed and built all by myself and I've had to delay building the nest box cuz my elbow and shoulder are shot from all the lifting and hammering I've done! My nest boxes will be exterior, so I don't have to go into the coop for the eggs - similar to the book page on My Page.

But I wish I could have built something like this...

Good luck and thanks for your service from this proud-to-be-an Air Force Brat!

Gail

 

[jdcallahan]

Wow! Thanks Gail, it hadn't even occurred to me to use shared walls for the runs... that makes so much sense. it will make the runs larger and use less wire/posts... I lived up in your neck of the woods on Lake Texoma when I was a kid... good times.

Jimmy

 

[annek]

Just one note on what you are planning on putting in. You mentioned hops. I was thinking about putting some in as a novelty but found out that if dogs eat it it will probably kill them. It makes their temperature go way up and kills them. I don't know if it has any effects on poultry but just be aware that it might.

Other than that just realize that chicken wire is not safe at all from predators. If you have anything during the day like dogs that could get them, don't use chicken wire. If you are short on funds use welded wire and then put chicken wire over.

 

[valentinebaby]

Hi again -

If you know where Grayson County College is, I live in a development "behind" it where we all have at least 2 acres. Great place to raise kids and right now the green outside is blinding due to the huge amount of rain we've had. Wish I could let my girls out to roam free outside of their run, but a couple of neighbor's dogs like to visit my yard every day and I know there is one I can't trust.

That design was conceived from one I saw where there were 4 runs with the coop in the middle. I like mine better

. If you place your main coop door to one side, you could build the exterior next boxes along side it. Be sure you put in windows for ventilation...I still have 2 more to build

. I also have a "passive ventilation roof" that was covered in 1/2" hardware cloth and window screening (keeps the jackets out) and it's raised about 2" above the side walls to help remove moisture and create airflow - seems to work great. However, if you get hail in your part of Texas like we do up here, DO NOT use Palruf (clear corrugated roofing material)! I now have to replace it with metal. I wanted natural light to come in and it looks great, but now has several duct-taped holes in it! Another way to do the coop would be to have a long thin coop that runs the entire length of the front and have the runs running rectangularly (is that a word?) behind it.

I used 1/2" hardware cloth buried 9" (too many tree roots to go more) with chop block staggered in the trough. The cloth encases the entire run (still working on the top, but have decided to redo it...). That has been my biggest cost - the 1/2" cloth - ouch! I have several cedar trees around my property that I cut down to make my posts for the run - wanted a natural look and it saved me a LOT of money.

Gail

 

[jdcallahan]

Quote:
I read somewhere that hops were okee dokee for chickens.. I will definitely double check before planting. and I had NOT heard about the danger to dogs... so I'll change up some plans there as I do have 3 pups that will wander around the coop.

What material is best for long lasting coop runs? Price isn't too much of an object, I wanna build to last.

 

[jdcallahan]

Quote:
Yup, I know where that is.. things are a tad drier out here south of Abilene

Not to sound like too much of a newbie, but what the heck is 'hardware cloth' is that rabbit wire? stuff I used to make rabbit hutches out of with fingertip size squares??

thanks!
Jimmy