Official BYC Poll: How Is Your Run Covered?

[buckock]

View attachment 2779027
In Summer 2020 we built a walk-in run that attached to the coop. Sides of run are hardware cloth and 1/3 roof is hardware cloth. We planned to add a solid roof portion eventually and purchased premium bird netting as a temporary cover for that portion. It has held up so well that we aren't in any hurry to install the solid cover section! We used premium bird netting 14'x14' from Gurneys.com and zip-tied it to the wooden rafters. It has held up thru snow and 70+mph winds. Local hawks and eagles don't bother it. The netting is a very impressive product, the pictures below show how well it has held up over the past year.View attachment 2779057View attachment 2779069

This looks great! Does it also provide shade?

 

[Liz Birdlover]

1/2" wire (hardware cloth) 2x8 panels with treated wood, predator proof, dug 2 feet down, lots of hawks, foxes, raccoons, neighbors cats & coyote here.

Update...

We don't get snow often, but when we do, it's about 1-3 feet and it gets very heavy.

I used to put sod down in their pens 1x yearly in Oct, it would last til Aug drought, so I didn't mind doing it. I love any extra gardening/chicken chores just to be with them. (Yeah, I'm one of those oddballs that actually likes to work on various projects ).

Well, this past Oct I tried large pine bark mulch instead of sod. The chickens actually loved playing, kicking the chips around looking for bugs, etc. I was concerned about slipping in mud but the chips were Ok. Either way, I have to add sod or bark chip mulch 1x a year, to keep their pens clean & maintained ok. So...with pens covered by wire but still exposed to weather, mud is a concern. Sometimes we get a lot of rain here. I don't want my flock getting bumblefoot & I don't need to slip & bust my butt.

Well, the tarp material covers on their gazebos does not hold up. 2 years outside sun & weather & they dry rot & shred quickly when the Chickens jump up there & poke toenails through. The gazebos were 1 spot that remained dry for dustbathing, but obviously not without tops.

So this is a question of what to do...keep pens as they are & I still have mud, snow & aging gazebo roof covers.
I am reconsidering the idea of "solid covered roof pens" & either going to use polycarbonate or just regular roof with shingles.

So...they really enjoy their gazebos, they can dustbathe in the back & there's a perch in the front, it's a place of feeling secure for them.
If I cover the pens, perhaps the gazebos won't endure as much weather abuse. I'm making my own gazebo covers this time.

Any input about polycarbonate vs regular shingle roof?

Which do you have &/or like best?

I have roofing materials so it would be less cost than polycarbonate panels. Either way, 1st build a roof frame with pitch, so the snow slides off. I was amazed at how the snow piled up on the 1/4" wire...ALOT OF WEIGHT! I was worried sick when about 2 feet of heavy ice & snow piled up...the rooftop panels did bow some, but they held. Still, not a good scenario at all.

There's quite alot on the "to do" list here...another coop, finish the window box perches on pigeon loft, remodel in the house, yup, sawdust & paint will be flying all spring, summer & fall! Lol. We will get busy & hopefully all will turn out well.

 

[joydix]

Wow! Love your set up except for the mud issue! Seven years ago I took out some money from my Ira and we built what we affectionately called the palace. Before the palace they had no dry area when it rained they had to go underneath the coop which was maybe 2 feet high. Now they have a huge area even with 22 of them. I will come back on and post some pictures of their coop.picture 2 is showing the coop/run plus the baby pen. All hardware cloth and tin roof. Leak free. Backside of Lg coop has corrugated plastic panels to let light in but not wind and rain. Their “run” is really our whole side yard….but I can lock them up if we have to…we have hawks,Eagles, bobcats,fox,raccoons and weasel tho not seen…etc

 

[BDutch]

@Liz Birdlover
Many years ago I had a water problem in the open run too.
I made deep holes with an auger for posts (fencing and planting young trees). I filled the holes of about 1 meter deep with river pebbles. After that I had no more problems with mud after rain.

If the function of the gazebos is to give them a secure place, there are more solutions. I have a few bushes in the run. A laurel bush and two currants. This also helps for the water problem.

 

[joydix]

Our soil is extremely good at draining. River silt! Amazingly we don’t get mud….and I have a gazillion plants and many willows. We r right on river…

 

[Hermits Garden]

Our run isn't finished, but the plan is to use corrugated galvanized steel for the side parts, which total 120 sq ft. Then welded wire (not sure yet, and considering chicken wire netting) over the front part of the run, which is 160 sq ft.

If anyone has opinions on chicken wire vs welded wire, I'd love to hear. The run itself is 6' high chain link panels covered with hardware cloth and chicken wire.

 

[joydix]

Hardware cloth best…lasts longer, keeps out rodents, things like raccoons and larger can’t chew through it…depends on your predators I guess…chicken wire is to keep chickens IN but it doesn’t keep predators out…..the rest sounds like Fort Knox!

 

[Hermits Garden]

Hardware cloth best…lasts longer, keeps out rodents, things like raccoons and larger can’t chew through it…depends on your predators I guess…chicken wire is to keep chickens IN but it doesn’t keep predators out…..the rest sounds like Fort Knox!

I'm talking about as the cover for part of the run. There will be hwc around the run, over windows, etc.

 

[Sally PB]

Anyone reading this now: In light of the Avian Influenza circulating, strongly consider some kind of solid roof, or a tarp.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If anyone has opinions on chicken wire vs welded wire, I'd love to hear. The run itself is 6' high chain link panels covered with hardware cloth and chicken wire.

Welded wire is stronger than chicken wire, but for strictly aerial predators chicken wire should be sufficient to keep them out as long as it's secured well.