Official BYC Poll: How Is Your Run Covered?

[Broxi]

We built the Taj Ma Coop a couple years ago as an upgrade from a little TSC coop. The hen house is attached to a shed that was on the property when we bought it and is divided into run/storage. 6'x14.5'. The run is 14.5'x16' with access under the hen house. All the run is 1/2" hardware cloth that runs 16" out on the ground and buried. Roof is Galvanized 5V panels at about 3/12 pitch. Unfortunately the guy I had build it didn't understand when I told him to put the 2x4 perches in sockets like closet poles and built this grandstand instead. I'll likely change that this year because cleaning behind the supports is a pain. I didn't think about it till just now, but I could convert the utility room into more coop space if I need to.....Hmmm chicken math just multiplied. LOL. I'd also like to get power and water run down there from the house permanently, but for now I drag the hose and run a cord when necessary. Don't mind the fancy farm poodle, he thinks he's helping.

 

[Hermits Garden]

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.

That will make the spousal unit very happy--he was imagining us wrangling welded wire sections from the top of a tall ladder, and not happy. Chicken wire will be bad enough, but at least it's more flexible.

 

[Sydney65]

Our 1st one is an overgrown walk in tractor - I married Tim the Toolman. The coop is enclosed and has windows. The run is attached, has the same steel roof from an old polebarn and closed in with hardware cloth. In the winter I put up clear polycarbonate panels as @joydix has, so they have basically a vented sunroom.
We are transitioning this spring to a large area just for them that will have 2 coops and a dustbath behind a door with the garden infront, all of it fenced in top to bottom and overhead with 1/4" hardware cloth that I've spent the winter stockpiling.

 

[Sydney65]

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…etcView attachment 3014098View attachment 3014100View attachment 3014101View attachment 3014102View attachment 3014103

I could spend all day wandering through this!

 

[Farmgirl1878]

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

I think the best thing we did in our run was put a roof over it. Three-quarters has a metal roof and the rest was roofed with 2” by 4” fencing. Until I got tired of having too much rain, snow, and sun, so helped hubby build a hoop roof out of bent pvc piping covered by a clear, reinforced tarp. Because of weather, predator, and avian flu potential problems, I’d roof the whole thing if I were you. Besides, it’s a lot easier to do now than later.

 

[Sydney65]

Metal panel from disassembled polebarn.