Official BYC Poll: Is your RUN Covered or Not?

[AgnesGray]

Mine is half covered in pvc roof panels and half in rolled wire. If I had it to do over I'd cover the whole thing in pvc. And not the clear panels... We used the gray panels and they just take the edge off on the sun. I've planted a few vines to add shade. When we expand we want to use opaque panels on the rest to give them better shade during the hot part of the day. We tried sand and like wood chips better.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Our 3000 plus sqft run and coop area is uncovered because of the irregular shape and the shade trees involved. However we do employ raptor attack with Owl decoys and CD'S hung up in the trees and they have worked out very well for us. We have a great horned owl pair in the area, we have red tailed hawks, red shoulder hawks and a coopers hawk as well and have lost only 1 pullet and that was prior to the above listed defences. They are spotted by us from time to time but no attacks. Our run ground covers are pretty minimal, we are in south Texas and not much rain but we use Bermuda hay in the 900 sqft coop run and straw in the 3000 plus sqft main free range area..we are considering hay for all the runs as the wind here sends the straw flying EVERYWHERE.

 

[middle TN Nancy]

I built my coop and run under an existing shed roof off my garden shed. The run is about 6 1/2'x12' - I don't know if the chickens are going to be able to free range or not so I'm looking at pictures of everybody's uncovered runs and pens, in preparation for setting up a semi-protected yard for them.

 

[Compost King]

the only parts of my runs with rain cover is under the coop. I do cover it with cheap bird netting and when the summer heat hits I cover the top with light leafy branches for shade.

If I felt like spending the money I would cover the runs too. I believe its a good idea but I do not have all the amenities of life in my own home yet so the chickens are not going to get all the amenities of a covered run.

 

[Gray Farms]

All my runs are covered. Only way to keep the trash pandas out.

 

[Lumikko]

Our girls are trapped into their enclosed run when we aren't home but have access to a bigger fenced area when we're out with them.

The run is a little bigger than it looks..we added a chicken sun room.

 

[David61]

I have a good mix of all the above. 6X14 run/coop with a 17 foot roof. It gives me an over hang for the nest box. The netted deep litter run is 10X30. I used two sections of old antenna tower and old antenna pole to hold the net. I draped the net over the fence lose. Nothing like to clime on lose net.

 

[TopazMaster91]

My run is half-covered with a thin metal roof, slanted for rain, and the other half has netting over it to keep out hungry birds and other animals. Run dimensions are something like 20ft x 16ft.

 

[C. Conner]

I do not free range my chickens so my husband and I added on to the run a couple of times. It is 624 sq ft. We have chicken wire across the complete top, with roofing over 3/4 of the area.

 

[Sarkchick]

Covered with 2x4 mesh....because, Hawks.


My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

Love your run. I also use t-posts, chain link top rails, high peak canopy corners with hardwire cloth on sides and 2x4 welded wire over top. But mine is not as large.