Omlet Chicken Runs

[Mountain Chic]

Hello Everyone!

I'm new here and a new chicken owner. Loving my 2 week old chicks!

We are looking for a pre made chicken run of good size and I came across some made by "Omlet". They are large and made of steel. What I was hoping I could get feedback on is the size of the steel mesh. It is 1" X 2 1/2". Is that small enough to keep out raccoons and possums?

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Are you talking about something like this? https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_k...ingPid=16493&gclid=CJSggqm_jM8CFdgDgQodvLkK-g

It looks good and sturdy, so probably can't be chewed apart.
Not sure I'd call it 'of good size'.... unless you only have 2 maybe 3 birds.
I like that it has an anti dig apron around it.
If coop is locked up tight at night it should be fine, raccoon may be able to do a 'reach thru' on 1" tho.

 

[Mountain Chic]

Thank you for your response and advice Art! What I'm considering is the walk-in size square run. It comes in different sizes. What size would you use for 7 small to medium (when grown) hens?

https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/walk_in_chicken_run/f/cd002e7c9f3b485f9033cdb3d3b191e5/

My contractor is building the coop as I type. It is a 5x9 solid wood with Windows. I copied it off of some other person on this board. ; ). It looks like a small Chapel. So pretty.

 

[aart]

Minimum square footage I would recommend is 4sqft per bird in the coop(your coop sounds good) and 10sqft in the run.

The more space the better, especially if you have harsh winters.

 

[junebuggena]

The largest walk in run they make is 3 meters by 4 meters, which is roughly 130 sq ft. More than enough for 7 adult hens. And there is a cover available too. The mid-sized one is right at about 70 sq ft. which is the absolute smallest size for your number of birds. But for $700, before shipping and taxes, you can build something much more budget friendly.

 

[aart]

I had no idea Omlet made such nice runs....they are nice, too bad their coops don't compare.....but, yes, very expensive.

 

[junebuggena]

I had no idea Omlet made such nice runs....they are nice, too bad their coops don't compare.....but, yes, very expensive.

The coops are ridiculous. But you can't tell the people that purchase them that, or they will get a bit nasty.

 

[aart]

Quote: I Know, Right!?

 

[junebuggena]

They flat out lose their minds. Frankly, I would too if I spent that kind of money on such a tiny, poorly designed coop.

 

[Mountain Chic]

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing, but I want it to look good and blend in with the trees. This one looks good in the photos. Maybe I will look for some ideas to build something. It's costing $3K to build the coop so I don't want to spend that on a run!