Plastic Playhouse Chicken RUN

[perkolator]

I'm assuming you've had it a while - does the rain get in easily as it is?
If the rain gets into the windows, I'd likely just do something really simple to resolve that - like install a piece of metal or plastic flashing over the window....or just put a piece of plywood or tarp material directly over the kennel structure to keep rain off the coop itself. If you beef up the kennel with hardware cloth added along the bottom as well as a skirt, you may not even need to put any in the windows either.

 

[scarlethand]

How were they able to access your chickens in your omlet coop?

Well they were chicks about a month old and it was just getting dark and i ran inside to grab something. When i came back out Two were dead and one had its wing ripped off and i saw the raccoon run away. I understand that chickens would probably be safer in the coop and it was my error to leave them alone for that time but i returned it because i think they should have designed the omlet with smaller wire so nothing could grab at them. Also i felt rats could easily get into the spaces that are open to move the wheels up and down. I also found the omlet to not feel as sturdy as i thought it would be especially for that extremely large price tag and the ladder wouldnt sit properly. If someone would design a plastic coop with attached run with small hardware cloth ready to go i would buy in a heartbeat. Im surprised nothing really exists yet. The snap and lock seems great but only one company seems to make runs to go with them and they want a fortune for them. The omlet seems like they are moving in the right direction and if they offered a run option with smaller wire i would be into it.

 

[scarlethand]

I'm assuming you've had it a while - does the rain get in easily as it is?
If the rain gets into the windows, I'd likely just do something really simple to resolve that - like install a piece of metal or plastic flashing over the window....or just put a piece of plywood or tarp material directly over the kennel structure to keep rain off the coop itself. If you beef up the kennel with hardware cloth added along the bottom as well as a skirt, you may not even need to put any in the windows either.

This is a great idea, thank you so much!

 

[perkolator]

No problemo.
I'd lean toward the kennel since it will provide a larger area and they're pretty secure being made of a thick gauge fencing material. Just make sure to add the hardware cloth along the bottom 2-3ft so a racoon can't grab the hens again through the fencing.

If you wanted to make a simple run attachment to the playhouse, I think you could easily make one out of some 2x2 lumber and hardware cloth