Please help me design my run!

[IOT]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and also to having chickens. I'm in the process of figuring out how to make my run, have limited carpentry skills and a lot of questions! Please feel free to direct me elsewhere if my questions have been answered.

I want to make a 12' x 12' run, about 6' in height and ideally I'd like it to have a more or less solid roof (I live in the northeast and we get quite a bit of snow here, would be nice to keep it out of the run so that chickens can still go out, I heard they will not go out in the snow). I have some 2 x 4 x 8 lumber and I'm wondering if it's possible to build the frame with this, will it be sturdy enough? Also, I would prefer not to use concrete to hold the posts in place, is this possible?

Thanks so much!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I have a covered run. I winterize the run by sliding corrugated plastic sheets along each side of the run but there is a foot gap from the sheets to the roof so that some snow still gets in. The sheets help heat up the run in the winter. My flock loves snow to eat but in moderation, I have shoveled snow into the run for them because they don't get a lot in the run.
I used concrete paving blocks that my posts sit on, it isn't permanent to allow for heaving from the frost.

 

[IOT]

That's a great idea about using the plastic sheets to provide some heat during the winter. Thanks for the tips! I didn't know hens like to eat snow, so interesting! I'm fine with to shoveling a little if needed, that's part of why I want the run to be tall enough to be able to walk in.

What do you have for a roof in your run?

Can you tell me a bit more about the concrete blocks, or is there any link I could go to see how it's done? Any thoughts on using 2 x 4s for the posts/frame?

Thanks again!

 

[CluckerFamily]

That's a great idea about using the plastic sheets to provide some heat during the winter. Thanks for the tips! I didn't know hens like to eat snow, so interesting! I'm fine with to shoveling a little if needed, that's part of why I want the run to be tall enough to be able to walk in.

What do you have for a roof in your run?

Can you tell me a bit more about the concrete blocks, or is there any link I could go to see how it's done? Any thoughts on using 2 x 4s for the posts/frame?

Thanks again!

I used a metal roof for my coop and run.

I used 4x4s for the posts in the run for extra stability. I used 2x4s for framing the run. I don't have a link for the concrete blocks, but if you have ever built a unattached porch, it is sort of the same idea. When I built the coop, we didn't make any plans, we just designed it as we went.
When I made the run, I placed the concrete blocks on the ground where the walls of the run were going to be built, I chose to put hardware cloth on the bottom of the run and wrap it up over the blocks that then was attached to the sides of the run (this allowed me to put in dirt and sand into the coop and it never floods). I built the frame of the run on top of the blocks and then have 4x4 posts also sitting on a block inside the run.

 

[IOT]

I used a metal roof for my coop and run.

I used 4x4s for the posts in the run for extra stability. I used 2x4s for framing the run. I don't have a link for the concrete blocks, but if you have ever built a unattached porch, it is sort of the same idea. When I built the coop, we didn't make any plans, we just designed it as we went.
When I made the run, I placed the concrete blocks on the ground where the walls of the run were going to be built, I chose to put hardware cloth on the bottom of the run and wrap it up over the blocks that then was attached to the sides of the run (this allowed me to put in dirt and sand into the coop and it never floods). I built the frame of the run on top of the blocks and then have 4x4 posts also sitting on a block inside the run.

Thanks for your response! I've never built an unattached porch (or anything really, lol!). But I did see a video of someone doing the concrete blocks for a chicken run, and I think it's just like what you're describing. Would you be willing to share a picture of your run? I'm trying to understand how you're using the 4x4 posts and also it'd be great to see a frame made with 2x4s. What size is your run?

 

[CluckerFamily]

This is my run... keep in mind we didn’t draw anything out, we just started building the coop and run and being in Wisconsin it is rustic looking to blend in with the detached garage. I don’t have the corrugated plastic sheets up but the frame for them is always attached to the run so that I can slide the sheets along the run by myself. It is built on the concrete blocks and then I added a tow of blocks along the outside of run to help with the rain splatter off the roof and provided a nice home for ants that always seem to get eaten. The run is 20’x20’.

 

[IOT]

This is my run... keep in mind we didn’t draw anything out, we just started building the coop and run and being in Wisconsin it is rustic looking to blend in with the detached garage. I don’t have the corrugated plastic sheets up but the frame for them is always attached to the run so that I can slide the sheets along the run by myself. It is built on the concrete blocks and then I added a tow of blocks along the outside of run to help with the rain splatter off the roof and provided a nice home for ants that always seem to get eaten. The run is 20’x20’.

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View attachment 2335448

Thanks so much for the pictures and description. I really love how your run looks! We want that kind of look too, not planning to paint it, would like the natural wood look. Would you mind if I ask you more questions as I go along?

 

[CluckerFamily]

Thanks so much for the pictures and description. I really love how your run looks! We want that kind of look too, not planning to paint it, would like the natural wood look. Would you mind if I ask you more questions as I go along?

Definitely! Other than the run wood, the wood for the coop came from a local sawmill and I asked for rough cut and the oldest boards to blend in with my garage. I got a cheaper price because they didn't have to sand them smooth and they were already gray.

 

[veedabowlu]

If you are not planning to paint the wood, you should still seal it... Thompson's waterseal...
think of an exposed patio deck..won't last too long without water protection

 

[IOT]

If you are not planning to paint the wood, you should still seal it... Thompson's waterseal...
think of an exposed patio deck..won't last too long without water protection

That's a very good point, thanks! What about pressure-treated wood? I actually have some that I found on sale, but now I'm wondering if there could be any toxicity issues. Can I use pressure-treated wood to build the run and/or would I need to seal it? Thanks again!