Roof for Chicken Run

[ublyhunter]

I have 200 square feet of black UV netting that I got at tractor supply on my run. It is wired down and tie strapped to the chain link fence.

I am on 5 acres. I have not had any issues. Knock on wood..it is sealed off.
Keep in mind I lock my birds up at night and my coops is rock solid and predator proof. I am also way away from the tree line. My only concerns during the day in this location is hawks and my roof is sealed tight. If I was close to the woods I would be concerned about coons at dusk for sure. Coons are very Crafty with their hands.

 

[The Lazy L]

1/3 of my run I built a standard sloped asphalt singled roof. Under this roof is where the waterer and feeder are kept. The extra height is so I could stand up when adding water and feed.

The other 2/3s was covered with 19 gauge 1/2" hardware cloth and over the cloth, translucent panels. Pictures show run under construction.

• The Lazy L
• Jun 5, 2012

• The Lazy L
• Apr 25, 2012

 

[hhouck514]

What do you mean by 'semi-open'....not a solid roof or not covered at all?

So run is 10x30'...or...???
Why 10' tall?
What will run be built with?

It is 10' tall so that we can allow natural flight with the Japanese bantam. (Arrived today, unfortunately only one Japanese bantam survived ) We want something such as a netting, I guess.

 

[feathermania]

We put chicken wire on the roof of the run first, then 1 x 2 inch wire, then hog wire on top of everything. One third of the top of our run has a metal roof on it. Later this year, in the summer months, we will be getting clear or opaque wavy panels (can't remember the exact name, but they used to use them over patios...) to put on the rest of the top of our run because the run gets extremely muddy, snow builds up, etc. We have learned a lot this winter as we built our coop/run in late Spring last year. So far, our set-up has been predator proof...we hope to keep it that way!

 

[steven28107]

You’ll want hardwire cloth. Animals can’t chew through it. And yes, raccoons and foxes and coyotes can climb. Use 6inches of hardwire mesh around the run and coop too.

I have always used at least 6 inches, and even up to a foot, of hardware cloth around the ground of any fencing around the coop after watching the flock peck the be-gee-bers out of a black snake that was caught in the chicken wire by the egg it had swallowed hole. This past week I have also laid the same amount around the coop flat on the ground after noticing that something was trying to dig under the wire as well.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

It is 10' tall so that we can allow natural flight with the Japanese bantam. (Arrived today, unfortunately only one Japanese bantam survived ) We want something such as a netting, I guess.

so sorry contact the hatchery to send replacements!

 

[feathermania]

I have always used at least 6 inches, and even up to a foot, of hardware cloth around the ground of any fencing around the coop after watching the flock peck the be-gee-bers out of a black snake that was caught in the chicken wire by the egg it had swallowed hole. This past week I have also laid the same amount around the coop flat on the ground after noticing that something was trying to dig under the wire as well.

We did that too with 3 feet of hardware cloth. We put the hardware cloth up 2 feet from the ground, dug down and out a foot, laid the bottom foot where we had dug and put soil and sand over it up to the bottom of the run. I read that animals who dig down and hit wire, will not back up to dig again.

 

[ecorso]

I have a secure coop that the hens go in at night and get locked in, for safety from night predators. They go out in a run during the day, which is covered in shade cloth. It keeps the run so much cooler in the summer heat and camoflages them from hawks. I haven’t lost any hens to a predator in the six years I’ve had them. We have coyotes, raccoons, opossums, Bobcats, hawks, owls. I see them all and they frequent our property. I have lost two roosters, who were free ranging, outside of the run area to a hawk, during the day. The other predators show up on my barn cam regularly, but at night, when all the birds are in lock up. They would not be safe out in my shade cloth covered run at night. Out neighbor just lost her flock to a Bobcat at night because her run was chain link fencing and the top was not secure. Any predator can cut through the shade cloth pretty easily. To be predator proof 24/7, you do need hardware cloth over the top if they are not going to go into a smaller, secure area for the night.

 

[aart]

It is 10' tall so that we can allow natural flight with the Japanese bantam. (We want something such as a netting, I guess.

I get it.....'Flight Height'.

But what about this question.....

What do you mean by 'semi-open'....not a solid roof or not covered at all?

 

[SueT]

I have had inexpensive bird netting over my 1000 sq ft run for about 3 years. It is like stretchy fabric, and easy to install (w 2 people). I have stretched it over a 25' span with no problem. It has held up to snow, ice, and stuff falling on it, cat walking on it etc.


second pic shows it coated w ice. Sagging a little, but it bounces back.