Run Design?

I'm also new to chicken keeping. On the height of your run, consider whether you want to be stooped over while in there. I've read lots of accounts of predators easily making their through chicken wire. The consensus is its only effective at stopping chickens. Many folks go with 1/2 x 1/2 inch hardware cloth for keeping predators out..with either an apron of wire or wire buried about a foot to thwart diggers. Hope thst helps.

 

As far as hawks are concerned, I wouldn't count on the fact that you're under a tree to keep them, or any other predator out. They ALL either climb, dig or fly.

 

We are work on our run. We have a large "dog run" that was here and has been unused. We are planning to put that up and then line it with 1/2" galvanized hardware cloth. The run will actually be about 7 ft high, but we were only planning to put the hardware cloth up about 3 feet around the existing metal kennel fencing. We were planning to cover the top with chickenwire. Do we need to put the hardware cloth up to the very top or will the fencing which is about about 3" by 6" squares be okay up that high? The run will only be open during the day and at night they will be closed behind a secure door in the coop. Also, should we instead put asolid roof on the run instead of the chicken wire?

 

My situation is very similar. Our garage is one side of the run, the backyard chain link fence is another and for the other sides though, we used 6' welded wire fence and 4' foot 1/2 in. Hardware cloth with 1' foot pushed under the fence to create a skirt that is held down with landscape staples. Hubby laid down each section and stapled a 6" wide board along the bottom at the 1 foot mark, bent one foot of wire over to create an "L" shape and shoved that under the fence. The board is on the inside of the fence. Hope that explanation made sense. It was time consuming and I was thankful we only had to do two sides. Chicken wire only keeps chickens in and nothing out. We put chicken wire over a section of the run(since we have an apple tree inside the run) and a couple days ago an eagle flew down as low as the tree top scoping out my chickens. If the chicken wire had not been there he would have had a chick....the tree was no deterrent. Of course my chickens raced into the coop ....and stayed for over an hour after the eagle left. They were petrified and quiet as mice. I am 4 miles from a river and we have constant eagles and hawks. I would never put them in an uncovered run because of that. There are lots of ideas on how to cover a run if you do a search on here.

 

I recommend covering the run, not just because of predators, but just to stop wild birds coming in there helping themselves to food (and maybe bringing diseases to the chickens). Some of my girls are in an open yard at the moment and the crows are a nuisance. I'm going to move them to a covered run to get rid of the crows and pigeons and everyone else who think the chicken food is also provided for them.

 

I don't know what your weather is like, but in SW Ohio where it's wet and snowy, it's nice having a solid roof over the run. Allows the chickens to be outdoors no matter the weather, not to mention being protected from predators.