Run Design

[Welshies]

• Most economical fencing is around 4'. Then the higher the fence/the higher the price. To enclose the top of the run would mean human access would be challenging. Maybe bumping your head v.s. crawling thru chicken dookie.
• Fencing weighs a lot! how would you support the field area to prevent sagging and the perimeter from being pulled inwards?

• Shaded area in necessary seasonally. A small section should be shaded if no trees are present hanging over the said run. Perhaps add your approx geographical location to your personal info to help other BYC members aid you more accurately in the near future.

Just going to add to this. Great considerations.
Coyotes will jump over 4' fencing.
Pull fencing taught to prevent sagging.
Use trees to provide natural shade. You can construct shaded feed and water stations as well.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Pull fencing taught to prevent sagging.

The weight alone from a 15ft stretch of fencing will pull over the sides unless the sides are boarded and guide wired into the earth. 4 divides into 30' to over 8-fifteen foot stretches of wire. We are talking about 120' plus of fencing for a cover. That weighs a lot. Fencing stretches as well. Even if the sides were guide wired, the weight of the fencing would stretch the wire to a major sag over night.
Plant Nursery mesh is more practical although that will need support in the center as well. 450 sqft of space needs jacks and rafters.

 

[Welshies]

The weight alone from a 15ft stretch of fencing will pull over the sides unless the sides are boarded and guide wired into the earth. 4 divides into 30' to over 8-fifteen foot stretches of wire. We are talking about 120' plus of fencing for a cover. That weighs a lot. Fencing stretches as well. Even if the sides were guide wired, the weight of the fencing would stretch the wire to a major sag over night.
Plant Nursery mesh is more practical although that will need support in the center as well. 450 sqft of space needs jacks and rafters.

No, not necessarily.
It's called posts.
I have 450 sq ft of space in my coop. No "jacks" or "rafters".

 

[Lazy Farmer]

No, not necessarily.
It's called posts.
I have 450 sq ft of space in my coop. No "jacks" or "rafters".

A post is a jack in framing and engineering terminology.
I replied to this post to help the OP, not debate the laws of physics. I will view your photos of your accomplishments but am done responding in a debate manor. With all due respect of course.

 

[Kyle Boisseau]

• Most economical fencing is around 4'. Then the higher the fence/the higher the price. To enclose the top of the run would mean human access would be challenging. Maybe bumping your head or crawling thru chicken dookie.
• Fencing weighs a lot! how would you support the field area to prevent sagging and the perimeter from being pulled inwards?

• Shaded area in necessary seasonally. A small section should be shaded if no trees are present hanging over the said run. Perhaps add your approx geographical location to your personal info to help other BYC members aid you more accurately in the near future.

You are very welcome and BTW, excellent questions you have. Pleased to meet your acquaintance.

I'd would prefer to have the fence at 4' because I can get 4' X 100' rolls of hardware cloth. I am concerned with hawks and eagles, but going with a 6' fence and fenced in top will get costly.
I'm in South Western Kentucky, so we get the full spectrum of weather.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I'd would prefer to have the fence at 4' because I can get 4' X 100' rolls of hardware cloth. I am concerned with hawks and eagles, but going with a 6' fence and fenced in top will get costly.
I'm in South Western Kentucky, so we get the full spectrum of weather.

If the top is covered, 4 ft perimeter is fine. Just pitch the center with jacks (posts) and a rafter about 8 to 10 feet high.

just come up with a good plan before your start. Work smarter, not harder..

 

[Birdinhand]

I would start with a size that you can afford to cover, then over time, add new sections. as it turns out, modularity is helpful on the odd chance you end up with an ailing hen or brooding mother. in my experience, People give way to much credence to what a rooster can fend off and when doesn't succeed, well, it just "wasn't a good one". if you know you have predators, it's best to assume that chickens are virtually defenseless. people seem to have OK luck with free ranging when they do it only when they are around and even then it's easy to find videos of hawks taking out hens practically at the keepers feet in broad daylight. one of my flocks was taken out by foxes as a kid. once they got used to the open buffet, they would show up mid day and one day they even literally ran across my feet chasing a hen.

I now live in a suburb of Seattle and You'd think this would be a fine place to free range, but we have it all here, even a local coyote pack and bald eagles. most mornings when I go out to the coop, I can smell musk in the air, of either a coon or coyote and it's stronger around the coop. I do not regret for a minute the extra money and time I put into making my coop a brick house.

 

[Welshies]

If the top is covered there ia no need for high fence
What kind of netting are you planning? How do you plan to secure it?

 

[Lazy Farmer]

My DH was a framer for a bit in his younger years. I had him make a quick diagram. Crude but it paints a picture in your head better. Out of proportion

but you should get an idea what we were saying.

 

[Shadyfarms]

If it helps, my run goes around the coop on 3 sides. 5 feet wide on all 3 sides. Height is 5 feet on the fence side but I angled it up to the coop and used the coop as the support. This gives the chickens 1 shaded side at all times from the sun + I put plastic roofing on top which snow and rain runs off. It is handy to be able to walk around in there if you are cleaning up or if the chickens decide to lay eggs in there.