Run Design

[Karyn Detty]

Hi all! I have had backyard chickens for four years. I live in the suburbs of a small town and my current coop and run are very small it is it 3‘ x 8‘ run attached to one of the very small Summerhawk coops. We are currently building a new chicken run with a much larger walk in chicken coop. My question is if I am going to close my chickens in at night inside of their very sturdy coop , do I need to cover the top of their run? Predators aren’t really a problem in our area. There may be occasional raccoons but they seem to only come around at night. Can I just clip their wings and that should be enough? I’m not worried about them getting out just wondering if I should be worried about things getting in during the day? Thanks for any advice!!

 

[cavemanrich]

Daytime predators are mainly hawks. Those that you would need overhead protection. (netting) Coyotes, bobcats and fox are daytime visitors also. If you don't have those of concern, then it is a good thing.
If your coop is WELL SECURED, at night, then even if you do get a visit from Rocky, your chickens will be safe. One of the main things to do is,,,, remove all feed from outdoor run area for the night. Most predators are just looking for a meal. It does not matter if it is chicken pellets, or chickens themselves.
If your chicken are not flying over your run fence, (escaping) then do not clip wings. It is better that they do have an ability to escape a given predator by flying up high,,,,, should the situation arise.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and