Run height?

[teach1rusl]

If you know for certain that your chickens will be closed inside the housing each night, you can get by with less run security (such as netting). But if you think realistically that there's a good chance there'll be nights when they're NOT shut inside the housing, then I'd go for sturdy wire.
You're going to have a decent sized run, so you're going to need something taller. Can you imagine crawling through your run to clean it if it's only a few feet tall??? That would be back breaking, and would get old REALLY fast. I know it makes you want to choke to have to spend so much money up front. But you know what? You won't even think about the money two months later. I'd do it right the first time - it'll make your experiences with chickens so much more enjoyable (and easier) for years to come.

 

[jmjoffrion]

Indeed...do it right the first time.

 

[Dobela]

Ok, so we make it taller on the sides, say 4-5ft with horse fencing that is reinforced with poultry net along the bottom and an apron. The horse fencing we saw tonight was 1inch by 4 inch squares. Can we also use this on top of the run? Can coons and other predators get thru that?

 

[teach1rusl]

That would be fine for the top... But seriously, unless you are pretty short, I'd go tall enough for you to walk around in without having to stoop over. Maybe it's just me in my middle age, but my back just aches picturing having to stoop over every time you're in there. I'd invest in some 8ft. pressure treated 2x4s, sink them about 2 ft. on the corners and in the centers (if you're going 16 ft.), and go from there... I already cuss myself because we didn't spend the extra for roofing our big run to keep snow out. It's a lot more work and bother to make changes later

 

[Dobela]

Quote:
I cmpletely understand. We are not old, but at least well into middle age LOL. My 10yr son is already 5'5 so he will just become more cramped as he ages.

We are going to see if we can purchase the 5 or 6 ft tall fencing locally today for the sides. If we use rolled wire we were thinking of just making the run 20x20 or since the wall of the coop is 12 making one side 16 and the others 20 16x20x20x20 so we can have an entrance without going thru the coop). We plan on an A line roof, although a shallow one. We also realize we need to watch out for chicken math. We have seen the effect it has on a neighbor whose run is starting to look like a giant wire maze of additions LOL.

I have never built anything like this in my life, and neither has dh. My dad will help but I ned a plan before he arrives. I really appreciate the help. Can we get by with posts every 8-10 ft? Even if the roof framing needs more?

 

[teach1rusl]

If you're sinking the posts, you should have no problem using 8 ft. intervals. When we did our run, we had extra landscape timbers laying around, and so we used those for our corner posts... Since you're doing an A frame "roof" of some kind, you might want to use a little concrete when you sink your posts...just thinking of support sturdiness.
Definitely do some shopping around for your wire. Ace Hardware, Lowes, TSC...it's worth comparing prices. Heck, I found some wire on Amazon a few months back when building my bantam coop - cheaper for them to ship to me than I could buy it locally