Run Height?

[pyralis]

So I just got my first coop with two young RIR hens and set it up behind my barn. I was told to leave them in the coop for a few days before letting them out (so they know where home is). Figure this gives me time to build them a bit of a run as we have a large fox/coyote/raccoon population.

The coop itself is about 4 feet tall, with the section by the chicken door only 3 feet high. Could I build a run that stays at that same level (for ease of building) or do runs need to be higher than 3 feet high for unsupervised time?

Plan on letting them out during the day while I'm at the barn for the most part, and putting them back in mid to late afternoon.

Thanks!

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Many people build runs that are short. I don't think it would be a huge problem.

 

[DelcoChix]

The chickens aren't that concerned with the height of their run as long as they have ample room, but higher is definitely better for the human factor Our first coop/run combo was 4' high, run was 4'high by 4' wide x12' long and it was a pain in the neck for us adults to have to go in to retrieve a random egg, the feeders, catch a hen,etc....my husband has since retrofitted the run and raised it to 5'on the sides with a peak of 6'--we also roofed it and wrapped it in better wire so it's quite an improvement. Go higher for your own comfort if you can.

 

[pyralis]

I would generally like to think along the lines of building as big as I'm able to give them more and more room. The only reason I hesitate is because we live on rented land and the landlord is very particular about aesthetics (pssh!). The coop's hidden behind my barn right now, tucked in under some great shade trees, but too big of a run would likely stand out.

May start small and grow once feeling out how the landowner feels about it. Thinking of offering free eggs to gain a bit more room for the chickens!

 

[pyralis]

Quote:
Thank you, this makes a lot of sense! I didn't think about what it'd be like to be crawling around in there. Will have to play with some designs focused around our little coop.

Do you put wire on the bottom too (ie: along the ground)? Worried a determined fox/coyote/etc could get under the frame.

 

[DelcoChix]

Our runs have either 2"x4" wire or chain link and then I wrapped chicken wire over it so I have about a 12-18" apron on the ground, the rest tied up on the strong wire...then I sort of buried the portion on the ground, but not terribly deep, maybe angling 3-4" down, with dirt and then grass over it. We have coyotes, raccoons, hawks, opossums, foxes, owls,etc. and haven't had any problems with them attempting to dig in...yet! We lost one hen to a fox and her kits, but that was our fault...best of luck in working out what will work best for your situation. Our larger run was really easy to make once we go the hang of it, and is simple to add onto if we decide to make it larger later--if you want details let me know.

 

[chemew]

DelcoChix - I'm just starting work on our run and would love to have details on how you built yours so that you can easily add on...