Run square footage?

[reddpepper86]

Will you put a solid roof on your run?
Watch and plan for drainage/runoff issues around coop and run to keep the area as dry as possible

We do have a solid roof. We figured we'd need one with all the rain around here. Since we're on the coast, our soil is pretty much all sand and drains really fast. We haven't had any pooling areas on our property so we're *hoping* things in their run stay pretty dry! And I don't know if you can see it in the picture but the coop/run is on an incline so any rainfall we do get usually runs down away from the direction of the coop towards the forest.

 

[cavemanrich]

Very nice coop and run. I only see 2 sides of your coop. Do you have any ventilation on the other 2 walls. I see the 2 windows, and when opened, provide good ventilation. It is during winter(Which are not severe in your area) and you do decide to close windows during fowl weather. Lack of ventilation is not healthy for your chickens. An ideal good size vent would be placed on the run side wall close to roof line. Another one possibly smaller and weather protected on opposite wall as well. It is best to have vents well above the chickens roost area. Aart has some good articles about VENTILATION worth reading.

 

[Birdinhand]

Aart has good advice. I live in the NW. don't be too attached to free ranging, IMHO, it's harder on the birds than you might think. the typical fence will do very little to deter predators. for a large area, electric is necessary but a pain to maintain. Along the OR coast you will need protection from heavy wind and rain more than cold. I've been to a lot of wet places on this planet and I've never seen heavier rain than along the OR coast :~). I'd make the run completely covered with some kind of provision for a wind break and or extra deep eve to keep it dry in the driving rain. chickens are happiest if they never get wet and there are not health benefits to it, they like dry. I'd make the run large enough that you feel good about it if they end up staying inside it all the time. the only thing I've found adequate to keep the critters out is Hardware cloth, wall to wall, ceiling and floor (under about 8 inches of deep litter), galvanized U-nails to posts, overlapped at the seams. home depot sells concrete blocks with an elevated post base, keeps the wood away from the wet. I used those and laid down the hardware cloth first, mended the cloth that goes under ground with thick black zip ties. it's really best not to "wait and see" if you have a predator problem, they are inevitable at some point and much harder to deal with after they succeed in getting a bird or two or three.

 

[reddpepper86]

Very nice coop and run. I only see 2 sides of your coop. Do you have any ventilation on the other 2 walls. I see the 2 windows, and when opened, provide good ventilation. It is during winter(Which are not severe in your area) and you do decide to close windows during fowl weather. Lack of ventilation is not healthy for your chickens. An ideal good size vent would be placed on the run side wall close to roof line. Another one possibly smaller and weather protected on opposite wall as well. It is best to have vents well above the chickens roost area. Aart has some good articles about VENTILATION worth reading.

Thanks so much for your reply! Yes, you can't see it in the picture but there is definitely windows all around for good ventilation. This picture was taken before we moved the chicks in. We removed the boards behind the windows so now there's constant airflow for them. So far they've seemed very content with their living arrangements - I hope it stays that way!