Short height runs?

[ZooNana]

OK well unless I make it so the top opens I'm not going with a short run. There's no way my mother can deal with that.

Thank you for all your input.

When the weather gets better I'll get out to her house and take some measurements and come up with something for her. I think she'll be thrilled.

 

[tinyscrafts]

I'm an idiot that made a 2 ft tall run with only one end that opens. I have to send the kids in to get the birds out... ANNOYING!!!!!

 

[Tala]

Quote:
My chicken tractor run is 27" tall, it's a pain to crawl in there to do something. If I need to do something to it (add something, repair something, whatnot) I flip it over on it's side, or even on it's top. I can stand in it upside down to work on it. Since it's a tractor I can just move it to get at the ground.
I do wish I had made a door in the top for putting in the feeder

Mostly though I can just bend over and stick my arm in.

 

[DIMBY]

yep yep yep. My biggest mistake was making my first run only 3 feet high. I was crawling about on hands and knees. Three months later, I had added another run that was 5 feet tall, then I extended the 'old' run to match. Since I'm only 5'1", it's perfect and my poor ol' bones are much happier. Make 'em high, folks, the first time around!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

To be honest I don't have any short runs. But have been thinking of making some. My thought was to make it light and make it short, no taller than 3 feet and attach it to the coop. When it needs to be cleaned then I just unattach it, pick it up and move it. Clean and put it back on.
I know it won't be great predator proof, but I don't have ones that rip into anything here. They take the ones out in the open.

I don't know it was just a thought. Maybe one to see if I like it and it works.

 

[gsim]

Would at the very least put an access lid on it. If I did one, the entire top would be hinged in sections for cleaning with a walk-in gate at the end to avoid having to climb in and out.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Yes, I also thought the gate for letting them out to free range and or filling a waterer or feeder

 

[possumqueen]

Most of my pens have been tractors that I had to move myself. The tall ones were clumsy, heavy, tended to tip when I didn't want them to, so this time I'm going short.

That said, I have to add that I am also a lousy LOUSY carpenter, and those other efforts reflected that deficiencyway too well!

Thanks for all the suggestions on this post, even though I'm not the original poster. End gate sounds like the route to go.

 

[lisamayc]

I'm a newbie at raising chickens - but hey I just found my first egg tonight. Wooo hoooo!

At any rate - wasn't expecting eggs this early (17 weeks)

I've been wanting to add a yard onto my coop. My coop is level, but the area where the yard could be placed is on a slope. I have quite a few 6' T posts and some heavey duty fencing (2"x4" - I think) and chicken wire. Do you think that the T posts will work or should I build the yard with a frame made out out of 2"x4". I was thinking of using a combiation of both. The T posts to accodate the slope plus lumber to extend hieght and added chicken wire - trying to think of ways to get the height high enough so I can easily walk inside it.

 

[rufus]

My coop is about 40 inches high. The tops lift up so that I can clean it out and do other maintenance. The overall measurements are 8' x 12'. During the day, they have free run of the backyard surrounded by a block wall.

The idea of a short coop is that it cannot be seen over the walls of my backyard. I am somewhat illegal here. Also, by making it appear to be portable, I am not required to get a building permit. That would be impossible. The best relations with the city are no relations.

Rufus