Should I build a new run???!!!

[DickMidnight]

Me, too! Great looking coop!!

I'm looking forward to building a new one so it'll be nice looking. Mine's more utilitarian than attractive. I want one that's BOTH, like that green one!

thank you for the compliment.

someone posted a great thread recently asking what you’d change about your setup, and after about a year of having my chickens in this coop and run, there’s so much i’d do differently.

i’ll be following along with your build when it happens.

 

[3KillerBs]

i believe she’s only building a run, not a new coop.

or are you suggesting 12” overhanging the run as well?

The overhang keeps the weather out of the run just like it keeps the weather out of the coop ventilation.

It's especially important for a small, narrow run that might otherwise have rain blowing from wire to wire without a dry spot for the birds to sit in.

 

[DickMidnight]

The overhang keeps the weather out of the run just like it keeps the weather out of the coop ventilation.

It's especially important for a small, narrow run that might otherwise have rain blowing from wire to wire without a dry spot for the birds to sit in.

that makes a lot of sense.

and since she’s making a 6’ wide run, 8’ roof rafters give her 12” overhangs without having to cut any lumber.

 

[Aunt Angus]

thank you for the compliment.

someone posted a great thread recently asking what you’d change about your setup, and after about a year of having my chickens in this coop and run, there’s so much i’d do differently.

i’ll be following along with your build when it happens.

You're welcome!

That's what I like most: the overhang on yours. I have that on my current coop, but it's not slanted enough and it's not pretty.

There's A LOT I'd change about mine, too. The roosts. The nest boxes. The run. The door. The location on our property. Pretty much everything.

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

do you recommend overhangs? I wouldn't know how to attach the wire then since the pieces of wood will be layed across the run instead of in between. I am not adding roofing yet just a tarp.

 

[DickMidnight]

do you recommend overhangs? I wouldn't know how to attach the wire then since the pieces of wood will be layed across the run instead of in between. I am not adding roofing yet just a tarp.

here’s a pretty clear picture of the overhang on my run and coop.

my hardware cloth is attached to the bottom of the last purlin and the inside of the top beam of the run in between each of the roof joists.

this was a major pain in the ass, but you just need to go slowly and cut the HC to the right size to fill each gap

**these gaps hadn’t been filled when this picture was taken. you can see that my contractor was still building here. if you need a better visual, i can get out there tomorrow and take one.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I put the wire under my roof support beams when I installed the metal roof on my first coop.

 

[21hens-incharge]

do you recommend overhangs? I wouldn't know how to attach the wire then since the pieces of wood will be layed across the run instead of in between. I am not adding roofing yet just a tarp.

Trying to save you a headache....

Tarps across the top are prone to sagging and holding water. Even chicken wire with 1 inch openings will hold snow and sag. Before we did the roof on my run the chicken wire sagged by 2 feet even with all the wood we had in place to hold it up. I was shocked it didn't pull the entire run down due to the weight.

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

Trying to save you a headache....

Tarps across the top are prone to sagging and holding water. Even chicken wire with 1 inch openings will hold snow and sag. Before we did the roof on my run the chicken wire sagged by 2 feet even with all the wood we had in place to hold it up. I was shocked it didn't pull the entire run down due to the weight.

There will be pieces of wood on the top that support the tarp.

 

[21hens-incharge]

There will be pieces of wood on the top that support the tarp.

Which mine also had at 2' on center. I was personally amazed the build up of snow had not ripped the wire wide open with so much pressure on it.