to those with runs you can't walk into

[keekerschickens]

I'm considering designing our run so that our chickens have room to move about (of course) but I'm not sure I want it built tall enough that I can walk into it. I would rather keep it short...my question is, should I want to clean it, rake it, retrieve a stray egg, etc, what are some ways you have designed your run to make this possible?
I'm thinking maybe make it hinged either on the top or along one side of walls but I'm having a hard time finding ideas online. I'm starting to think I might be stuck building a tall one.
Any help?

 

[justplainbatty]

I'm considering designing our run so that our chickens have room to move about (of course) but I'm not sure I want it built tall enough that I can walk into it. I would rather keep it short...my question is, should I want to clean it, rake it, retrieve a stray egg, etc, what are some ways you have designed your run to make this possible?
I'm thinking maybe make it hinged either on the top or along one side of walls but I'm having a hard time finding ideas online. I'm starting to think I might be stuck building a tall one.
Any help?

All I can say is with chickens, bigger is better, you never know what you'll need to do in the future and stooping for any of it is hard on the back! Build a walk in run, they like vertical space too! You'll thank yourself later!

 

[PapaChaz]

been there done that NEVER again!

go ahead and make it where you can walk in, you'll thank yourself later, I guarantee it.

My last coop and run:


4 ft tall, plenty big enough for the chickens, devil of a time cleaning it out or doing anything in there. Either stoop or crawl on hands and knees in chicken poop? seriously? what WAS I thinking?


my new and current run:


more than tall enough to walk in and plenty of room to do whatever. I also made sure to make the gate wide enough to get my yard cart in.....

 

[Dougs chix]

I absolutely agree with JUSTPLAINBATTY. Bigger is always better. As far as vertically, make sure you leave at least enough space for your birds to roost 4 ft off the ground, and you have to consider the birds need an additional 1.5-2 ft of space above the roost so they have the room to fly up and land on the roost. So youll need at least a good 6 ft tall coop. My advice, go at least 6 ft tall.

 

[Dougs chix]

Very nice, we all need our back to hold out as long as possible!!! Chickens like to crap. But they also like a clean living space. Therefore, WE must keep it clean for them, meaning we need to be able to get in and manuever, and trying to do this bent over is NOT going to preserve our backs for long!! I like your idea

 

[keekerschickens]

been there done that NEVER again! go ahead and make it where you can walk in, you'll thank yourself later, I guarantee it. My last coop and run: 4 ft tall, plenty big enough for the chickens, devil of a time cleaning it out or doing anything in there. Either stoop or crawl on hands and knees in chicken poop? seriously? what WAS I thinking? my new and current run: more than tall enough to walk in and plenty of room to do whatever. I also made sure to make the gate wide enough to get my yard cart in.....

Lol omg so true about crawling in the poop. What am I thinking? Bigger it is, thank you all. I feel stupid even asking these questions but I'm beginning to realize how much I can learn from those who have been there, done that!

 

[BobDBirdDog]

Make it tall enough for you to walk in and do what you need to do. The above are very nice but your budget may be larger or smaller. I did this one last yea for about 200 I think. More so I can drag it to a different spot with my mower if needed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bobdbirddogs-coop

 

[dwcrwr]

I understand the delimma. My first run was 3ft H, 6ft L, 19ft L. It was supposed to be spacious yet portable. Well, it isnt very portable and is certainly not spacious enough for my 74 inch frame to negotiate around in.
I then went to a 50x100 run that is only fenced. I created a covered run after a bobcat lunched on several of my best hens. It is the simplest thing on the planet!
Imagine a tent that is merely canvas over a clothesline.
It is fenced around with 4 ft tall 2"x4" livestock fence. I put a post 7'out of the ground in the center of the 10ft run, ran a 40ft cable from the top of the post to the top of my coop ( also about 7' high ). I laced the cable through two pieces of 6ft tall chicken wire fence which would be the two sides of the roof. I used baling wire to lace the chicken wire roof to the the livestock fence.
What I now have is a completely sealed wire enclosure in the shape of a ranch style house. It is 7ft tall in the center allowing me to stand, and it is only 5ft to either of the 4ft tall sides, making it easy to get to anything.
Most importantly, there is no framing.
For the sake of clarity, it is a ranch with a gable roof. The walls are fence. The ridge beam is cable 7ft off the ground. The roof is chicken wire; 6ft from the ridge to east wall, 6ft to the west wall. The cheapest way I could find to keep my chickens alive and allow me access.

 

[justplainbatty]

I understand the delimma. My first run was 3ft H, 6ft L, 19ft L. It was supposed to be spacious yet portable. Well, it isnt very portable and is certainly not spacious enough for my 74 inch frame to negotiate around in.
I then went to a 50x100 run that is only fenced. I created a covered run after a bobcat lunched on several of my best hens. It is the simplest thing on the planet!
Imagine a tent that is merely canvas over a clothesline.
It is fenced around with 4 ft tall 2"x4" livestock fence. I put a post 7'out of the ground in the center of the 10ft run, ran a 40ft cable from the top of the post to the top of my coop ( also about 7' high ). I laced the cable through two pieces of 6ft tall chicken wire fence which would be the two sides of the roof. I used baling wire to lace the chicken wire roof to the the livestock fence.
What I now have is a completely sealed wire enclosure in the shape of a ranch style house. It is 7ft tall in the center allowing me to stand, and it is only 5ft to either of the 4ft tall sides, making it easy to get to anything.
Most importantly, there is no framing.
For the sake of clarity, it is a ranch with a gable roof. The walls are fence. The ridge beam is cable 7ft off the ground. The roof is chicken wire; 6ft from the ridge to east wall, 6ft to the west wall. The cheapest way I could find to keep my chickens alive and allow me access.

Good job! Welcome to our flock!

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Our first run was short and we lived with it for about 2 years. Ours had a top to keep out hawks that was netting in some spots, tarps in other spots. No matter what type top you're dealing with, it's a total PAIN to try to clean out the run when it's "short".

We would lock the girls in the coop and remove the top so we could stand up to clean it out but that was very labor intensive and time consuming. If the weather turned, we'd be out there working on it in the rain to get the top back on so the girls could eventually go back into the run.

Cleaning it out was the least of our concerns. There are times you need to get in there and get in there quick - might be a sick or injured bird or an intruder in the run - and doing that in a short run is a nightmare. When we had a sick bird, she managed to get in the corner furthest away from the entrance so hubby had to do a hunching-crawl to get to her.

Never again. He build a new run this past fall that is not only tall, it has a door wide enough to allow us to bring the wheelbarrow into the run to clean it out. Avoid a short run if at all possible. Your back will thank you later.