We have recently cleared about an acre of property for our garden area. I.am putting the cook in this area because it is t best area for ranging them in the winter. i intend to make a hoop covering over my riaised beds in the winter to give them a winter outdoor run. right now i am trying to figure out where to put the permanent run so they have a safe place to be outside when i am not there. my coop will face south with a ditch a few feet behind it. i can put the run to the east where it will get full sun except in the late afternoon. to the south where it will get sun for early morning and afternoon or to the west where it will get some sun in the late morning and afternoon but will be shaded by the coop and treeline for the rest of the day. what would be best?
I'd worry a lot more about drainage than the sun. You really don't want a wet run. Along those lines, let me give you this link. The easiest way to fix a muddy run is in the design phase. Pats Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs): https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run I don't know where you are or what your climate is like. Chickens do not need a lot of bright sunlight. On hot bright sunny days, mine head for the shade. So once you take care of the drainage thing, I'd consider where they will get the most shade.
