Will a 4x4 base along covered run help keep it dry?

[DickMidnight]

my yard is set up similar to yours, with a slope running away from the house and my lawn area backing up to the woods.

we built the coop/run in the furthest corner from the house. it’s about 100 yards from the back door and we can still hear the chickens. i wouldn’t want it any closer.

we utilized the wooded area behind the coop to create a hybrid run/free range setup.

my coop/run is predator proof with 3ft of hardware cloth buried all around the coop and all openings sealed up with HC.

i then fenced in a ~50x50 wooded area directly behind the coop and run with black chain link fence. when we’re home and the weather is nice, we let the chickens “free range” in their large pen

black chain link fence is nice because it all but disappears among the trees. you can’t even tell it’s there from the patio. i’m not a fan of eyesores in the yard.

the predator proof run allows me to leave the house or go on vacation with a clear conscience. i leave the pop door open, they have enough room in their run, and nothing can get in.

then, by simply opening a door, they have access to 2500sq ft of forest floor.

you can very easily create a similar setup with the way your yard is situated.

 

[DickMidnight]

@762 i can provide pictures if that’d be helpful

 

[762]

@762 i can provide pictures if that’d be helpful

Sure if you don’t mind!

 

[DickMidnight]

Sure if you don’t mind!

here’s their setup, you can see the slope running from left to right in this picture. left is towards the front of my property and right is towards the back. luckily, there’s a cluster of boulders and trees just to the left of this photo which diverts water away from the coop as it runs downhill.

here’s the fencing that circles the “free range” pen. i measured again yesterday, it’s more like 60 wide by 50 deep. it’s behind the long side of the coop and run. the black fencing pretty much disappears when you’re more than 10 feet away. i actually had to tie ribbons to it because i had a few deer crash into it. if i didn’t make this spot a pen for then chickens, it would’ve been totally wasted space on my property.

here’s the chickens out and about. it’s chicken heaven in there. in the spring and summer all sorts of little weeds and shrubs pop up that they go crazy pecking at

and here’s the simple door we framed that lets the chickens out into their yard. i might eventually add a pop door inside this door so the chickens can escape back in to the run where hopefully a larger predator can’t fit. simple lock on the inside that can’t be accessed from the outside at all. when this is closed, nothing can get to my birds in their run.

 

[FunClucks]

here’s their setup, you can see the slope running from left to right in this picture. left is towards the front of my property and right is towards the back. luckily, there’s a cluster of boulders and trees just to the left of this photo which diverts water away from the coop as it runs downhill.
View attachment 3272403

here’s the fencing that circles the “free range” pen. i measured again yesterday, it’s more like 60 wide by 50 deep. it’s behind the long side of the coop and run. the black fencing pretty much disappears when you’re more than 10 feet away. i actually had to tie ribbons to it because i had a few deer crash into it. if i didn’t make this spot a pen for then chickens, it would’ve been totally wasted space on my property.
View attachment 3272404

here’s the chickens out and about. it’s chicken heaven in there. in the spring and summer all sorts of little weeds and shrubs pop up that they go crazy pecking at

View attachment 3272432

View attachment 3272436

and here’s the simple door we framed that lets the chickens out into their yard. i might eventually add a pop door inside this door so the chickens can escape back in to the run where hopefully a larger predator can’t fit. simple lock on the inside that can’t be accessed from the outside at all. when this is closed, nothing can get to my birds in their run.

View attachment 3272437

I love your setup!!! That is awesome! I totally have coop envy...

 

[762]

Very nice! So I guess in the wooded "run" you are not worried about having a roof. I basically am doing the same; making a big run for when we are out of town, etc, and having an area of fenced in woods for them to forage in during normal business hours. I guess it's a fact of life that some will get picked off by hawks and a few other critters during the day, but I plan on having the run and coop bullet proof.

here’s their setup, you can see the slope running from left to right in this picture. left is towards the front of my property and right is towards the back. luckily, there’s a cluster of boulders and trees just to the left of this photo which diverts water away from the coop as it runs downhill.
View attachment 3272403

here’s the fencing that circles the “free range” pen. i measured again yesterday, it’s more like 60 wide by 50 deep. it’s behind the long side of the coop and run. the black fencing pretty much disappears when you’re more than 10 feet away. i actually had to tie ribbons to it because i had a few deer crash into it. if i didn’t make this spot a pen for then chickens, it would’ve been totally wasted space on my property.
View attachment 3272404

here’s the chickens out and about. it’s chicken heaven in there. in the spring and summer all sorts of little weeds and shrubs pop up that they go crazy pecking at

View attachment 3272432

View attachment 3272436

and here’s the simple door we framed that lets the chickens out into their yard. i might eventually add a pop door inside this door so the chickens can escape back in to the run where hopefully a larger predator can’t fit. simple lock on the inside that can’t be accessed from the outside at all. when this is closed, nothing can get to my birds in their run.

View attachment 3272437