Topic: few chicken run questions :)

[mummybunny]

Well thee coop is almost finished so we are moving onto the run. We were going to make a run as we were hoping we could move it around the garden however since the coop is quite heavy have decided to leave it in one area and make an enclosure around the coop instead.

My questions are do you need a roof to the enclosure and how high would you recommend it to be? Plus what did you make yours out of?

It is in our back garden so hoping that it would look good too.

Thanks lucy

[Lizann]

We don't have a roof on our chicken run, just a chicken wire fence about six feet high.  I think any lower than that and they would escape.  Ours can certainly manage to flap up onto their perch which is about 4 feet high, but don't get over the 6 foot fence.

[Mr Smith]

mb,
         Why not build a chicken run in the style of a night ark and then your chicks will be enclosed in and also it would look tidy, :)

[mummybunny]

Lizann - We were thinking of a fence like that but i have read somewhere its better to have a roof just cant remember why!

Mr Smith - Sounds good but i dont know what a night ark is  ::) going to google it and see what comes up!

Thanks

[Lizann]

We've had our hens for five years,  mummybunny, and no problems at all with no roof.  Only thing is sometimes the crows steal any nice titbits I give the chooks and I don't suppose they could do that if there was a roof. 

[mummybunny]

Thanks lizann. Just trying to price it all up not sure wether to use pre made avairy panels or make the frame and get the chicken wire and do it ourselves.

[BockingBill]

We made a run about 7 foot high and 12 foot by 12 foot and put wire over the top. Also put a roof of plastic sheeting over the top to keep some of the rain out and a liitle bit of protection from bird poo and any associated diseases. We have put a perch halfway up and the girls absolutely love flying up and down to it + onto the roof of the house. One of the Pekings even goes to sleep on it if it is too hot in the house.

[DolphinGarden]

Hiya, hen keeping beginner here. About to take possession of 2 hens in the next week or so. They come with a small coop. I am cordoning off a piece of the garden, luckily we have a very long garden, and am coming to realise or think that a barrier only 3' high won't be enough.  Hens will be fully enclosed most of the time, esp at night...

what do people think? It's an urban back garden, hedge bordering neighbour on that side of the garden where the coop is going...

[Paulines7]

I agree with others on here that the fence needs to be 6 ft high.  You will also need to fence them off along the hedge that divides you and your neighbour.  Chickens have a way of getting through hedges and would then run riot in your neighbours garden, uprooting any flowers and veggies that they grow.

When bird flu was around, a couple of years back, it was necessary to have roofs put on the runs within a certain perimeter of outbreaks.  This was to prevent wild birds from passing on the disease through dropped faeces.   Although there wasn't an outbreak where we live, my OH and I decided to alter our runs to put a roof on, as there is not much notice if an outbreak does occur.

I would think that if anyone was making a run from scratch, that it would be a good idea to have a roof incorporated into it.

[Al37]

Hi MB,
As others have said I would recommend the run be at least six foot high. As for the roof, again I would recommend you put one on. Wild birds often have worms which your hens would catch from the droppings.
Not only that but they would take your hens food.
The other consideration is predators, do you have foxes in your area if so they will climb a six foot fence no problem (seen it with my own eyes) in which case a roof on the run is a must.
The roof on my run is weld mesh. I was lucky to be given a roll so that kept the price down but normal chicken wire would be a cheaper option. Obviously the thicker the wire the more expensive it will be so get the best you can afford.
Hope that helps,
Al

[DolphinGarden]

thank you both. esp about the hedge.

DG

[Twoflower]

If it was me I'd put a roof on, not only does it keep the wild birds out it also keeps alot of the weather out too. The other thing to mention is it will keep birds of prey out. The first year we kept chickens my OH look out of the window one day and there was a Harris hawk having a go at the chicken run, it couldn't get in but there where feathers everywhere and the chickens where going mad!

[GodfreyRob]

Roofing is good as it keeps chickens in, foxes out and helps keep off the rain too so preventing their food getting wet.
I have put a tarpaulin (cheap as chips from Machine Mart) over one of my runs and it really keeps the ground from turning into a muddy swamp in wet weather (i.e. all year).
One mistake I did make was not putting enough of a slope on it - snow collects and has to be knocked off to stop it all sagging under the weight.

[DolphinGarden]

just to clear up any confusion I may have caused. I will be keeping the hens inside a fully enclosed coop overnight and 80% of the time otherwise.  I am building a perimeter to allow them out and about when I'm home and/or in the garden.

It's to keep them in a section of the garden as I am under the impression they could sh!t for an Olympic team and I don't want them out where I lie down, sit with a cup of tea etc...

delivery delayed a day or so. will play it by ear for the first few days...

thank you all.
dg

[mummybunny]

Hi Guys  ;D

Have been away for two weeks so not been on. Just wanted to give you an update. I left finishing it off to the OH when i went on hols. Well i came back last night and was very impressed with what her has done. Will get some pictures up when i can. The OH picked our beautiful girls up on the 22ND and they seem to be settling in well. Haven't laid in the nest box's yet but I'm sure they will get the hang of it :-\ Have already started laying 4 eggs most days  ;D

They look in quite good condition i was expecting the worst one has earned the name of baldy at the moment but is already starting to get her feathers back. The kids think its fantastic just about to go out to check for today's eggs  ;D

Then scrabbled egg on toast for lunch. Yummy  8)

Lucy xx

[manicscousers]

mummybunny, we had a baldy, nearly baldy and extremely baldy  ;D
trouble is, when the feathers came back, they're still called the same  ;D

[mummybunny]

 ;D ;D ;D

Might change hers to formally known as baldy  ;D She seems to be the most bolshy of the 4 with us but definitely bottom of the pecking order out of the girls.

One of them is now putting herself to bed and laying in the nest box not sure if the others will follow but the kids love hunting for the eggs.

I have got one question the OH was told just to use straw in the coop not wood shavings? Is there a reason for this my original plan was to use wood shavings on the bottom of the coop and straw in the nest box's!!

cant help but nip out to see them housework is taking twice as long  ::)

Thanks Lucy

[manicscousers]

we use sawdust but it's special stuff with no dust..we use straw on top of shredded paper..also use all the shredded bills, best use for them .. ;D