[infowarrior]

   I'm finally getting around to getting my coop & run ready for the chickens. Got a shed, 6x4 that still needs converting. Got the run constructed. The fence is about 7 foot high but we have no "ceiling" on it. Will this be a necessity even when the fence is quite high? I've had people who said you need one and others that say you don't. 

[crowndale]

my pen is about 6 foot high with no roof at the moment.  after the rain of this weekend the run is a mudbath!  haven't had any problems yet from foxes etc but am planning on getting a roof on soon becoz winter may make mr fox more ambitious and also i want the girls to have a dry section of run, it will be half covered with roofing and half wire.

[Sassy]

It is up to you to asess the risk in your area of not putting a 'ceiling' on. Some loose netting should do it, just so that it is unstable for the fox to attempt to get through. you could put some tape around the top angled outwards at 45 degrees that can work. Depending upon the size of your run some folks like to  put a roof over part of the run to protect it from the weather so that the whole area is not turned to mush.

[grinling]

I have a protected run where the house and food are with a roof and plastic covered sides and an outer run with bean netting. No foxes here. House is raised so that nothing can hide underneath.

[adi]

I put loose chicken wire over my run last year cos i'd also been given the advice that unstable netting would put off any foxes, i've never had a problem with the foxes but as soon as it snowed the snow accumilated on top of the netting and finally the sheer weight of the build up brought the ceiling down and because the wire was securely fixed to the sides it pulled them inwards as well. i'd advise making a point of knocking snow off before it has chance to get to any real thickness as i think had i done this it would have been ok. I have a plastic roof now but that costs much more.