[craigpix2000]

Im just playing about with my desighn for the coop but how high should i make the run is 4ft high enough or is it just better to cover the top with chicken wire the chickens will only be out in the run when somebody is home (open top version) but if i do a secure roof on the run really fox proof will it be ok to open the coop in the morning then just close it at nite so they can come and go as they please

sorry for the daft questions but if u dont ask u dont learn 

[joyfull]

If you have a covered run then it needs to be high enough for you to stand in it. They must be allowed to be in the run during the day - their coop is just for laying and sleeping in.

[craigpix2000]

thanx for the reply the door of the coop will be opened every morning verry early i was just concerned more with an open top about turning my back and then there gone


But what about the height of an open top run is there a standard height or is it a case of if they wanna escape to destroy the flower beds they will 

[Beano]

We have a covered run. It is high enough for us to walk into. They are in that bit for four days a week while I'm at work. It's quite large with plenty of room for five. We have a fenced off piece of the garden that they roam in when I'm at home. It's a balancing act between security and freedom.
I would make the run as secure as possible so that you are happy to leave them when you are not home. In other words make the run as high and as large as you can and cover it with chicken wire.
Their freedom and your freedom will be catered for.
The question is not daft. We ended up having to put an extension on our run because we didnt ask "daft questions".
Good luck!

[craigpix2000]

thanx for the reply its a all new world to me is this chicken keeping so many questions lol 

[themagicaltoad1]

The first run I made was small and open topped and I worried about them being an easy target for foxes, so I When I built my new improved run I made sure it was high enough to stand comfortably in as I put a top on it. Half the top is covered so they have some shelter from the rain. There's also a slab perimeter to stop any fox from digging under it. It took a lot of effort but I think the finished product will probably outlive me!

[craigpix2000]

The first run I made was small and open topped and I worried about them being an easy target for foxes, so I When I built my new improved run I made sure it was high enough to stand comfortably in as I put a top on it. Half the top is covered so they have some shelter from the rain. There's also a slab perimeter to stop any fox from digging under it. It took a lot of effort but I think the finished product will probably outlive me!

that looks really good given me a few more ideas   

[Craig69]

The front of my run is about 4ft high as the rest in enclosed by the fence & garage.

I have put some netting for a strawberry cage on the top to stop them getting out.

Seems to work!

[SamnElla]

If you make your chicks a covered run it will give YOU a bit more freedom,if for instance, you have to go out knowing that you will not be back before dark, you can lock your chickens in their covered, predator-proof run, safe in the knowledge that all you will have to do when you get home is drop the pop or shut the door.
As to height, I would make it as high as is comfortable to walk in, I tried a 3' high run and it was a pain in the back to do anything inside the run (trust me you'll have to go in there for some reason, even if it's just to poop pick)
I would try and incorporate some kind of fully covered area to give 'em some protection from rain and wind (maybe an enclosed corner with a perch - doesn't have to be full height)
I hope this gives you a few ideas

[craigpix2000]

thank you verry much for that ive got a good idea now of what im gunna do so hopefully il take some pics from start to finish and before i get any chooks il put them up for u wonderfull people to cast an eye over to make sure its suitable 

once again thank you to everybody that has helped me it really is a good forum on here with some wonderfull people on cant wait to become part of your comunity 

[pepsi100]

I have made panels, I have garages at the back of me, I have a raised garden at the bottom, nothing grew on it apart from weeds, so I have the panels leaning on the garage wall, the bed is raised about 2 feet, when I ned to dig the ground over, I take the panels down, (they are about 6-7 feet long, but about 3 feet wide, mesh is stapled on it, big staples) to removed them I have a rope at the top, pull them vertical then move then so I can dig it over, the hens then start eating anything they can find, the lawn, the plants, anything really

I use a seperator in between each panel and seed it with poultry grass every few weeks, then move the seperator along as the grass grows

I used to keep cockitiels, the died or escaped, so I converted that to a hen house, I have a perspex panel which I put up in the winter, it has dowl for them to roost on (1inch dia) set at different levels, a double box for laying (the eggs roll away so they dont eat or peck them

I have a board to make it easy for them to get in and out

Call it the hen house, rather than the avciary, is about 10 feet long and in the winter they spend a lot of time in there, there is plenty of room, in the summer I wash and disinfect it, but in the winter, just sweep it out, if I wash it out it would still be wet when they go in and probably freeze

When I go out to them, they are either on the dowl or just pecking at the floor, they really dont like this weather

In the mornings I do a bowl of hot boiled rice for them (I dont know if the appreciate it) any scraps we give them is warmed up, sometimes I'll boil up a couple of spuds and mash them for them

I dont know what else to give them, warm, I can only assume they enjoy my efforts, they havent complained

I'll throw a bit of corn in the run to give them something to peck at

[8doubles]

I have made panels, I have garages at the back of me, I have a raised garden at the bottom, nothing grew on it apart from weeds, so I have the panels leaning on the garage wall, the bed is raised about 2 feet, when I ned to dig the ground over, I take the panels down, (they are about 6-7 feet long, but about 3 feet wide, mesh is stapled on it, big staples) to removed them I have a rope at the top, pull them vertical then move then so I can dig it over, the hens then start eating anything they can find, the lawn, the plants, anything really

I use a seperator in between each panel and seed it with poultry grass every few weeks, then move the seperator along as the grass grows

I used to keep cockitiels, the died or escaped, so I converted that to a hen house, I have a perspex panel which I put up in the winter, it has dowl for them to roost on (1inch dia) set at different levels, a double box for laying (the eggs roll away so they dont eat or peck them

I have a board to make it easy for them to get in and out

Call it the hen house, rather than the avciary, is about 10 feet long and in the winter they spend a lot of time in there, there is plenty of room, in the summer I wash and disinfect it, but in the winter, just sweep it out, if I wash it out it would still be wet when they go in and probably freeze

When I go out to them, they are either on the dowl or just pecking at the floor, they really dont like this weather

In the mornings I do a bowl of hot boiled rice for them (I dont know if the appreciate it) any scraps we give them is warmed up, sometimes I'll boil up a couple of spuds and mash them for them

I dont know what else to give them, warm, I can only assume they enjoy my efforts, they havent complained

I'll throw a bit of corn in the run to give them something to peck at

The perch is not really wide enough at 1" diameter and 2x2" or 3x2" with the corners rounded off is recommended .
The hens toes will circle underneath the 1" perch but the hen cannot cover them with feathers for insulation against the cold. In severe weather frostbite can affect the toes.
With a wider perch all of the toe stays on top of the perch and can be kept warm.

[Lindeggs]

That's an interesting piece of advice about the wider perches and I've heard it before.  Is the wider perch just because of keeping the toes warm or are there other reasons? 

Hens at my place will have no danger of getting frost-bitten feet and I have lots of broomstick-sized dowel I could use, but have been advised to use something wider.  I have just never known why.

(Sorry this is off-topic.  Maybe I should start another thread...)

[joyfull]

their feet are too big for tiny perches 

[Aunt Sally]

One and a half to two and a half inches wide is ok.

Make sure their toes dont meet under the perch.