Building a extended run was always part of our plan with chickens. We love making sure our girls can get out and have space to scratch and move, but some days it’s very rainy and we don’t want to leave our farm dog, Millie, out all day to watch them. We also wanted more chickens, but didn’t want them all crammed in the coop when we’re on vacation or it’s a particularly dreary day.
So, we decided to build a run. This way, our chickens can be out without having Millie out and still be safe and have ample room to scratch and run around.
We built our run using a plan originally suited to build a full coop, but we just decided to convert the roost into storage. This worked out great, since we’re trying to clean up our garage, and now we store wood chips and some other small things that won’t attract wildlife.
Our run is 12 feet long by 5 feet wide and just over 6 feet tall. The upper half of the back two feet are storage. We have an automatic door for our chickens to enter the run from their coop without us having to open and close it every day.
Inside the run we added some roosting bars, a grandpa feeder (a special type of chicken feeder that opens when they stand on it, designed to keep out rats and moisture) and some other stumps and a swing (which, much to my surprise- they actually use!).
To predator proof the run, we used chicken wire all around, and dug it about six inches into the ground. It’s not perfect, but it works since it is only open during the daytime, when most predators aren’t a risk.
For the roof, we tried something new and we used a clear, plastic roof. We were originally worried it would break, but it’s very sturdy and works great, letting in lots of sunlight and keeping out rain! The roof used purlons to support the roofing, and the roof attached with special screws with a squishy ring that breaks and seals when screwed in, keeping the roof moisture proof!
This run works great for us and our flock! Our girls love being in it and it looks great!
Highschool Homesteader 