Chicken Coop Run is a part of your chicken’s house. The main chicken coop is where your chickens usually sleep and eat. They also lay their eggs there. The run area or the chicken coop run is built so that your flock will have adequate space for exercise. They can also use the run for stretching and getting some sunshine.
These are things that you should remember when building the run area:
Size
The size of your chicken coop run depends on the number of chickens that you have or are planning to raise. As a rule, each hen should have at least two square feet of space in the run area. Having adequate amount of space is important since your flock will spend most of their time in this area.
Having a large chicken coop run will eliminate monotony of your feathered friend’s daily life. A big space guarantees that your chickens can move around freely. If they are confined in a small space, they could get bored and become unhealthy. So, the bigger the area, the happier your chickens will be.
Remember, if you are adding chickens, you need to check if the run area is still adequate for your flock.
Positioning
Make sure that your chicken coop run is positioned in a way that your chickens are exposed to the morning sun. They need sunlight to be healthy. The chicken coop and run must not be positioned directly in the path of the wind.
Protection
The run must have adequate protection against predators. Animals such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks prey on chickens. The bigger animals usually attack and eat the chickens. Skunks, on the other hand, target the eggs and chicks. Large birds such as hawks and owls can attack your flock from the top. Chickens are meals for these animals. Naturally, they would they would try to enter the chicken coop.
The chicken coop and the run must be predator-proof from each and every side. All the openings should be protected with strong wire mesh. The base should be at least 30 centimeters below the ground so predators such as rats cannot go in the coop and run.
