How many hens are good in here?

[rosemarythyme]

Does anyone have any experience with this run? It seems like a good potential add-on, but I'm not sure if the wire would be able to keep predators out.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-universal-poultry-pen-8-ft-x-8-ft-cr0808

You would need to augment the fencing with hardware cloth, as the gaps in that would not exclude weasels, snakes, rodents, and raccoons from reaching in. Most run kits have the same issue.

If you're willing to do the work (of adding on hardware cloth) you might look into dog kennels as an alternate option as might be cheaper or more readily available, but again you will need to cover up the chain link to some degree to exclude smaller pests and predators.

On the plus side for 3 hens this would be a decent amount of space, with room for the coop to be built or placed inside it for extra security.

 

[partiallycredible1414]

You would need to augment the fencing with hardware cloth, as the gaps in that would not exclude weasels, snakes, rodents, and raccoons from reaching in. Most run kits have the same issue.

If you're willing to do the work (of adding on hardware cloth) you might look into dog kennels as an alternate option as might be cheaper or more readily available, but again you will need to cover up the chain link to some degree to exclude smaller pests and predators.

On the plus side for 3 hens this would be a decent amount of space, with room for the coop to be built or placed inside it for extra security.

Thank you! I think I could probably attach this run to the main coop's run, so it'd have the space of both (total 100 sqft). Definitely should be enough for 3.

 

[NatJ]

I have a lot of predators (mink, bears, raccoons, eagles, hawks, etc) in my area

Does anyone have any experience with this run? It seems like a good potential add-on, but I'm not sure if the wire would be able to keep predators out.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-universal-poultry-pen-8-ft-x-8-ft-cr0808

For how secure the wire of that run is:

Wire strong enough to keep out a dog, fox, or coyote: probably yes.
Keep out eagles and hawks, probably also yes.

Wire holes small enough to keep out mink, rats, snakes, the hands of raccoons, the paws of cats, etc: probably not.

Strong enough to keep out a bear: probably not if the bear is determined to get in. But that would be true of almost anything you could buy or build.

If the chickens spend the day in that run, and the night locked into a more secure coop, they might be fine. Many predators are more active at night, and chickens are more vulnerable when they are sleeping. For example, a raccoon might be able to reach through that wire and grab a sleeping chicken-- but maybe not a chicken that is awake and runs to the other side of the pen, and definitely not a chicken that is sleeping in a coop safely away from the wire of the run.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If you get a prefab coop raise it up off the ground so the wood wont rott.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Does anyone have any experience with this run? It seems like a good potential add-on, but I'm not sure if the wire would be able to keep predators out.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-universal-poultry-pen-8-ft-x-8-ft-cr0808

I've seen that one at tractor supply. You would need hardware cloth all over or sheet metal a couple feet up to prevent a weasel from climbing, and hardware cloth into the ground or other means to prevent digging underneath. Most people use a hardware cloth skirt because it's effective and you don't have to dig very deep.


I had full size birds (red sex links, orpingtons, barred rocks) in a small coop with a very large (25x30ft) run. It worked, but I was constantly cleaning the coop. I had not room for error if one of them was aggressive. Integrating new birds into the flock was a pain in the posterior for all parties involved. More room gives you more options. I would seriously consider bantams in a coop that small before I put 3 full sized breeds in there, even with all the run space. It'll probably work fine with the big run, but you'll be doing a lot of coop maintenance in my experience.

 

[echale3]

I went ahead and looked up the specs myself directly on the tractor supply website. The coop states it is 4.4 sq ft to be exact. NOT 20:
View attachment 3763588


I stand by everything I wrote above.
It's a waste of money. The OP good do so much better by converting a used shed.

Reading the actual dimensions given, the run is 38.46 square feet which would theoretically accommodate about 4 normal sized chickens. Just guessing from the relative size of the coop part vs. the overall size of the run, you're looking at about 12 square feet of coop space, not counting the nesting boxes, so now we're down to about 3 chickens.

Considering the 4.4 square foot dimension given, I'm thinking that's the overall size of the nesting box, not the whole coop. 4.4 square feet is a 4.4 foot by 1 foot rectangle. The coop is obviously larger than that.

Other than the mathematical point I raised, I totally agree with you about the OP being better served by purchasing a used shed. I'd add nesting boxes inside the shed, create a roofed run outside the shed, and, being as how I live where there's bears, coyotes, skunks, and trash pandas galore and my wife and I just lost our flock to a combination of a skunk and a bear and her three cubs, I'd recommend installing a serious electric fence around it all. That's what I'm in the process of doing.

 

[Bawkbok]

We have a small prefab coop marketed to accommodate 8 adult birds which is totally ridiculous. We have the coop and 9x3 run attached to a larger 10-12 run for just 3 hens, smaller breeds but not bantams. I feel like it's not enough space for them but they get along fine, running, chasing, flying (it's a walk in) and have fun jumping up and down and perching on their logs, tree limbs and perches. That all takes ground space yes, but it allows for exercise activity when they cannot free range. We also have two spots one in shade and one in sun for them to dust / sand bathe. Would I add more than 3 hens, Nope. Not until we expand the run size. You need more space than you think. If they are crowded or can't get away from each other, they will become irritated and pick on each other (not too different than people I guess). The most important thing is how you predator proof it and depending on where you live, that could mean a lot of extra work. I looked at that exact thing at TS and walked away from it. Too much augmentation would be needed and would it really stay put in gale force winds? It would make a great dog kennel however.