Run materials

[Fawn Hills Sanctuary]

Hello all - I've been a huge fan of this site for a couple of months as I've prepped for bringing chickens to our farm animal sanctuary. We've just taken in our first chicken and I'm getting ready to build our permanent coop and run. Don't worry, she's got a lovely temporary coop inside our barn and a temporary run as well.

We live in western Oregon so we get a wee bit of rain. I was planning on covering the run with hardware cloth but I'm now thinking of something solid to give the birds a chance to be outside and stay dry during the months of rain. Thoughts?

The run is inside a paddock that will be shared with goats and I'm planning on installing Electronet around the paddock and run as well. Otherwise the goats will think it is fun to climb the run regardless of the materials! So, with the outer paddock surrounded with Electronet and the run surrounded as well, do I need to use hardware cloth on the walls and run it out 2 feet? Could I get away with some sort of welded fencing material?

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I'll be back with questions about the coop we're building inside the barn next!!

 

[Kiki]

I would advise to cover the roof with a solid material, metal roofing or shingles roofing.
I would also put a hardware cloth buried skirt around the entire thing to prevent diggers...including rats.

 

[Fawn Hills Sanctuary]

I would advise to cover the roof with a solid material, metal roofing or shingles roofing.
I would also put a hardware cloth buried skirt around the entire thing to prevent diggers...including rats.

Thanks for the reply. I know it has been ages but I'm finally getting serious about ordering materials. For the roof, what about that clear plastic roofing that is used over outdoor spaces and walkways? I figure I can add other solid material to provide shade but the clear plastic will allow light to come through.

 

[Kiki]

They clear plastic sounds great to me.
Just make sure you have some strong wood or metal support beams laying across

 

[barred2rock]

According to what I've read, often animals that are hit with a shock from an electric fence will often run through the fence rather than away. Thus it is best to have a solid backing to an electric fence/netting (although I know a lot of people don't).