Build a Chicken Run
A chicken pen, sometimes called a hen run is the protected open area attached to the hen house, where the chickens can roam safely while they forage, hunt for bugs and get some sunshine. It also keeps the chickens away from your prized flowers!
Runs give chickens the space they need because overcrowded birds tend to stress themselves more easily and can stop laying. Chickens need space, the more the better, although this will inevitably depend on the area of backyard available for them. The hen pen should have plenty of green vegetation growing in it for the chickens to forage, otherwise you will need to feed them on a daily basis. Remember that chickens also need access to water, because they tend to sweat easily especially in warm weather. If their beaks are open and their wings splayed, they need a drink.
Hens are placid animals that are easy targets for many types of predator, including raccoons, weasels, foxes, birds of prey, rats and neighborhood cats and dogs. It is your responsibility to provide proper protection for your hens, so your chicken pen must be designed to give them a safe environment while they go about their daily activities.
There is nothing difficult about a hen pen, but it needs to be made properly. For instance, if the wire mesh is not buried sufficiently in the ground, rats will be able to burrow under it and get into the hen house. No fresh eggs for breakfast for you! This is where you should consider getting some tips and advice from experts knowledgeable in keeping and rearing hens.
Examine the edges of the pen regularly, because it is quite common for dogs or foxes to gnaw away at the wire over time to make a large enough access hole. Friends of ours positioned their coop and pen so that they could be seen from the kitchen table, a lesson learnt from sad experience.
Consider installing some sort of drainage for the chicken pen as well. Chickens can make their run quite messy after a while, which will be aggravated by wet weather. Ideally the pen should be sited on slightly sloping ground, which will help keep the area reasonably dry. Some chicken keepers put tarpaulins or even permanent roofing over their runs but this can be expensive and is not really needed if the area is large enough.
Another alternative is to build a chicken tractor or portable chicken coop, sometimes also known as an ark. A chicken tractor is a simple structure which combines a coop or nesting box with an attached run. The tractor can be moved around to give the chickens a constant source of new insects and vegetation, and to save your yard from being scratched bare. It also gives free fertilizer for your garden! However, because the tractor has to be mobile it tends to be quite small, perhaps no more than eight feet long and four feet wide, so is suitable for only 5 or 6 hens at a time. These portable hen houses are very cheap and easy to make, however, so you could consider having several spaced around your garden if you have alot of poultry.
It makes sense to get expert advice before making a hen pen, unless you are familiar with space, feeding, shelter and health requirements for keeping chickens. Putting up a chicken pen is very straightforward but, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it is so easy to underestimate what your chickens need to survive and prosper. They will reward you with a regular supply of lovely free-range eggs.
