Yes, a chicken run should be covered. While a designated roof is seen as optional, some form of covering is not. You need to consider that chickens can escape and get up over top.
Do you need a chicken run for chicks?
Chickens need a safe place to spend their days. Although most predators hunt by night, there are daytime threats to a backyard flock, including dogs, foxes, hawks, and eagles. Building a chicken run is a good way to keep your chickens secure and happy.
Can you put a chicken run in a coop?
Your run should be attached to your coop, with a little door on the side of the coop that will allow the chickens to come and go during the day. They will need access to the coop to lay their eggs, and might choose to spend time in the coop on cold or rainy days.
All they need is an area with loose dirt so they can dig out a bowl-shaped hole to roll around in. Free-range chickens often end up doing this exactly where you don’t want them too, so it’s a bonus when it’s in their coop or run. Most soils are fine as long as the top layer is loose.
Does a chicken run need a roof?
Yes, a chicken run does need a roof of some kind. The run is their outdoor space, but it needs to be enclosed for safety reasons. Both to stop chickens getting out and predators getting in.
It’s definitely a good idea to cover your chicken run with a roof. Not only does it provide cover from many predators, but it keeps out the rain and snow, which will help prevent those annoying drainage issues.
When I was writing we ran into the question “How do you build a roof on a chicken run?”.
She makes the roof by using a piece of plywood and covering it with shingles. The result is a waterproof, neat looking roof. It’s a tall coop, so it’s still letting plenty of natural light in. Hopefully, you know understand why you should always have a roof on your chicken run and what the best materials and ways to build one are.
Another problem with a roof that’s too flat is that your chickens may start to roost on it. This means you’ll need to clean chicken poop off the top of the roof, which is never convenient. You may also have the problem of your chickens wanting to roost on the roof at night, rather than going into the chicken coop .
Do I need to cover the run?
Yes cover the run. The chicks will eventually be able to fly over the fence and four foot high is plenty high enough. The main problem you will run into is hawks and other predators getting your chicks.
Do I need a roof on my Coop?
You don’t NEED a roof, although it is nice. I don’t have a covered run, and have had my coop and birds for about a year now. I did not have any covering over it till spring, which is why they were under house arrest from December to March when I at least got netting on top of the run. (I lost 2 birds to fox and hawk).