If you want to skip reading about the run and just download the free plans, click here.
About the Run
When people consider getting chickens, the first thing they usually think about is the coop, myself included. But far more important than the coop, in my opinion, is the run. Chickens use their coop to sleep in and lay eggs. That’s about it. The rest of their time is spent outside in the run.
If your yard is fenced in, you might be able to let your chickens free range on your lawn. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury. And I’ve had enough casualties from wandering dogs to make me vow that my chickens will always be fenced in. So I provide them with a spacious run.
The first time I got chickens, I thought that I would save on the cost of wood and only build the run four feet high. Chickens don’t need vaulted ceilings, right? It worked fairly well, except that any time I had to step inside the run for anything, I discovered that crouch-walking gets really old really fast. And try catching a chicken while crouching. Yep. Mistake #1.
I also figured that chickens don’t need a roof on the run, so I saved money and stretched chicken wire over the top. That worked fine too, except for part of fall, all of winter, and most of spring when my run was a big wet muddy mess. I would take one look at them slogging through the muck and think, “I’m glad I’m not a chicken!”
There comes a time in every chicken owner’s life when she ponders, “Do I really want to be doing this?” When I got to that point and decided that, yes, I really did want to raise chickens, it was on the condition that I wanted to do it right. I knew the old run would have to go.
The new run that I built actually had the same footprint as the old one—but I made it tall enough to stand in, and the roof protected it quite a bit from the elements. I actually love going inside now, and it is completely mud-free. My chickens now hang outside in any weather, so I feel that the roof was worth the extra money.
Building the Run
There are lots of things to love about my run. It is very inexpensive for its size, it uses a fence as its back wall, and it’s a piece of cake to build.
I used cheap wood for this run. The body is built of 2”X3” studs that cost $2 each at Home Depot. Because I used weather-resistant stain and set the run top of bricks, I expect it will last a very long time. (I used the same wood for that first run that I had for seven years, and it was very stable).
The beautiful thing about this run is that it is just comprised of four large similar pieces, so once you’ve figured out how to build one, you can build the others pretty quickly. I built all four pieces…in ONE EVENING. I have never had any woodworking training, so it’s not like I’m an expert. You can do this with a miter saw and a kreg jig. A kreg jig makes strong 90° joints quickly using pocket holes. (I looked up how to use a kreg jig on YouTube.)
After I built and stained the pieces, I lay bricks along where the footprint of the run would be. That way the run doesn’t sit in dirt or mud, helping it to last longer.
One last note: when assembling the pieces, at first they didn’t fit together. I was horrified. I realized that the fence wasn’t 100% straight and the ground wasn’t completely level, etc. I was able to get it to fit together by adjusting the height of the brick foundation.
If I am interpreting my chicken’s behavior correctly, they love this run. They hunt, peck, scratch, dig, roost, fly, and yes—run…in their run. At an estimated $281, I know my run isn’t cheap. On the other hand, a similar sized pre-built one will cost you more than six times that amount. So for the space and outdoor enjoyment your chickens will get, it’s an absolute steal.
Click here to download free plans to my run.
