| So when installing a chicken run there may be | | | | top placed on run but all it takes to protect your |
| some unknowns to you. Sure it's commonsense | | | | chickens from hawks, eagles, owls and pesky |
| for the most part, but here's three must do's to | | | | climbing raccoons is some chicken wire on the |
| reduce maintenance and to protect your chickens | | | | top; Your chickens will still get plenty of sun and |
| from being snatched up from predators. | | | | be protected from threats from above. |
| 1.Position the Chicken Coop Run to the Eastern | | | | 3.Straw and Rotation Method |
| Sky | | | | Usually a run will have a dirt floor; it's very |
| With a run that faces the eastern morning sun | | | | common for the chicken waste and scratching to |
| rise you benefit in a few ways. Your run area will | | | | make a mess of the floor very early on, so a |
| warm up early and all the dew left from overnight | | | | good tip to keep your maintenance work down is |
| will be dried up within the hour. Your chickens will | | | | to every so often throw a layer of straw down. |
| be more inclined to come out from roosting to | | | | Eventual the straw and chicken waste will begin to |
| romp around in the warm morning sun. And | | | | pile up at which point you need to remove it (it |
| because the sun dried things up for you from | | | | can be composted). |
| morning to the afternoon your coop won't be a | | | | A good technique to cut down on the amount of |
| sloppy mess. | | | | cleaning is to either separate the run into two |
| 2.Fence off the Top Too | | | | areas or have two distinct chicken runs. This way |
| There's all type of predators that can attack | | | | while one is being used the other can be cleaned, |
| from entering the chicken coop run from the top | | | | left to grow vegetation and recuperate from |
| of the run. Basic coop design does not call for a | | | | previous use. |