Coop and run

Hi!
We are working on our coop and run
Is there a such thing as a run being too big? Perhaps 20 by 40.
I would like anywhere from 20-50 hens plus the unsexed roosters will be in there for a bit and a few turkeys.
And is it ok to have trees in the run? How would I cover the run for protection? Or do I have to cover it? We have 2 great pyrenees so I am hoping they will keep predators away. Don't know about weasels though. They can get through anything.
The coop itself is 16 by 8.
Is it best to have a floor or not?
How many nesting boxes would I need? Is 10 enough or too much?
Sooooo many questions!

I have decided on these breeds....I would like barred rocks, blue and buff orpingtons, golden laced wyandottes and silver laced wyandottes :)And if anyone has some of these available in a couple weeks let me know! Looking for chicks.

I chose those because they seem well tempered. I hope so They are also very pretty and I like the variation!

Looking forward to hearing from anybody!!

I don't think technically a run can be too big, but one thing you have to keep in mind is your ability to protect them from overhead predators.
the bigger the run the more difficult that can be.

We have a 30 x 40ft run for our small flock that's uncovered but most of the chickens won't go far from their coop. Installing some simple extra shelters in the run gives them places to hide - our roosters do a good job of watching for overhead predators but if there's nowhere for the hens to hide they don't let them go far.

Having a cover helps keeping the wild birds away too. They can cause illness in your flock. At least one nesting box for every four to five hens but you could have more. I have Gold and Silver Laced Wyandottes they are very pretty and well tempered. I could help you out with some Silver Laced chicks when your coop is ready if you would like. Good Luck!!

Watch out for the ravens. They are nasty.

I don't think there is ever such a thing as too big for a run! It is nice to have room so if you cant get them out to free range for a couple of days, you don't have to feel guilty.

My outdoor pens are all covered, but they are just small and I free range most days.

Instead of trees, which they can use to escape the pens if they are smart, plant small shrubs or bushes. |Thery offer protection from overhead threats. Just somewhere they can run and hide if they need too. You will have to protect the roots as they grow, but just a skirt of hardware cloth does that nicely. I find the natural plants offer a cooler option for protection than man made stuff, but it can work too.

Sounds like you are going to have a nice set up. Remember to post pictures!

I had a huge run but found I wanted to divide up the turkeys and chickens so divided it in two and built a turkey house. Figure out if you are going to keep breeds pure how you are going to separate them - but maybe you don't care about that.

Also many roosters will fight. Are you committing yourself to only keeping one rooster?

I put a cover (netting) on my runs when I started using outdoor feeders and brought in flocks of little birds that were eating all the feed outside after I put the chickens away at night.

i have a couple of large runs. one i am going to divide up into five, 8x35 foot runs and the other large one is 45x45 feet. i use that for one rooster and my layer hens.
as was mention, the rooster doesn't let the hens use much of that one. i am going to try putting in some small shlters to see if that will encourage them to use more of the yard.

i haven't had a problem with perators from overhead on adult birds (knock on wood).

A big run is nice to have, and definitely covered on top. We found that stuff they sell as poultry wire works only for top netting. As long as you support it decently it does a good job and can handle snow on it because most falls through.

It would be really nice to have two smaller coops for the roosters and one bigger one for the hens for winter. We usually keep a couple bantam roos w/ the hens most of the year.

Roos need more personal space than hens do in order to get along.
15-20 roos seemed like too many to over winter whereas 12 did just fine together in the house I had for them. (I could house about 30-35 hens in the same space!

Well, we are moving now.....
And it better be to a place where I can have lots of room for my chickens! and ducks, and geese, and goats! I would love to have all my birds free ranging but my little dogs concern me. My pyr's don't. They go into the coop run all the time Such good dogs. I love them.
One day, when we are set up again I will post pics I love all the different ideas! Especially before construction!

Do chickens really go outside much in the winter? Is there a temp where they are better to be locked in?
I think we will put up a super simple run before winter hits and do a proper one next year.

My chickens have access to their run all winter but usually only go outside on the really warm days. Good luck on your move, have you been able to find a place yet?

Just patiently waiting to hear about a place in Hythe! Our place is rented for October 1.