Chicken picking at feet

[abwsco]

Unfortunately those aren't the right fixings for the Coroline they are for the clear PVC sheeting. The Coroline ones are heavier duty and you do hammer them in. Wickes sell them if that's any use at all. They call them Profile Sheeting nails. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Roofing-Sheet/Bitumen-Roofing/icat/rsbitumenroof

[bokbokbok]

I have JUST THIS MINUTE found moreCoroline stuff here. £0.96 plus vat is a big difference from £3.69! For this price you could afford to buy the plastic, throw the nails away and find your own screws huh?

 

We built a 6x4 shed a couple of weekends ago and are now adding the run to the side of it. I am trying to do as much as possible on the cheap i.e. using up old fence stain rather than going for a new tin in a different colour and savaging for old fence posts for the chickens to stand on but the shed is new and the wood for the run is new.

 

However, I have to admit that after seeing one of your photos with a compund mitre saw in it we DID splash out on a cheapy one in B&Q and that has made the project sooo much easier! Thanks for that tip! Can you imagine cutting all that wood with a jigsaw?

 

I decided on a shed because we like *wee projects* and I fancied kitting the inside out myself and needed to partition the space between chooks and storage.

 

We couldn't afford a Cube (didn't want an Eglu) and although I would be happy with a second hand Cube there are never any available on eBay that aren't Pick up only. We are in Northern Ireland.

 

It is amazing how much we had lying around that could be used for this project rather than buying new stuff.

 

NO CHICKENS YET Every weekend I think "By this time NEXT week" but OH's Mum is in hospital at the moment and by the time we get home, get out and go visit her and then get home again it is too late to be doing anything in the evening and OH works on a Saturday so progress is extremely slow.

[bokbokbok]

I went through to order these from my link (Blanchford) and found a strangeness on the postage. £5 to COLLECT or £12 / £14 to DELIVER (sounds like a lorry rather than Royal Mail) so I rang them and got a really really nice guy who said *oops - that doesn't sound right* and sold me 6 packs over the phone, took credit card details and charged me a reasonable £3 to post them.

 

One happy camper. Hopefully this will be of use to someone down the line!

[chooklady]

Unfortunately those aren't the right fixings for the Coroline they are for the clear PVC sheeting. The Coroline ones are heavier duty and you do hammer them in. Wickes sell them if that's any use at all. They call them Profile Sheeting nails. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Roofing-Sheet/Bitumen-Roofing/icat/rsbitumenroof

 

Thankyou for that, we will have to get them changed and tell hubby he needs to go to Wickes.Many thanks Nicola

[chooklady]

We have also used some old slabs up. Our shed was the other way around .We are also in the process of changing our patio area so we used the slabs from there for the shed and all the rubble underneath we used for the concrete base. so we haven't wasted anything.

 

My hubby is a gadget man, He cannot resist tools etc. He has made a couple of good investments, the DeWalt saw in the photo and a DeWalt cordless drill. He has got through so many drills in his time that he thought he should buy a good one, and it has certainly paid for itself over the years because he does a lot of DIY. I have got to the point where I wonder what he will come back with when he goes to a DIY store!!!

 

The link above looks good, better value aswell. I think we were too tired when we got those other fixings at the weekend.

 

I've been lucky, I've been saving for a while and my god mother died recently and left me only a small amount of money but that went in the chicken fund so I took the plunge and ordered a cube.

 

I hope your OH's mum improves soon. You have my sympathy there, I know what it's like doing that every day over a long period of time, very draining for all involved.

[Barkisland]

Bumping for benefit of my husband!

[MedusA]

However, I have to admit that after seeing one of your photos with a compund mitre saw in it we DID splash out on a cheapy one in B&Q and that has made the project sooo much easier! Thanks for that tip! Can you imagine cutting all that wood with a jigsaw?

 

I made my run with just a handsaw! It was very hard going. In retrospect I wish I'd bought a gadget, but at least it gave me a good workout.

[bokbokbok]

I sat in work this evening before leaving for home and uploaded 130 photos to Flickr, knowing when I got home I could give you the link to the set and let you see the wonderfulness of the run.

 

When I sat down to view them the damned upload has stopped half way through Here is the set anyway - it only shows up to the shed being built, no run being done. I'll continue with the upload tomorrow, so by the time everyone sees it, it may actually be finished!

 

Big news on the run front: ummmm it goes slowly. We got the roof supports in this evening and that was about it. You can really see the difference in the evenings already and we are conscious of not wanting to upset the neighbours with noise before we even GET the chooks!

 

Tomorrow we will put the Coroline up if the fixings arrive in the post and then it is on to the mesh. About the last thing to do before we are chook-ready will be the pop-hole. Still haven't decided on how to do that. . . . .

 

Photos of other pop-holes would be good. .

 

Susan

[Yolky]

WHat have you used about the bottom of the panels?

[abwsco]

Susan, it's looking great If it's any consolation mine seemed to take ages as well. Theres a pic of my shed pop hole in my sig link if that helps at all. If you need better ones let me know and I'll take some tomorrow.

[bokbokbok]

Thanks for that Anne, I wont have access to mine from outside of the run so need to build in some kind of remote opening. I suppose I will just make the frame longer so it can slide up further and then stick a piece of string on it.

 

Can't wait for you to see the run now! Roll on tomorrow

[abwsco]

Thanks for that Anne, I wont have access to mine from outside of the run so need to build in some kind of remote opening. I suppose I will just make the frame longer so it can slide up further and then stick a piece of string on it.

 

Can't wait for you to see the run now! Roll on tomorrow

 

Mines inside the run but I can get to it from the door into the run. You can just about see it on this pic. I quickly learnt how to open run door, open pop hole and then shut the run door before they all charged into the garden -lol

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2058/2449250303_48359ab2f5.jpg?v=0

[bokbokbok]

Grinning at the thought of you having to run in and out

 

I bought big hooky screws today at the hardware store in the hope that I can get some string through it and pull the door open. I hope that the children (who are promising all sorts at the moment) will continue their interest and go let the chickens out some mornings and don't want them to have to go in to the run. That's the plan anyway

[chooklady]

Your photos are great, can't wait to see the run.

 

I can't wait for Saturday to come so we can do some more. We have decided to get some brackets and fix the framework to the concrete.

 

I'm hoping we will be finished by Sunday night, so my youngest daughter and I can do all the bits inside and get it ready for the chooks to arrive the following week.

 

I've started dreaming about chooks last night, I knew it would happen!!!!1

Edited July 31, 2008 by Guest

[MedusA]

I've started dreaming about choolslast night, I knew it would happen!!!!

 

It can't be as weird as the chook-related dream I had the other night. I dreamt I was looking in a huge encyclyopaedia at my Mum's house, to get directions somewhere, and I found it had all these fold-out pockets which had very tiny chickens living in them!

[Barkisland]

Calling all self builders! Advice welcomed.

My husband is beginning work on my run today, and would like to hear your verdict on the Coroline roofing please.

He thinks it will be too dark and will make the run too gloomy. He is keen to go with polycarbonate, but I'm worried about frying the girls in hot weather.

Our run will be sited in a fairly exposed position with the broadside facing south. The back end (1 yard or so) will need to be 'boxed in' to protect from the prevailing NW wind, as we are several 00 feet above sea level and it can get very wet & windy here through most of the year.

[Yolky]

Barkisland, this is something I was wondering too. I was wondering if it was poss to do half and half so they get the best of both worlds?

 

 

We will be adding the eglu inside the run but my husband is going to have it up high on a table and make a smaller door behind it so you can use the small door to get to the poop deck and also you can get to the egg port door and be able to close it too.

[Barkisland]

Thanks Yolky! My Cube will be going inside the run too, far too foxy round here to risk anything else!

[Adams Egg]

The coroline does make it darker I have found, but the poly carb is easier to clean and wash and will provide less dark nooks and cranies for bugs. The heat build up will depend on the run height. With coroline the chooks won't be so spooked by bird of prey overflying. Half and half would be a good compromise!

[chooklady]

Half and half would only be ok if you can get the same profile on the corrugation. Mine also faces south; on the north side I am covering it with brushwood screening to help deflect the wind and give them some protection from the rain and the open land that is behind, but not make it too enclosed. Mine is also very exposed, there are no trees that will give the run any shade and I don't want roast chicken!! We also have a lot of sparrow hawks around at the moment so the dark roof is a definate yes for us.

[Mumpty]

My hubby is building something very similar for me too. My cube is bieng delivered on 8th September and I'm getting chooks locally soon after.

 

Are you puting your cube inside or attaching it to the outside?

If outside, have you thought about how? We plan to attach it from outside, but haven't worked out how yet.

[Barkisland]

Thanks for the replies, Himself is coming round to the idea of the green roofing (I don't fancy 'half and half' for aesthetic reasons - I don't want it to look like it has been cobbled together out of s"Ooops, word censored!"!). We also have Sparrowhawks.

We hadn't considered brushwood screening, that sounds like a good idea though, and has given us something else to think about.

The finished run will be 9ft x 15ft and the cube is going inside.

[bokbokbok]

I have just realised a flaw in my whole run design

 

I have the main door going in to the run beside the shed which is outside of the run and in the vegetable plot.

 

At the moment the (non-existent) chickens would have to exit the run via the veggies. Hmmmm. Why did it take so long for me to see this as a flaw?

 

We are going to have to put a pop-hole in the run toooo sob . . . .

[abwsco]

I have just realised a flaw in my whole run design

 

I have the main door going in to the run beside the shed which is outside of the run and in the vegetable plot.

 

At the moment the (non-existent) chickens would have to exit the run via the veggies. Hmmmm. Why did it take so long for me to see this as a flaw?

 

We are going to have to put a pop-hole in the run toooo sob . . . .

 

You're being a spoilsport Susan Just think of how much fun the chickens could have - lol

 

Seriously though sorry to read you've got more work to do.

[bokbokbok]

hahahahaha - spoilsport am I? Funnily enough - most of the things I am growing are FOR them but *I* want to be in control of when and how much!

 

Hopefully there will be more photos on my Flickr account soon - we hope to get the roof done and the mesh up tomorrow - there may even be chooks by the end of the week - keep your fingers crossed!