4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[mictogirl]

Hi everyone. I’ll be getting some chickens and an ark (I want an Eglu in the future!) from someone who wants to rehome them in a couple of weeks. Ideally I want my hubby to build them a lovely roofed run to live in (having seen some of the fab ones you lot have in the other thread!) and have that Auboise stuff on the floor of it but he says he’s not willing to do it until the spring and the weather improves, which I guess is fair enough.

 

In the meantime they have enough space in their ark which they are used to, but I’m wondering what the best base to put it on will be? They won’t be free ranging much, specially over the winter, since we’re at work all day during the week. Our garden is on clay soil and gets really boggy in the rain . The area we are going to site them on though currently has some gravel on it and I’ve seen some pics of runs on gravel – is this a good idea? Would that mixed with some woodchips be a good idea? I’d like to prevent the garden / lawn getting in an even worse state if possible over the winter.

 

And regarding woodchips, if we use them – where would I get them from? I’ve read I shouldn’t use the sort of bark chippings you can mulch your garden with since they get mouldy, but I don’t recall see wood chippings at the garden centre – how is it different to bark chippings?

 

Sorry for the waffle and questions – hope someone can help!

 

TIA,

Laura.

[Hen Watch]

I too have clay soil and winter water soaked lawn is a pain.

 

I've no experience of Ark housing, but I would assume that woodchips, bark or even Auboise would all benefit from being kept dry and then it won't go smelly or mouldy. I appreciate it is difficult to cover an A frame set up with a shower curtain and not suffocate the chooks, but is there something temporary you could do? How high is your ark because I have been known last year to put the plastic garden table over the chicken run to keep the rain off. Perhaps if it isn't too high you could do that.

 

Gravel sounds ok I'm sure there are lots of others on here that use it.

[mictogirl]

Thanks for the reply Hen Watch. Hubby has just been outside starting to prepare the area they are going to be based on - it didn't look fun in the wind and rain!