What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Steve.]

Feedback folks please before I make a mess of this!

 

The run is not working where it is - water run off from the patio is drowning the poor chooks and the stink has reached disproportionate heights. We are on clay soil.

 

Got a quote today for a 2 meter x 5 meter Concrete base with Brick Edging / 15 cms from the height of the lawn and a damp-proof-course.

 

It's be against a fence on two sides - with the cube against once fence and the door handle against the other fence.

 

My calculations are that this'll give enough room to get round one side to open the door in the morning ... and remove the poo trays.

 

I have a cube + standard run + one extension. For the future we *may* consider another extension or replace a walk-in run.

 

The cost of the base will be £500 from the builder.

 

What's good / bad / wrong / need to change with the plan?

[Jules.]

For less than £500 you could have a paving slab base & a walk-in run

[chelsea]

I just showed OH for his opinion. To be honest he thinks its expensive (up to you entirely though )

 

hubby did the base of our walk in run with a brick surround (we dont have a concrete floor yet - but there is a plan to do one).

 

Have you thought about attempting doing it yourself? If my hubby could do it - anyone can!

 

as the above reply said, if you did the base yourself you could spend the rest on the walk in run.

[Yolky]

I agree with Jules. Have a look at my run (in run inspiration thread) was cheaper than £500 and is really lovely and dry, the girls have lots of room too (it is 4m x 2m for my three girlies)

 

Or if you don't want to spend any money look in freecycle for free slabs

[Steve.]

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

Keep them coming.

 

I should have said that this also involves several tons of earth being moved and is at the bottom of a large slope.

 

I can do the work - but having two children of two and under I do not have spare time to actually do the work! Plus I have a ton of other things I'm not doing either

 

The soil is always wet as we are on clay - I've seen other folks on clay have problems with water coming up through the ground/between paving slab gaps / even a concrete base that did not have a DPC.

 

So far the comments are that I am being unreasonable ... which is fine!

[abwsco]

Steve, I'd just say get a couple more quotes before you decide. We were always told to get 3 quotes for any work. Must be a nightmare on clay at the moment Our sandy soil is like a quagmire at the moment with all the rain we've had and we were squelching down to the chickens this weekend!

[Steve.]

Just to let folks know the problem of clay ... their run was still flooded today ... and the last time it rained was yesterday ... poor things

[Egluntyne]

£500 seems a bit pricey to me.

 

I recently had a base made for my shed, paving slabs, sand and some digging out. The shed is 6' x 8' and the base extends a good 18" around the sides........and I paid £ 200.

 

It was a morning's work.

[Steve.]

£500 seems a bit pricey to me.

 

I recently had a base made for my shed, paving slabs, sand and some digging out. The shed is 6' x 8' and the base extends a good 18" around the sides........and I paid £ 200.

 

It was a morning's work.

 

Hi Egluntine,

 

So you paid £200 for 2.25m x 2.55m ... and I'm paying £500 for 5m by 2m in concrete?

 

That seems okayish to me, or have I got my maths wrong?

 

EDIT: Slabs are more expensive though ... so maybe it's a little on the high side for me ...

[Steve.]

I know it's rude of me to keep posting to my own thread like this.

 

Will water run off from the rest of the patio area just get soaked up by the woodchip we plan to have in the run? I have full size cover on order from elsewhere ...

 

Just wondering if this could be an expensive mistake and not solve anything.

[milli]

If the area is at the bottom of a slope where you get water running off from other areas won't it all just sit on top of a concrete base? I would have thought you'd be better off with something that drains through a bit better.

[Steve.]

If the area is at the bottom of a slope where you get water running off from other areas won't it all just sit on top of a concrete base? I would have thought you'd be better off with something that drains through a bit better.

 

The plan is to have the concrete base would be slightly higher than the surrounding garden.

 

Problem is that I get puddles of wet standing water - as I am on clay soil so it doesn't drain.

 

It hasn't rained here for several days and the grass is still wet to the point of muddyness. And run is still soaking.

 

Does that help explain the problem?

[milli]

If it is raised I guess that would help but if it is still sited on top of poorly draining soil and water were allowed to get into the run i.e. from rain getting in the sides, would it not all sit on top still? (I don't actually know just trying to offer another viewpoint before you spend lots of money )

 

Could you look at some sort of garden drainage system instead?

 

edit - just noticed you said you have a full sized cover on order so that would probably work.

[Steve.]

If it is raised I guess that would help but if it is still sited on top of poorly draining soil and water were allowed to get into the run i.e. from rain getting in the sides, would it not all sit on top still? (I don't actually know just trying to offer another viewpoint before you spend lots of money )

 

Could you look at some sort of garden drainage system instead?

 

edit - just noticed you said you have a full sized cover on order so that would probably work.

 

 

I'm not sure ... maybe the water would sit on top still ... though it shouldn't puddle as much.

 

Ideally we'd fix the drainage of the garden but that'd be a bit risky and rather expensive and the whole house may slide down the hill if we get it wrong

 

Maybe I can ask them to put a bit of a camber on the cement so it flows off.

[Plum]

Hi, as a nurse who is accustomed to doing a bit of plumbing , my thoughts are putting a slight slope on the base and dig a channel filled with gravel for it to drain into.

At the edge of your patio dig a channel and fill it with gravel, you may need to take up a row of slabs so it could mean your OH wouldnt be too chuffed for a bit.

Having said that Im on clay and the girls are going to be at bottom of steep slope. Its pretty dry down there at the moment but I have cut a lot of the tree cover back. The slabs are sort of at all angles cos the roots of the trees have pushed them up, so Im hoping any water will drain away between them. May follow my own advice.

[Steve.]

Hi, as a nurse who is accustomed to doing a bit of plumbing , my thoughts are putting a slight slope on the base and dig a channel filled with gravel for it to drain into.

At the edge of your patio dig a channel and fill it with gravel, you may need to take up a row of slabs so it could mean your OH wouldnt be too chuffed for a bit.

Having said that Im on clay and the girls are going to be at bottom of steep slope. Its pretty dry down there at the moment but I have cut a lot of the tree cover back. The slabs are sort of at all angles cos the roots of the trees have pushed them up, so Im hoping any water will drain away between them. May follow my own advice.

 

Hi Plum, er, is your username a reference to your speciality?

 

The concrete base will go at the bottom of the garden - drainage is better there as it's on Gabions (wire boxes full of rocks) I think I will do what you say and ask them to stick a bit of a slope on it - but not too much.

 

Gravel is an idea - though wonder if we could use gravel on the concrete for them or would that be too hard on their feet.

 

Payback time on the chooks is now 4+ years ... oh well. Their eggs are tasty though so worth it. And lots of fun when they are not covered in mud!

[Steve.]

Finally got it done - £575 all in

 

 

Just got some tidying up to do!

[Plum]

That's amazing. Great area for the run and whatever you want in the future.

No mice or rats for you then! It'll have to be pretty heavy rain for it to flow onto there.

 

Your red cube looks really good.

[Guest]

Perhaps ur run is below the water table?? just a thought..I would make sure they either slope it slightly so water will run off it and agree with other repsonses make a drainage area with gravel at the lower edge or put a drainage pipe in or french drain to take water away

If they are coming with a digger at all? def get them to do u a trench with gravel ??Sounds obvious..if they are taking soil away the cost of skips is quite expensive so perhaps £500 is not so bad after all??

good luck

[Steve.]

Perhaps ur run is below the water table?? just a thought..I would make sure they either slope it slightly so water will run off it and agree with other repsonses make a drainage area with gravel at the lower edge or put a drainage pipe in or french drain to take water away

If they are coming with a digger at all? def get them to do u a trench with gravel ??Sounds obvious..if they are taking soil away the cost of skips is quite expensive so perhaps £500 is not so bad after all??

good luck

 

It's fairly level, and drains well. Took 18 man-hours and I've seen the quantities involved so quite happy that it was a good price. Had a lot less quoted, and a lot more.

 

Thought about a French drain, and/or a drainage pipe - we'll see how it works out as the area under the concrete is already raised therefore water runs away quickly. I'm infilling with a soil mix so should be okay.

 

Longer term we may get a walk-in run with a gutter - which we'll point in the appropriate direction.

[Guest]

HI

I am glad u got it done at least u have soil edges that as u say u can drain that but it looks fine...u r on a good slope so am sure it will drain down the hill..

I have a wet field so know all about drains..& what a difference it has made to my fields

Good luck

ps i think ur price for an awkward area was good..bet it was hard work for them

[Janty]

And if you decide not to go for a walk in run, you could fit another two run extensions on by the looks of things.