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

[mictogirl]

Hi All.

 

Less than a week into our chicken keeping and already we're planning on building a proper undercover run for them! Not only do they not really have enough room (in my opinion), the wood chipping area we've done for them is far from ideal as they keep flicking the bits into their food and water

 

Hubby is talking about converting our garden shed into a run for them - taking off most of the slats used for the walls of the shed (maybe leaving a few towards the top for better shelter) and covering the bare frame with wire. However, I'm worried about mites - will they live in the roof and come all the way down to feed on the girls? It's a normal garden shed, so I guess felt roofed?

 

I have seen the Chicken Run Inspiration thread and would really like something like a lot of you seem to have - regular wood frame, wire all around and a corrugated clear plastic roof. Hubby reckons a) he's not good enough to build something like that (I beg to differ, he's an excellent DIYer) and b) that the corrugated plastic would start looking really manky before long - can anyone help me convince him otherwise on this latter point or is he right??

 

Also, what sort of base is best? I don't know whether he's thinking about leaving the wooden base of the shed as part of the run, but I can't imagine this would be a good idea - it would rot, right??

We are on clay and the garden is currently part swamp with all the recent snow and rain, hence the wood chip idea - would we therefore be best off putting a run on a paving slab base with something like hemcore for the girls to scratch in straight over the top? If so, does it matter what sort of slabs we use? We've got some old smallish slabs we took up from a manky patio, but they're not totally even and perfect - do they have to be super close fitting or anything?

 

Sorry for all the questions and waffley post! What I'd really like is a Cube (currently got a second hand wooden ark) and a readymade run, but sadly funds don't stretch that far so have to make do with hubby's handiwork. Therefore we want to make sure we get it right first time....

 

Any do's and don't would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance,

Laura.

[Egluntyne]

Wood is always likely to harbour redmite, unfortunately,and you are right, the roofing felt will provide them with a cosy place to hide.

 

Having said that, the frames of most walk in runs are pressure treated timber. Mine is, and I just blast it with Poultry Shield now and then. It has a polycarbonate roof, though.

 

Re the floor, It would rot eventually if the wood got very wet, though a thick layer of bedding, changed regularly would help prevent it.

 

The main problem, however, would be rats nibbling there way in, and making nests underneath.

 

Maybe you could remove the wooden floor and put the structure directly onto some paving slabs.

 

The slabs you have should be OK, as long as they fit reasonably closely.

 

My Eglus are on slabs and they have small gaps, to allow drainage (we are on heavy clay too). So long as the gaps are small, rats shouldn't manage to get between the slabs.

 

It doesn't matter what they look like, as they will be covered with bedding of some sort.... mine are recycled from a ramshackle old path and can't be described as beautiful.

 

Good luck. I'm sure that if you fettle the roof and base, and treat the wood, you should be able to make a super run for your girls.

[mictogirl]

Many thanks for your advice! I've just had hubby looking at the Chicken Run Inspiration thread for the last half an hour instead of doing the bathroom grouting (we know how to have fun once the kids are in bed!) and he's confident he can make something to suit all requirements! It does mean I'll need to find a new home for my garden tools though....

 

This is the man who had no real interest in chickens apart from their egg potential until we got them last saturday and is now a definite convert!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Can't advise on walk in runs (I have an eglu & run) but I do have corrugated plastic sheeting. Your OH does have a bit of a point about it getting manky. I have found that at the ends where the water collects it does go a bit green. It's very easy to wipe off (& I've only had to do it twice in a year) but might not be so easy if it was on top of a walk in run.

[tanyajb]

I think the best option all round if you can do it is a wooden frame run with mesh sides,like a large aviary)

 

To stop rats getting in i would put a concrete or slab base and take the mesh down a bit underneath the concrete.

 

Then i would put a perpex type roof as they let light in but keep them dry.

 

on top of the concrete you could use wood chip,shingle or auboise.

 

i have done the same thing for my rabbits i wish i had the same for my hens as i can't keep the rats out of their run!