Solitary chicken - need advice

[sandyhas3chucks]

At the moment the walk in run is in winter positition under car port right out side back door,it has concrete almost all around but large dirt strip that they love down centre & slaps on the outsde of dust bath runway.

When we move it down the garden is it best to sit the base ON the slabs or have the slabs inside the edges. I had skirt around the smaller run entention to the Eglu but my fox neurosis just gets worse.

thoughts please

[Egluntyne]

Mine is completely slabbed....well cobbled actually!

 

I think a determined rat or even a fox could tunnel right under and appear in the middle of the run if the centre bit wasn't slabbed.

[sandyhas3chucks]

what even the Eglus?

[sandyhas3chucks]

Mine is completely slabbed....well cobbled actually!

 

I think a determined rat or even a fox could tunnel right under and appear in the middle of the run if the centre bit wasn't slabbed.

did I catch this fox phobia from you I wonder

[Jules.]

My run sits on a skirt of slabs, with an area of soil in the middle. Personally I think that no fox could dig under, as the run sits half way on the slabs, so there is a good bit showing outside & inside the run.

If I was to start all over again I would have slabbed the whole run, but time dictated that we could only have a rectangle of slabs. It will be really hard to get the rest of the run slabs level now if we were to fill the inside, & so I am thinking about buying a weed supressing membrane, putting that down & then putting my aubiose on top for the girls to scratch in.

[sandyhas3chucks]

thanks ALL thoughts are welcome for my future planning.

With the long thin garden which cannot all be seen from the house, the next place for the walk in has been decided & undecide a few times though in reality there are only 3 possible places.

Remove the 8ft round pool that only saw the end of the last heat wave what 3or was it 4 years ago. BUT is behind the greenhouse & gets most sun till 4.

In front seems my prefernce now as wven now it gets a nice amount of sun until about 1/2 pm. but will be more shaded by the aging plum tree when it is hot(ha)

[Cooks]

we have just poured a full concrete base for the walk in to sit on (yesterday infact, it's still drying) the walk in will sit down pretty flush with the concrete. It's at least 4 inches thick with smashed up slabs underneath, let anything get though that! the idea of it sitting flush was otherwise rain hits the floor and splashes in the run. I will post pictures when we have finished it.

 

notice I say we, when infact I mean my lovely husband..

Edited February 1, 2009 by Guest

[Redwing]

I would got for the second option as the tree will be useful for shade - can you see them from there?

[Cooks]

I like the idea of having the tree for shade I have a metal corrugated roof so they do not get overly hot at all in there in the summer, I would have loved a tree, but our garden was a shell of no plants or anything when we moved here 5 years ago, so everything here was planted by us

 

Is there an option for you to go out with some tape/rope and mark out the run in the different areas, so you can 'see' it in each position? that may help you decide?

[sandyhas3chucks]

I would got for the second option as the tree will be useful for shade - can you see them from there?

I won't be able to see in the run from the houses, as there is a trellis with mature(thick trunk) honey suckle and roses, though thinner at the bottom.

But all 3 options are that side of trellis. there would still be tree and shade for 3rd option wich is beside greenhouse, but that would mean small path beside to get to end of garden. still a possibility. that is why I liked the idea of an omlet ru, as you can move it, but walk in is sooo much better.

I think there will be nicer sun Spring & Autumn in the 2nd option Ie not too much in summer AND good other.

I would have loved a squaresr garden & full visibility but it is lovely in other ways!!