Poo help please!

[chelsea]

T'was me who regretted not slabbing the whole run, but time did not allow.

 

.

 

We regret this too....some time in the summer we are going to concrete our base.

 

We find in really wet weather the wetness seeps up underneath the aubiose.

[hillfamily]

If you click on Custom Runs the top one with the cube and two Eglus is my dream run - I would be a happy lady if I had one of those

 

I think that's Buffie's run ......... it's beautiful :D

 

I'd like a big walk in run but, the area of the garden that's the girls is such a funny shape and there are too many obstacles that would need to be built around for it to be possible at the mo

[Redwing]

 

PS How come they've got 2 green eglus and a green cube, yet they've got one orange eglu door ?

 

Well spotted how strange!

 

Tony quoted me £90 for the delivery by nightfreight and thats the one thiing that bumped up the cost beyond what I could afford I know the runs are heavy so he probably wasn't making money out of the delivery but it was just too expensive

[Cooks]

at that price it would be almost better to hire your own van go and collect it yourself that way you know it'd be in one piece.

 

I knew I had seen that run before, yes it's Buffies!!!

I wonder how the orange door came about?? it's a great door though

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm still waiting for a quote but have some ideas on how to reduce the price if the delivery makes it ridiculous.

 

I thought about having it 1.8m high instead of the 2m (OH and ES won't be going in it that much!) and if I only have 3 sides it should be cheaper. I wanted the table too but can do without if need be. The guttering is a luxury too.

 

 

Edit: my quote's just arrived . I'll be right back .

[Redwing]

Come on! you have had five mins to read and digest - is it a go-er?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Give us a chance .

 

Initial thoughts ... £500 .

 

Think I can pare it down though . I'm going to ask about the reduced height & only 3 sides. And I wonder if a sloping roof is really necessary? Would a flat one go all green and stagnant ?. I'm also wondering if a whole second door would be cheaper than egg and eglu ports? A table isn't included in this so I'll have to make my own somehow .

 

I've copied the quote here as you may find it interesting if you've got plans afoot! What a nice man he sounds!

 

Many thanks for your enquiry. to build you a chicken run to the same design and specification as my standard runs and to your dimensions of 3 m x 2 m x 2 m would cost £320, this comes with one door which is out ward opening.

 

A 2.5 m x 2 m x 2 m run would cost £270.00

 

To supply a sloping translucent roof to be placed over the mesh roof would cost £75.00

To supply guttering, down pipe and end caps for one side would cost £30

Egg removal port for the eglu £12.50

Eglu removal port £25 (this allows you to remove the eglu in on piece with out taking it apart, please look at the first picture on my chicken run section)

 

Delivery via courier £87.50

 

In relation to the turntable yes this is possible but i feel there is a better solution which i often do. I assume you have a table to place the Eglu on or something to raise it off of the floor.? I quite often make what i call "a poo port". This is designed to enable the poo tray to be removed from the outside of the run without having to go inside the run and it saves you having to move the eglu. If you have your own platform all i need to know is the height of this and i can make this port. The cost of the port is £12.50.

 

If you would rather a turntable then that is also possible, would you also want a table from me.

 

In relation to the mesh the standard mesh is 19 g 1"x1" welded mesh, as far i as know nothing has ever got through this and i have tested this myself with a brick and it bounced back!!

[Redwing]

The delivery is a real killer isn't it?

 

If you are handy-ish you could fashion your own roof out of the type of plastic you have on your Eglu run. It sounds like the run is weldmeshed over the top so its just something to keep the rain off that you need.

 

All the little hatches could well add up to more than a proper door so your idea of another full size door could be a good option

 

Try the three sided idea and see what Tony says

 

They are well builts runs so probably worth it

 

(loving the idea of him chucking bricks at his run )

[pickles]

hi there can i butt in and ask a questions. im planning something similar i think as my lawn is now wrecked from moving the run around but more so from the ducks and jetwashing the eglu down.

first question what are some of you using on the floor run.

Second question those of you who have already built your chook palaces, how do you go about cleaning your eglus and cubes? do you take them apart fully and move the pieces outside to wash down for example? the cube is quite big to move around to clean like that?

Do all of you unscrew every single bit of the eglu and cube everytime you clean them out?

Where is the best place to get the weld mesh?

 

sorry for so many questions, hope some of you might be able to help

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Tentatively ran the quote past OH . Not a brilliant reaction .... "WHOSE birthday is it next week?" and "They're only chickens"

 

I wonder how you could fix the corrugated plastic on . You don't want holes in it (was it Barbara that had problems with that?) but I don't know if bungee ropes would work on a flat roof .

 

Don't know how I'll make a table either . Perhaps a trip to B&Q and a helpless female act might work (won't be an act though ). I wonder if a kids plastic table would hold the eglu? If I could raise that up somehow it might work?

[Redwing]

hi there can i butt in and ask a questions. im planning something similar i think as my lawn is now wrecked from moving the run around but more so from the ducks and jetwashing the eglu down.

first question what are some of you using on the floor run.

 

Hi Pickles Aubiose, Hemcore and Easibed are popular, I use woodchips in my Eglu run

 

Second question those of you who have already built your chook palaces, how do you go about cleaning your eglus and cubes? do you take them apart fully and move the pieces outside to wash down for example? the cube is quite big to move around to clean like that?

 

I don't have a walk in run so can't answer this one!

Do all of you unscrew every single bit of the eglu and cube everytime you clean them out?

 

I don't. I take out the roosting bars through the pop hole and use a s"Ooops, word censored!"er to get any stuck on poo in to the poo tray which gets removed, I clear the nestbox and the Aubiose from it goes in to the run, then I clean the roosting bars and give the Eglu a wipe over and put it all back together with clean poo tray and fresh Aubiose. I take the top off for a thorough clean once a month, I don't undo any screwsWhere is the best place to get the weld mesh?

 

I got mine from Hills of Devon who are very helpfulsorry for so many questions, hope some of you might be able to help

[Olly]

Well that's a very thorough quote, ANH! I'd be inclined to skip the roof - £75 is quite a lot, if it has mesh on then you could make do with a tarp or the Omlet cover at least for starters. There must be a way to fix the plastic roof without having holes in it, but I reckon the holes would only be a problem in snow like we've had recently - ordinary rain shouldn't be too bad. How do they fix plastic on lean-tos? There must be a way.

 

And if you don't have the roof, you can leave out the guttering, there, that's £105 saved already! I'm sure you can pare it down a bit, and if it's going against the garage wall then you only need 3 sides really.

 

I reckon any table would do as long as it wil take the weight, why don't you try Freecycle for an old table, or a kid's one? I'm interested in the 'poo port' as that's one of the reasons I want the Cube outside a run.

 

I hope you don't have another sleepless night ahead, working out how to do it!

[Redwing]

Regarding ths plastic I must admit I was going to make holes in it I may need to think again!

 

You could put battens over it and secure them to wooden blocks making a wood and plastic sandwich (mmmmmmmm! sandwich.....)

You are right, I don't think bungees would cut it. Perhaps some friendly soul who has plastic roofing can tell us how they secured theirs?

 

Flat polycarbonate twin wall sheets may be easier to use (but more expensive)

 

Regarding the table a pallet is a good bet, stand it on some legs and bobs your uncle! (but not your prettiest of uncles granted!)

 

Failing that Ikea do metal or wood legs for desks etc.. they do trestles too. A top would be easy, a simple frame with some gravel boards screwed to it would be just the job

 

You almost want one of those old metal framed school tables with the formica top, that would be perfect, you could replace the top in time with some wood slats.

 

A childs table may well support an Eglu, you could always use a bit of fence post to hold up the middle underneath for extra strength

 

Lights are being turned off around me as we speak (he is a subtle hint dropper) but I will put some more thought in to it!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for all this input, guys . I don't know which way to turn . I've requested a new quote for 3 sides, 1.8m height, 2 full doors - that's it .

 

I spotted a pallet at work today (a bit broken but might be useable ). Also, I know part of our school building is being vacated by Community Education staff - I wonder if they're leaving any old stuff behind ?

 

I already have a red & blue Early Learning Centre kids plastic table in the attic but I was away looking at Freecycle (for slabs/tables/anything) as you were typing it, Olly . No joy yet but I'll keep looking.

 

I'm disappointed that I can't afford the whole kit and caboodle . Still, it'll be a lovely run anyway and I could always add things secretly at a later date so OH doesn't notice .

[abwsco]

The plastic roofing sheets are fixed on with special screws so you do make holes in it but ours don't leak. They're not cheap though and the plastic sheeting is around £8 for a 4m length if memory serves me right. Chek out Wickes for prices. It also needs to be sloped as otherwise the water just sits on it. Ours is sloped but not enough IMO as if we've loads of heavy rain it still collects in some places.

 

I know you said about attaching it to the garage wall - do you also have another wall like I do as that would save on some cost. Also, why do you need two doors It's difficult to imagine without pics of where you want it to go.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for that . I'll look into that for the roof. I think you're right, it needs to be sloping . I hope it doesn't cost much more, can't see that it would.

 

I want 2 doors (or one door and a hatch) so that I can open the egg port without going into the run. I'd be happy to swivel the eglu for the poo tray (I only empty it once a week ).

 

I do have a little diagram which I'll try to post tomorrow. That should make it clearer!

[Cooks]

The plastic sheets are fitted normally with plastic cup type things with a sealable lid which the screw goes into and you screw it in place then pop the lid over to make the seal. You also have little plastic spacer (barrel shape) that sit between the plastic and the wood.

Thats what we used on our metal corrugated roof as well, I can see if I can take a picture of one if you would like.

 

I thought about the poop tray slide myself but thought against it for some reason. cant think now it's too late.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

A photo would be really good, if you can .

 

Do you mean these things?

http://www.wickes.co.uk/PVC-and-Accessories/Corrugated-PVC-Screws-and-Washer-Set/invt/164036

 

I'm starting to wonder if I should get a local joiner to give me a quote. I think I've got enough technical information to go ahead . I'll wait for Tony's lower quote and see but it's the delivery that's the killer, isn't it. It could be almost a third of the price .

 

Here's a really simple diagram of what I'm planning.

 

Edited February 14, 2009 by Guest

[Cooks]

yes thats them!! (phew no need for me to scour the garage for one now.. ) then you have the plastic barrel type spacers as well.

 

although looking at that link it doesn't mention the spacers..... I wonder where hubby got them.

[Olly]

If it's going against the garage wall, couldn't you screw a batten to the wall above the height of the run roof and attach one end of the plastic sheets to it? Then there wouldn't be holes to worry about, as that end would be sheltered by the batten, and it would have the required slope (depending on how high you put the batten).

 

You'd still need to fix the other end of the sheet down, but I wonder if that could be done with a hole and a bungee to attach it to the side of the run. (This is all just conjecture you understand, never actually done this myself!)

 

The delivery is a killer, ANH isn't it - luckily I'm within his delivery area I think. It would be worth getting a local joiner out, especially now you've got a clear plan and idea of what you want.

[Seagazer]

See, its still not simple is it when you get the quote. I must admit I went at the price. I haven't asked for a quote yet.

 

I think Vicki you should ask around locally for a joiner, I'm sure someone would be able to do a good job.

[Cooks]

ANH hubby said ask around for a carpenter thats recommended get a quote, you;ve nothing to lose.

The barrels spacers are vital he says! I just cant find one to photo!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Tony's left a message on my phone but I haven't managed to speak to him yet.

 

In the meantime, I now have a Chicken Run Table of Fate .

 

At work, I asked the janitor if there was any old furniture lying around - "like that table over there, you mean?" he said. Good size, metal legs, pretty solid top, just needs a few screws and it'll do the job . Even if the top rots eventually, it didn't cost anything .

 

I'm going to phone "Robert" a lovely handyman bloke who sorted our shed for us years ago. He put up a fantastic fence for my mum - I'm sure a chicken run would be a doddle for him! (And how much more interesting than a boring fence!!)

[Janty]

Good luck with the new quote.

 

I had a quote from Tony last year. It was reasonable for what we wanted but we just couldn't afford it at the time. We will ask him for another quote when I finally make my mind up on all the details.

 

I'm normally quite decisive...I'm blaming you lot for throwing new ideas into the equation.

 

[chelsea]

The plastic sheets are fitted normally with plastic cup type things with a sealable lid which the screw goes into and you screw it in place then pop the lid over to make the seal. .

 

We used them on our roof, we got them from Wickes.