What is the easiest way to introduce new chickens to an existing flock?

[thewhitehouse]

My OH is going to build me a walk in run - what a wonderful man

 

Having spent the best part of this afternoon shovelling compacted mash and bark chippings off my chicken garden I am determined to get the base for my new run right. I was thinking of slabs and then medibed (that's what I've got at the moment in my chicken shed - also put up by OH this week for me - he's an angel ) The run will have a roof and will be in a pretty sheltered position. I promise to post pics when its done.

 

All experiences good or bad welcomed to help me decide!!!

[Cooks]

I think we would have had slabs if we had them to hand also but I went for a concrete slab base. I know some are worried about this as it's kind of permanently a there in your garden, but I figure so are my chooks, so it doesn't matter LOL

 

my husband built some shuttering and poured a slab.. (around a sunken butler sink for their dustbath)

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I have a concrete path round 3 sides (and a garage on the 4th!) which the run sits on. The majority of the run floor is soil with a layer of Easibed .

 

(I never had a problem with having a soil base in the eglu run .)

[Barkisland]

What a stroke of genius to make a preformed dustbowl in your concrete Cookiemonster!

My run is on soil with Aubiose top dressing where there once was thick and luscious grass. There's a small apple tree too, which the girls are excavating carefully - wouldn't be surprised if they make it down to Oz before long

I think most people seem to have slabs underneath.

[atsw]

Mine is on a slab base, with a mixture of Aubiose and bark-chippings spread around.

 

 

There's a whole slideshow of the compete build process here, or follow the links in my signature.

 

Andrew

[Guest]

I think we would have had slabs if we had them to hand also but I went for a concrete slab base. I know some are worried about this as it's kind of permanently a there in your garden, but I figure so are my chooks, so it doesn't matter LOL

 

my husband built some shuttering and poured a slab.. (around a sunken butler sink for their dustbath)

 

 

 

my good ness I am impressed OH a butler sink as well

Are u sure he isnt free u r very lucky

 

I have old green house concrete base but if I didnt want that would have done slab version...

 

good luck

[Cooks]

well if I had had the concrete base already there I would have been a very happy lady..lolol your very lucky!

 

yes I know I am a lucky person to have him, he puts up with me he must be a saint really LOLOLOLOL

[Seagazer]

Mine is half on a concrete base and half on slabs. Well actually thats not totally true as there is a strip in the middle about 5 inches wide that has pebbles in it. The girls love digging it up. They looked like they were going to dig their way out at one point but we have it sorted out now.

 

We will end up concreting the edges so that nothing can get in or out!

[thewhitehouse]

Thanks all for the replies - I think we will go for slabs.

 

As part of our DIY week last week (was supposed to be a holiday!) we had a cubic metre of concrete delivered for bases for our shed and greenhouse. Never again - do you know how many barrowloads a cubic metre is???

[DominicJ]

I'd guess 20, but it depends how much you can carry

 

I dont have a WIR yet, should be getting my Cube and building one in august, but I was just going to base it on, well, grass, and soil, and possibly some wood chips from B&Q.

 

Is that wrong?

I was thinking 3mx3m for it.

eek, I hope 5 chooks arent going to reneact the somme on it

[Lewis]

I'd guess 20, but it depends how much you can carry

 

I dont have a WIR yet, should be getting my Cube and building one in august, but I was just going to base it on, well, grass, and soil, and possibly some wood chips from B&Q.

 

Is that wrong?

I was thinking 3mx3m for it.

eek, I hope 5 chooks arent going to reneact the somme on it

Its not wrong, but it can get a bit ruddy if it rains a lot.

If its covered it should be ok, but after having a "grass" (now mud ) walk in run I think I'll get slabs next time.