Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[emchook]

oh you made her blush

 

But I agree .. you are a star ANH !

[Ain't Nobody Here]

[Janty]

All this talk of WIR building has got me wanting!!!

 

WIR mark 2 Chez Palmer07 is in the planning stages

 

You're as bad as me!

 

[fantasticjudyann]

Just got back from town with an eyelet kit from Yeomans ( camping shop ) so I should be able to fix some more holes in the tarp when I have cut off the extra length. Also bought a deepish cat litter tray off the market to use as a dust bath-yellow to match the Go plus a watering can to fill up the Glug so things are coming on

 

No photos to show yet but working on it-look at Emchook's while you wait

[fantasticjudyann]

Hey up y'all

 

Here are some pix of new WiR courtesy of DH and DD cos I'm useless at computers

Do like my sign

 

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47957141@N03/

[emchook]

At last ! and its lovely ! I like the sign .. but I really like those little bins .. Where are they from ?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Wow . That looks fabulous . You're going to have a lot of fun creating a playground for them in there .

 

(I can see what you mean about the tarp though . If I were you, I'd create a fold in the middle using 2 eyelets so you can hook it on in the middle too. A big tarp like that would need a lot of pinning down in a high wind.)

[Lewis]

Looks really good!

 

Love the sign - I have one for ours, but the photo redundant is now

[fantasticjudyann]

Hi Emchook

 

Thank you-the bins are from the Domestic Fowl Trust. They do different sizes and coloured ones too . I think mine are the midi size and I believe they hold 20 kilos. I've got one for corn and grit and one for feed. Look under the link for equipment sundries.

 

BTW my DH has said we can have a path built up the garden to the run. The gardener's coming next Thursday Isn't DH a star

 

I have also discovered that the lights at the back of the house which light up the patio will reach up to the run so it's not bad at all having it up the garden plus

I can now see them from the dining room

[Plum]

That's a fabulous run. Is it 15x8. The girls look like they have loads of room

[fantasticjudyann]

ANH did you manage to put in extra eyelets in situ or did you have to take the tarp down. Mine weigh a ton so I don't want to take them down unless I have to

 

Emchook what have you done with yours

[Poached Egg]

Looks fantastic Judy!

 

I am VERY exited cos we went out earlier to 'look' at a couple of chickens at henhousepoultry in anticipation of our WIR in just over a week and came away with four (my plan from the start thanks to you guys' encouragement but don't tell OH).

 

OH has taken some pics and will post some later along with a couple of exciting pre-WIR location and slab pics to keep you all quiet.

 

Denise

[Plum]

Four!! what type did you accidently come away with?

[Falkor]

Your run looks Judy!! and good news about the path and lights

 

Well I moved some stuff today in an effort to being levelling the ground to lay slabs but everything is SO wet I gave up for today

[Ain't Nobody Here]

ANH did you manage to put in extra eyelets in situ or did you have to take the tarp down. Mine weigh a ton so I don't want to take them down unless I have to

 

You can't do it in situ, I'm afraid. You need to have it on a flat hard surface and whack it with a hammer . I used a chopping board on the carpet!

[fantasticjudyann]

Well done Poached Egg What sort did you get

 

Next time around ( not too soon I hope ) I'm going to get some coloured hybrids if I can . My gingernuts are beautiful- all three have different markings so I know who is who but I've been wanting four so I'll get a coloured one at some point or if one becomes deceased. But hope that's not going to happen soon as I've only had them for 4 months.

Glad you like the run.

 

 

ANH thanks-looks like I'm going to have to do some heavy lifting

[Poached Egg]

Going to post chicken pics on the chickens section in a bit.

 

Here are a couple of pre-WIR pics (exciting huh!)

 

The slabs

 

The location - by the (will be) willow tunnel

 

As you can see there is a fair amount of prep to do still.

[emchook]

looking good .. all set for a weekend of hard work then ! ?

[Poached Egg]

Well - OH is lifting the existing paviers and expanding the area today and tomorrow and my dad should be delivering a load of sand at the w/e (and may even help lay the slabs).

 

One week to go

[DonnaS]

Judy - your run looks great - and I think is a 15 x 6ft if I'm not mistaken - same size as mine will be - though now I'm wondering if I should be getting an 18 footer since my chooks will, this time, stay in the run (and I'm getting a cube to go on the outside in 2 weeks time).

 

Good news! Had a call from Tony today and he's driving over on Friday on route to somewhere else in this direction (anyone on here?) to deliver my WIR!! I won't have a base down by then - and won't have an Eglu either - but hopefully will get it built before Easter (Easter eggs from my own chickens would be so good!).

 

Big thanks to Tony in advance for driving from Cambridgeshire to Somerset (he reckons he'll be here by 9am - but he'd have to leave devilishly early to do that!) - and to his chaps who have to start building the panels tomorrow!

 

Plan is 15 x 6 x 6ft - very like Andrew's (thanks Andrew for amazing pics!) - with Eglu Cube at the end (like RufusRooster). Only question is whether to have opening in or opening out door. Tony said 80% order opening out - but several on the forum seem to have opted for opening in - and I'm tending to think that would be best.

 

Also after sloping roof for drainage and water butt (like Andrew again).

 

Now need to get cracking with the base though.

We are not big DIYers so still wondering whether to find a local to put the base down - or whether we can do it ourselves - assuming sand down into soil? Is there a website somewhere that anyone can recommend that provides direction for dummies?

 

Donna

[fantasticjudyann]

Donna

My new WIR is 4.5 metres x 2.5 mtres and is 2 metres high. ( I don't know exactly what that is in feet but sound as if its roughly the same size as yours ) I am so pleased with it The chooks have been dustbathing in the Hemcore and having a lovely time

 

I'm sure you won,t regret having a Tony. They are so well made and Tony is so helpful and obliging Good luck

[fantasticjudyann]

Sorry Donna -forgot to say I have 3 chooks and they are going to be in the run most of the time and I have my Eglu on a table and they have got loads of room.

If you have got 4 birds and your Cube on the outside I would have thought that you wouldn't need an 18 ft run. That's only my opinion of course but if you're going to get any more birds that's a different matter. I am reasonably new to this busineness so I'm sure someone one will correct me if I'm wrong

[DonnaS]

Thank you Judy. Yes - I think those dimensions are the same. We are thinking about perhaps 6-7 chooks (rescue ones this time I think) - eggs for us and the neighbours! Perhaps 18ft would be better (wonder if I can sneak an extra metre in without my husband noticing ).

 

Just spoke to wife of local chap (after spending an hour surfing the internet for 'how to lay paving ) and having been about to ask if he could recommend someone local to put downt the base, he turns out to be an oddjob man himself! - so could be that my base could be laid more easily than I thought!

 

Eglu - tick

WIR - tick

Base - could be tick

 

 

Cheers. D (not getting enough work done - oops)

[Plum]

Hi there, I will go for an opening in door simply because the chooks are less likely to run straight out when you go in

[DonnaS]

Thanks Plum. I think that's what I'll do.

Still can't decide between 15ft and 18ft (one more panel)... Need to reply to Tony tonight.

6-7 battery chooks - but in WIR all the time. I know they were used to much less space, but I wonder what would be fair?

 

Hoping to pick up chooks at the end of the month in Gordano, near Bristol from BHWF.

It's all go-go-go in our household!

 

Cheers all. D