My eco solution to rat problems

[Cooks]

if they are in the run all the time then I would give them as big a run as you can.

[Lewis]

if they are in the run all the time then I would give them as big a run as you can.

Ditto

 

.... and you may want to expland the flock in the future

[Poached Egg]

OH was busy yesterday - complaining about the help he got from the chickens (they take fewer tea breaks than he does tho ). Apparently he only came really close to a decapitation once while I was out!

 

There was a path under all those bags in prev post!

 

Not any more - and what are those funny red rocks at the end?

 

Ahh - sun

 

We are helping

 

Another tea break!!!

[fantasticjudyann]

Like the photos Poached Egg

 

My efforts with the eyelet kit were uselss- couldn't get them to work. So I fastened the tarps at the bottom of the run with the screw in hooks, then I made a sort of pleat in the centre of each tarp.

 

It works up to a point but its very Heath Robinson So I've ordered some

Holdon clips and what I plan to do is, cut each pleat out horizontally, if you see what I mean, then attach the Holdon clips to the cut edges of the tarp, then cable tie them to yet more hooks.

 

Nothing's ever simple is it I'll keep you posted.

[DonnaS]

Hi Poached Egg. So far so good - looking forward to seeing the rest of the patio and then WIR. Is OH using a compacter machine (I think they have a proper name!) to flatten the gravel and then sand down before putting on the slabs and can you ask him if he's using a dry cement mix or just plain sand?

 

Also spotted that you are building next to a fence (so will I be) - what is that you've got growing up the fence - kind of reddish colour sticks? Will you have space behind the run to get to the fence (am just myself wondering how much space to leave).

 

Ordered 15 ft run in the end - but will have longer slab base to accommodate Cube - so could extend a panel or so in the future if need be (and put Cube on grass).

 

My raised bed timber arrived today - so the back garden is starting to look busy! Just such a shame I'm sat indoors (mostly) working - it's so lovely outside I wish I was screwing wood together outside!

 

Is it warm and sunny (warm being a relative term of course) where you all are?

[Poached Egg]

Judy - oh dear! We have tarp fun yet to come. Wonder how emchook is getting on with hers. Emchoook!

 

DonnaS - thank goodness it has stopped raining and we can do some work! The old path had a bit of concrete underneath and we will put some sand on top before the slabs. As for the rest of it OH has been talking to my dad who is delivering a load of sand he has dug out from the land where he is building his new house. I think he suggested just levelling and laying straight on that but I could be wrong and he may be bringing some toys with him as well...

 

The red (purple please!) sticks you can see are willow which will soon grow enough to form into a willow tunnel between the WIR and trellis/fence (so it will go trellis, willow, woodchip path, willow, small gap, WIR). Our prevailing wind comes from that direction and we don't plan to have a large gap between the WIR and the willow as its growth will be kept in check and we will be able to reach through to deal with any tarp issues if needs be.

 

15ft - fab! Sounds like things are moving proper at your end.

 

Photos

[fantasticjudyann]

Emchook- where are you I want to know how you are getting on with your tarps

[DonnaS]

Poached Egg - how are your ladies getting on? I notice that you only got your cube a week ago and the ladies just after that - and your first Eglu just a month before - so you have been busy!

 

Did wonder if it was willow - should have known - nice idea!

 

Tony just emailed that he'll be here with my run at 7.30am tomorrow morning!!

 

He's travelling from Cambridge to Somerset - so goodness only knows how early he's getting up! At 7.30 I'm ususually getting my children out of the shower for breakfast - so we'd better be a bit more organised tomorrow!

 

No base for it to go on yet - still waiting for quote - so will be building veg beds this weekend and cracking on with building the WIR next weekend (need it up by end of March to pick up batt chooks.)

 

Nearly the weekend. Then nearly time for photos of Poached Egg's new Tony.

[Cooks]

Tony isn't far from me and I would hate that drive... :lol: quite a way..

[DonnaS]

I know

It's because he's going on to someone else after me - presumably to build too - so needs to make sure he has enough light to build by. Even so - beyond the call of duty to be here by 7.30 - I'll have to make sure I have some bacon butties. Either that or he can help get the girls ready for school while he's here!

 

Been doing more research on building a base - and now OH and I think that we could maybe do it by ourselves. We think we don't need a sub-base - so just screed bedding (sand) - not sure whether to make bound or unbound (ie with or without cement mixed in). Think maybe bound 10:1 - getting all the lingo after this link:

 

http://www.pavingexpert.com/layflag1.htm

 

Any advice from others on how they put their slabs down gratefully received!!

 

Must make dinner now - off to Book Day event at school with dressinggowns and duvets at 6pm!

[Plum]

Thanks for the link can you find one for building a retaining wall

[Falkor]

I just used sand to lay my slabs - ohhh and a spirit level and nice big rubber mallet

[Cooks]

my hubby uses a wetter mix than just sand, its sand and cement I think, cant say i pay too much attention... I just nod in the right places and say ooooh lovely!

[stoice]

Any advice from others on how they put their slabs down gratefully received!!

 

We used just sand to level out the space for our slabs. But as our garden sloped a bit we built a low retaining wall to stop the sand squishing out. (When i say 'we' I mean my cousin did. On the hottest day of the year last year. Thanks cuz )

[fantasticjudyann]

That is some base Stoice -it looks like a patio Good stuff

[DonnaS]

Wow! That wall does look good (and I guess cousin was too shy to show frontal ).

 

So - Tony arrived just after 7.30am this morning (from Cambridge, to Somerset, then he was off to somewhere near Bristol) - up at 3.00am

 

I have all the bits now - all leant up against the fence ready to go onto 'something' (photos will follow - but it's cold outside and I really must work this morning!). To confuse myself further I asked Tony what he'd put the run onto .... His response was to use sleepers around the edge and just leave soil in the middle (because the hens would prefer that) - which is contrary to what most here seem to think (ie some kind of hard base, either concrete or slabs).

 

Now I'm totally confused. I still think on balance that a hard base would be easier to manage (even if the chooks would prefer soil - I'll just have to find a way to bring in some kind of mud bath I guess??).

 

Meanwhile, since the quote for handyman erected patio base came in at £550 (lay scalpings and compact to 75mm deep; lay 600x600mmx32mm slabs on weak mortar mix to cover area 6.6m x 2.4m), I think we will have to DIO.

 

Can someone put me out of my misery and make a decision for me? Do we just buy (x amount of) sand? What size slabs should we use (think 450x450 are better on dry mix)? Where can the cheapest slabs be sourced (yes, I'm checking freecycle!)? I don't think we need scalpings - we don't have clay but really good, compost rich soil (happy plants!)? Is anyone successfully using nothing - ie just soil and no base? And a multitude of other questions - but I feel a bit guilty asking more!

 

Right - I'll go and do some work...

Cheers all.

[fantasticjudyann]

Hi Donna-my run is on an earth floor with no slabs or concrete at all but it does have a mesh floor to keep foxes out.

I have quite a deep layer of hemcore in the run and the chickens are loving it. They can scratch up the earth without wrecking it and they love to dustbath in the hemcore.

 

The hemcore is easy to keep clean . I just poo pick each day and the rest gets absorbed in the hemcore.

 

I've only had my run set up for a week but it seems to work a treat. I took advice about hemcore on earth from the lady whose chicken course I attended before I got my chickens and she said she used hemcore on an earth floor for 2 years with great success.

 

So I hope this helps

[stoice]

Not sure i can make up your mind for you as it depends on your circumstances. My mums run is standing on a course of bricks dug into the soil with soil inside the run and she thinks it's fine. She also buried some mesh with it though just in case a fox tried to dig in. My mums run is in part shade, it doesn't get water logged, in fact it's often wuite dusty in summer so she hoses it down every now and then.

 

I only slabbed the whole thing because i had a ratty problem (As the under shed is a perfect home for them) and they kept tunnelling into the girls run. So complete slabs, mesh buried along edge where it meets the shed and loads of baits boxes later - no rat problem, no tunnels, and happy chooks.

[DonnaS]

How funny - so many options - and all right in different circumstances! Sounds like me need one of those NHS ID plotters - with boxes and different questions and if you answer yes you are directed one way and if you answer no you are directed another until you get to the right solution!

 

Perhaps I just need to stick all of the options in a hat.

 

For sure I know I have no mesh base - so FJA can't do what you did without some adjustment. No idea if I have rats! Do have two hunt-mad cats though. Will have to make sure chicken run is cat-proof (grrr) (we actually think that one of our cats was responsible for death of one of our previous chooks ).

 

Cheers. D

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I have slabs only where the run sits (although I got someone to do it for me!). I have soil in the middle and it's great. A daily poo pick is very easy and they love scratching about in the soil.

 

I got mine from Freecycle .

[DonnaS]

Don't you free-range yours too ANH? Mine will be in the run all the time (or at least that's the plan at the moment) so perhaps having a soil base is even more important so that they can 'behave naturally'?

 

Andrew - are you there? Yours (in two tone pink and purple coops) are in the same size run as mine will be - and on slabbed base (just sand?) and I wonder if yours free range at all? I don't think so - seem to recall a post about the door being opened by one of your children and your chooks running straight to your raised beds! (or I might be wrong - have read a lot recently!).

 

Cheers.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Yes, that's a good point, Donna . Mine do freerange, but on 3 days of the week not for very long (especially at this time of year).

[Janty]

Looking at this, we will have to get the base sorted for our run soon...just four weeks to go.

 

[Poached Egg]

Looking forward to your pics Janty.

 

Now, I'm sure something is happening tomorrow. What could it be

 

TONY IS ARRIVING EARLY DOORS WITH OUR WIR

 

OH is busy with the sand and the girls are mostly leaving him alone now, rather than messing up his levelling. Will post pics later when the camera battery is recharged

 

I think we need smilies for pics and WIRs

[DonnaS]

Good luck Poached Egg! Hope your hubby got the work done. We spent the day humping slabs (only from shop to garden - 22 slabs took 3 journeys and we need about 80 slabs (rest are being delivered on Thursday along with 2 tonnes of sand!!!!). Then spent afternoon digging ready to lay slabs alongside raised beds that we built yesterday (we have to do this first in order to move soil from where WIR will go into raised beds). We are wondering whether we've bitten off a bit much!! More news as we progress... Say 'hi' to Tony for me

 

Edited for typo - doh.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Guest