4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[alih]

My OH has finally succombed to the drip-drip effect (the chickens constantly escaping into the garden despite our fort knox-esque fencing, well done those chooks! ) so I am going to order a run from the lovely Tony this afternoon.

 

QUestions:

 

1. If I put it on a rectangle of slabs will the chickens dig down and make it all wonky from the inside? I really don't want to slab over the whole area.

 

2. Has anyone done this without getting a roof?

 

3. Is it REALLY easy enough for DIY luddites like me to do ourselves????

 

4. Does 12 x 8 feet mean I can get more chickens? ( I currently have 5)

 

Thank you in advance!

[atsw]

1. You should be fine. It's not the chickens digging out that's the problem, it's stopping outsiders (foxes, rats, etc etc) digging in.

 

2. Most get a roof. You don't have to buy the one from A4U, if you have a Wickes nearby it could be cheaper to do that bit yourself.

 

3. Yes, but be sure you have good powertools (good / powerful electric screwdriver / drill is essential).

 

4. Oh yes!

 

Have a look at *** this link *** for helpful hints from my build a few months back. There's even more details about the roof and gutter ** here **.

 

I think you'll find some of these pictures are in the instructions that Tony provides these days .

 

Andrew

[alih]

Andrew, many thanks for the quick reply - yours is the run I have been coveting and showing my DH to prove they can be tasteful things!

 

I am tempted not to get the roof and to use the tarps I have for shade and protection - do you think they will clip on or cable tie onto the mesh?

 

.....

 

goodness, Tony has just rung whilst I was typing and has been singing your praises about your rewriting of the instructions! What a nice bloke he is!

 

 

Anyway, I think I am going to TRY and lay slabs round the edges of the run. Tony has given me a tip re sand/ cement mix but any tips on how to get the earth flat as it is in your pictures would be most welcome....

 

just got 3 weeks to wait now!

[atsw]

Andrew, many thanks for the quick reply - I am tempted not to get the roof and to use the tarps I have for shade and protection - do you think they will clip on or cable tie onto the mesh?

Yes, that should work. You'll need to cable-tie to the wood frame for security. A tarpaulin will be a bit like a sail and will 'tug' quite hard in the wind, so will need a strong mounting. I saw a picture on here just the other day of a run with a tarpaulin roof, so certainly possible. EDIT: It's Redwing's run, see the picture in fifth post of this thread.

 

Anyway, I think I am going to TRY and lay slabs round the edges of the run. Tony has given me a tip re sand/ cement mix but any tips on how to get the earth flat as it is in your pictures would be most welcome.

There was a big pile of soil where my run now stands, which had built up over the last 10 years or so. Whenever we dug something out of somewhere or removed soil from the veg patch all the soil went on the heap. Spreading that all out over a 15ft x 6ft area and getting it flat took a lot of doing . I did it over a series of weekends, and then during the week the kids were instructed to jump all over it as much as they liked. I then used a rake to fill the dips and level the humps. I also used a garden roller to go back and forth over the area to help compact everything down.

 

I just used sand under my slabs, no cement. Use about 2" or 3" and it's quite easy to make the minor adjustments needed to keep everything flat and level. I actually put a very slight slope on my base (very small, not really even noticeable by eye) so should any water get inside the run it will run-off towards the back of the garden. You'll be fine if you have a soil centre of course.

 

Tony is great with any help or tips, we were e-mailing back and forth in the days after I'd finished exchanging notes about all sorts of things!

 

Andrew

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Congratulations on your successful water torture .

 

Can't really add anything more to what Andrew said although I would worry slightly about the "sail effect" of a tarp roof (not to mention the rainwater buildup - I have had 2 full waterbutts since putting in my run in April) . If you put the tarp on at a slope you might get away with it and perhaps you could screw some battens on top of the tarp? (My garden is horrendously windy though, perhaps yours isn't so bad!)

[debbier]

This has got me thinking about building one, and my chooks aren't even here yet!

 

How did the kit work from A4U? I've seen their web site, but wouldn't know where to start with it. I do have all the tools etc. and can tackle most things if I have the "bits", but imagination isn't my strong point.

[atsw]

How did the kit work from A4U? I've seen their web site, but wouldn't know where to start with it.

He does 'standard' runs and 'bespoke' runs. Once you have worked out where you want you run, you see if a 'standard' run will fit, and if so buy that. If not, a bit more work is required by you work out that will fit, and Tony designs and builds to your specification.

 

Andrew

[Egluntyne]

Woo hoo! Congratulations alih.

[alih]

Aw thanks, Egluntine. DH is off to Glastonbury so I caught him in a giddy mood!

 

About to go and sketch my plan out so I can plant around the run to my heart's desire....and shortlist the possible new chooks I could possibly add. Or hatch.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

How did the kit work from A4U? I've seen their web site, but wouldn't know where to start with it.

 

Measure up where you want it to go then draw a plan. Have a think about where you want doors & poo tray access etc to go. If you can email your plan to Tony he will give you the right bits and instructions on how to put it together.

 

I went a bit OTT and did a Google Sketchup plan (and lost a week of my life ) but an Excel diagram or even a scannedpencil drawing will do just as well!

 

Your best bet for the imagination side of it is poring over everyone else's runs .

[Space Chick]

1. You should be fine. It's not the chickens digging out that's the problem, it's stopping outsiders (foxes, rats, etc etc) digging in.

 

2. Most get a roof. You don't have to buy the one from A4U, if you have a Wickes nearby it could be cheaper to do that bit yourself.

 

3. Yes, but be sure you have good powertools (good / powerful electric screwdriver / drill is essential).

 

4. Oh yes!

 

Have a look at *** this link *** for helpful hints from my build a few months back. There's even more details about the roof and gutter ** here **.

 

I think you'll find some of these pictures are in the instructions that Tony provides these days .

 

Andrew

 

I knew I recognised those photos when he emailed the instructions!!!

 

I thought, that looks like Andrews run! Sad I know when you recognise other peoples WIRs

[Redwing]

Andrew is right my run did have a tarp rrof but it was a stop gap till the plastic one went on recently

 

The tarp did gather an awful lot of water and I was out in the run each day pushing up the wire to drain the roof

 

The movement of the tarp meant it punctured in a few places and leaked

 

I made sure that the lower edge of my run is below the fence behind so that the wind was less of a problem and had no issues with the tarp turning sail-like however for the reasons above we decided that it was a def no-no

 

On the plus side it kept about 70% of the weather out so is better than having no roof

[alih]

hmmmm...you make me think I should splash out for a roof...does it not make it all very hot in summer?

[Redwing]

I thought so too but as someone pointed out the run is tall enough for heat to dissipate (sp?) and certainly my run isnt too hot now it has the roof on

[atsw]

hmmmm...you make me think I should splash out for a roof...does it not make it all very hot in summer?

No, not really. It's well above the chickens (i.e. 6ft), and all four sides are open, so air just breezes though.

 

Andrew

[Janty]

I would definitely go for a 'Tony' roof. He built our run with a solid, felted roof and that is lovely and cool, even in the hottest weather that we have been having lately. He set up drainpipes each side and we have two water butts filling up nicely. If you are convincing Hubby that the run will be neat and tidy, the roof will finish it off nicely.

 

[alih]

ok guys you have me sold... and Janty, you have an excellent point!!

[Janty]

ok guys you have me sold... and Janty, you have an excellent point!!

 

[alih]

ok, one more question ( ), honest answers please.

 

Chooks are currently on a veg patch 18ft x 8 ft which they have access to most of the time.

 

 

My proposed wir (12x8ft) would give them less space than that and they would be in there pretty much all the time.

 

5 chooks in 96ft sq..

 

now I COULD cram in a 15ft x 8ft to give them more space but would prefer not to as I want to plant in front of the run to soften the look as it were and keep the run back from the patio a bit.

 

What do you guys think? Will there be enough space? Though I am tempted to get more chooks I think for us the optimum number is 4 or 5 so I will wait for nature to take its course and replenish as and when, so not likely ever to have more than 6 at most...

 

thanks guys!

[atsw]

That will be absolutely fine. My run is 15ft x 6ft, which is 90sq.f and therefore a tiny bit smaller than yours will be. I currently have three hens with a plan for two or three more.

 

During the spring and summer the girls are confirmed to the WIR so they don't destroy the veg patch and garden flowers. In Autum and Winter they are allowed free roaming via their 'free-range hatch' and do a great job eating all the bugs and slugs, together with some random fertilisation .

 

If you're at all worried you can always add layers. I have an old garden bench which the girls love to climb on and sit under, others have added high level perches and mezzanine levels.

 

So, in summary, I think 12 x 8 will be fine for 4 or 5 hens - I do think you're right not to make it too big, it's your garden too, after all!

 

Andrew

[Space Chick]

96 square feet is actually 8.9 square metres, so working on the principle for 1 square metre per chook, that gives you potential for 9 near enough.

[alih]

ok am reassured, many thanks as always...