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

[CharLeila]

Hi,

 

I'v tried my best to try and keep it dry under the cube but its still soggy and horrible. I have a shower curtain wrapped around the 3 sides of the run (underneath the cube), another shower curtain over the top of the run to the floor and the omlet shade down the other side. All looks good but still wet inside. Could this be to do with my mistake of putting barkchip and not wood chip in the run? I'v been thinking about building a sort of pergola with a corrugated plastic roof on to protect it more but would this help? It would need to be high enough for me to walk under but then the rain would get in the sides??? Aaaarrrgghhhh!

What does everyone else do to keep the wet off and the ground dry in a cube with standard run??? A WIR isn't an option at this address.

[Patricia W]

Hi, You could try getting a heavier duty clear tarpaulin for the run. I think Tarpaflex is one company that does them. I know others have used them. I'm lucky in that the cube is under a very large fir tree which means that plus the winter shade keeps them really dry.

 

I'm sure others will come along with more advice so I'll bump this up for you.

 

Tricia

[Egluntyne]

Moisture seeps up from the ground, even if the Eglu and run are on paving slabs.

 

Someone recently mentioned that they used pond liner between the flags and bedding material and had dound it successful.

[CharLeila]

ahh, pond liner. Sounds like a job for the summer ready for next winter. Think i'll dig up the ground a bit and put a deep layer of woodchip down. I just felt so sorry for them, had the girls in the house the other day with a hair dryer on them.. Can't wait to move so I can build a WIR.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[GillC]

Hi,

 

I'v been thinking about building a sort of pergola with a corrugated plastic roof on to protect it more but would this help? It would need to be high enough for me to walk under but then the rain would get in the sides??? Aaaarrrgghhhh!

 

Just a warning that if you do use corrugated plastic, get fairly heavy duty stuff. We built a WIR and roofed it with corrugated plastic with a slope so the rain would run off. We couldn't get the heavy duty stuff we wanted but we thought this would do in the short term.

 

However during the summer, the hot sun warped the plastic so it became curvey in all the wrong places Then the winter rains and snow came and the water pooled in the now convex corrugated plastic. The chickens were living in a kind of waterfall zone. We rigged up a couple of eglu shades so that the water now streams down the shades into a handy bucket which we have to empty. All the same, it's way damper than we'd like.

 

My husband is now (this very weekend) building a proper pitched roof with wood. We're planning to attach the defunct corrugated plastic around some of the sides to keep the wind and rain out a bit and see how we fare.

 

Even a temporary shelter might suffer in this way if the plastic is not thick enough.

 

Just in case you decide to go for this option until you get chance to move and have a WIR. Good luck with it

[CharLeila]

GillC, thanks for the advice. Sounds good what you husband is doing. Be intersting to see some pics!?

 

I need to get thinking so that I can build something that will do the job I intend it to but at the same time be able to take it apart again and move it. Do you think if you had enough supports that your corrugated plastic would of done the job?

[oneyolktoanother]

we have put thick plastic on top of the run and will take it away in the summer and have plastic on the one side

[GillC]

I have pics of the pitched roof. It looked lovely to start with, but leaked through the tiny gaps between the slats. However after lots of waterproof coating and bathroom sealant, it is now watertight.

 

Since this pic was taken, we've put in guttering and a water butt which is brilliant. I use the water to wash the eglus when I'm cleaning them out as the tap is a bit of a walk away. It makes it much easier. I also use it to top up the glugs.

 

[Falkor]

I have plastic corrugated sheets on my cube run (held on by bungees. I have a couple of Ikea shower curtains on the sides which I roll up or down weather dependent.

 

Works a treat!

[chuckmum6]

I have gone for tarpaflex on my cube train and it is great. I would recommend it with bunge cords as it will stay in place even in high winds, it is much better than the Omlet covers as it is truly waterproof and lets light in. I roll up the tarp at the front when it is dry and sunny (had forgotten what sun looked like), so the girls can sun bathe a funny sight ! I will use my omlet covers as sun shades when we have stronger sun under the tarp.

[sadietoo]

Moisture seeps up from the ground, even if the Eglu and run are on paving slabs.

 

 

I have this problem in my eglu run where it sits on brick paviors (not as posh as it sounds left over from a building project and recycled by my clever OH)

 

I changed from Bark chippings to Aubiose in my run and I haven't looked back.The moisture seems to evaporate. Smells sweeter too.

[Plum]

Hi CL part of your problem with the run being so wet may be ventilation. It sounds like you have most of the sides covered and so you'll get condensation and also not allow it to evaporate when wet. It may be better to cover the sides just where the rain comes from.

 

Now with the plastic corrugated roof (says she who has absolutely no experience but has been reading a lot ) the holes for screws need to be considerably bigger than the screws which allows for expansion in the heat and sun and prevents buckling. It (presumably) won't leak through them because you use washers and caps to fix.