Chicken boarders

[Tutti Frutti]

putting an Onduline roof on the WIR! We bought it all today from B&Q - 15% off for buying 5 sheets and then another 20% OFF for spending over £50

 

I'll post my "before"... but it's so embarassing... reminds me of Steptoe's yard only messier. We had PVC sheets before but they cracked under the weight of snow so the WIR's now covered in a tarp. Nice (NOT!).

 

I really really want a pretty, tidy run! Maybe it'll nearly be there by the end of tomorrow??

 

(edited to change title)

Edited March 21, 2010 by Guest

[Plum]

This is the bit that makes me really anxious so will look forward to seeing it

[emchook]

good luck !!

Looking forward to the before and after piccies !

[Lewis]

How have you got on?

 

have had a busy day in the garden today too

[Tutti Frutti]

BRILLIANT! I'm almost too embarrassed to put up the before photo... that flipping snow ruined the roof so we ended up covering it up with tarps - and then it was windy last week so, in desperation, we grabbed bits of old run panel to hold the tarp down What a mess But the girls didn't mind and you can see them sunbathing happily on their perches!

 

 

So the tarps have all gone, the mish-mash of back-wall and side-wall coverings are now all Ikea shower curtains, the roof is now Onduline, there's guttering along the full length of the front feeding the water butt, I've put larch-lap along all the bottom edges to stop Aubiose getting everywhere, and I've changed all the plants around and clad the front vertical struts with semi-circular poles so it's looking more like a tropical paradise than Steptoe's backyard I'll get a better photo in the morning so you can see the Onduline (we had to get black as B&Q didn't have enough green or red!). And it's all finished off with a plastic garden butterfly

 

 

I also added more perches from the £1.42 ballustrades Eww excuse the poo!

 

 

And lastly, here's Tower Egglets - which might soon be moved to being side by side on a table top, to increase the girls' floor space.

 

 

Sorry, no photos of the girls - I was so busy doing the run and they were so busy "helping" all day (minxes!). They stayed up as long as they could before wobbling off to bed - they were so tired as they didn't want to miss anything

 

So all I need to do now is

(1) something with that horrendous door! Either stain it or replace it!

(2) have a bath

[Plum]

Well done, work's paying off. Like the tropical theme, lucky chooks

[Tutti Frutti]

I wish I could have thatched it instead

 

Oooh I fancy a Piña Colada now! Would it look silly with some bar stools on the outside??? Oh, I thought so!

[Plum]

No get the bar stools out and I'll be over to join you Piña Colada

[Lewis]

I also added more perches from the £1.42 ballustrades Eww excuse the poo!

 

Now thats !

 

We don't have horizontal struts on the inside of the WIR or I'd copy it Could attempt one lower down, but I'd mess it up

[Tutti Frutti]

Hmm I've had another idea... a free-standing pyramid with horizontal bars! Oh those girls are so SPOILT!

 

[Plum]

You could Lewis Screw some batons through the wire.

[chick wiggle]

Thats looking great Tutti Frutti, what a busy day you've had, very constructive though and well worth it. I love the butterfly!

 

Lewis if you want some frestanding perches, my OH made these and the girls are always on them.

Just squares of wood so not too difficult i think

[Lewis]

Sorry to hijack the thread!

I made this earlier which I'll use, might have a go at some better ones

[Tutti Frutti]

No worries!

 

I have a pile of logs - bit like Jenga and I've tie wrapped them together and put it next to the feeders. The girls love to perch and eat and NO drilling required

 

I'll see if I can get a photo in the morning!

 

Actually, it's more like a noughts and crosses grid, now I think of it!

[Tutti Frutti]

A daylight picture of my WIR

 

 

Aah you can just make out the first floor of Tower Egglets to the left of the door

[emchook]

It looks great !

[Tutti Frutti]

Introducing the "no drilling" roosting bars Yup, held together with tie-wraps!

 

[Tutti Frutti]

It's finished (on the outside anyway, still want to sort out the shelving !), we've come a long way from our little wooden coop! I might celebrate with a Pina Colada. Or maybe a cup of tea

 

 

'Scuse the netting, it's to keep the girls off our new LAWN! Yes, we HAVE A LAWN! And it's grown so well, we had to mow it at the weekend

 

I also want to tidy up the PVC (bought on the roll from Dunelm Mill)... at the moment it's just held up with mini-bulldog clips (25 for 99p I think, Tesco) attached to the weldmesh with rubber bands but they're so effective, I think I might just screw them onto the WIR frame

[emchook]

Its lovely ! Well done

[Plum]

Wow, tropical makeover Hope the girls appreciate it. Love the new door.

[Tutti Frutti]

WHY THANK YOU! The girls don't give two hoots

 

And... it's the same door! Amazing what a shabby chic (or should that be shabby chick ) coat of Country Cream Cuprinol does, along with two lengths of giant pencil to disguise the "hurridly-sawn-in-half-cos-I-got-locked-in-on-Boxing-Day" stable door cut

[Plum]

What? you just happened to have a saw with you

[jill the potter]

what else would you have with you on Boxing day!!!! Love the run and the ingenious perches!!! Now where's my saw????

[Tutti Frutti]

haha no not with me! But when DH realised that lunch wasn't ready and the in-laws were due in 2 minutes, he figured it out And he was so in the dog house, the door was sawn in half the next day!

[Tutti Frutti]

Rightio, after the Perching Pyramid, please may I introduce the Recycled Director's Chairs

 

 

It's just an old director's chair that was destined to go to the recycling centre but has been recycled for the chooks instead! They have two - this one in the garden under the bushes and the other is in the run I took off the fabric, unscrewed the arms and them screwed them back on the frame horizontally and hey presto! A chook toy