3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[JPalmer]

I need some advise from everyone that has a WIR run. I have contacted Lewis from Aviarys4u about a quote for a run. Since I am new to chicken keeping a bit unsure as to what to do for the floor of run. I am going to put the run next to a tree (pretty big tree has been there for almost 35 years)in the garden so the roots would be an issue to get around. I also would be placing it in a fenced corner. One neighbor has nothing in that area so a fox could dig under the 6ft fence (it has a concrete base with the wooden slat like slide in things) the back neighbor has a pine like tree there (been in the house 10 years and the tree has been there so pretty big one) so again root issue when it comes to diggin down at all really. The last neighbor doesn't have anything that I can see in that little corner.

 

Would a fox dig in my neighbor's garden to get under the fence??? If it did it might be able to get inside the run. Since I work 8 hours everyday and no one is usually home I am trying to fox proof and trying to think of every little detail. I could do paving slabs but would like the chickens to be able to dig down to the ground. Was thinking of putting slabs for the run to sit on but not the entire floor. Which would be better complete floor of slabs with hemcore sprinkled on top or just the edging with lots of hemcore to even it out equal to the pavers? Guessing paving the outside that isn't near a fence wall would be best as well??? Sorry I am a complete novice and really want to keep the foxes out. I am a fanatic / panicy about a fox getting one of my babies. They are NEVER ever alone in the garden even if I have to use the loo hubby will come out for me once I even pee'd in the garden cause he wasn't home. Sad I know!! I appreciate any advice ...

[figarogir1]

Foxes can dig under the fence if they have the time and so I had the same problem as you when I got my WIR what I did is put strong wire mesh in front of the fence and as low into the ground as I could get it, I then laid it on the ground (a bit like the omlet run skirt) and put paving slabs on top of that! My A4U run sits on top of the slabs to prevent the wood rotting as well as being another barrier to the foxes and then the inside is bare earth covered in aubiose. It works well for us and the fox family that live near by have not had any success so far. Good luck I know what a worry they are and a WIR is a big expence so you want to get it right although Lewis is very patient when you keep changing your mind about what you want

[Mercedes55]

We have a run built by A4U too and changed our minds all the time about what we wanted, so I wouldn't worry too much about ordering it and then refining how you want it. Our WIR is also fairly close to the corner of our garden, but we have trellis on top of the fence that takes it up to about 10ft high, however obviously a fox could dig under as our fence doesn't have concrete gravel boards. We have our run built on top of oak sleepers and the inside is slabbed and then we have a layer of rapport on top of that. We also let ours FR during the day in the back border of the garden which only has chicken wire surrounding it, so isn't fox proof. However we worry more about rats than foxes, which is why we have the inside slabbed as we don't want any rats burrowing underneath. I would suggest maybe just a layer of slabs either on the inside or the outside of the WIR so that foxes can't get in

[janeears]

Yes, we opted for the slab perimter and middle left as soil. It's all now covered with woodchippings but the girls love to scratch around the central part.

[JPalmer]

Thank you all for responding. I will try to put some wire down as well as pavers. So glad to know that Lewis knows how us Omleteers are . Feel so much better about things and plans! You guys are the best!!

[StevieG]

Hi there

 

We have a WIR built by Lewis (12ft X 6ft, with mesh roof). Before Lewis came to constuct it we put down a wire mesh sheet on the floor which is slightly bigger than the WIR. Then we laid a perimeter of concrete slabs for the WIR to sit on. On top of the wire we put down a couple of inches of sand and then a thick layer of gravel and then topped off with a good layer of leaves for the chooks to scratch around in. So far we've had no problems with foxes and there doesn't seem to be any signs of digging. We only let the chooks free range if supervised. Good luck with the WIR, Lewis has built us an excellent one.

 

Lizzie

Clementina

Mildred

[helen1962]

Tom and I built our own custom made WIR. I demolished a falling down gazebo but left the flagged floor down so that my hens had a hard standing bit for the house food and water. I also roofed this bit so that they could get out of the rain. The paved floor also keeps their toes and beaks down as they continually wipe their beaks on the floor particularly following a bowl of porridge! The rest of the run is open to the elements and at first I just had a soil floor but that got soiled quite badly and books say their pooh carries parasites. So today I dug down into the soil by about 4 inches and put down a sheet of butyl liner. I then put about 10 bags of pea gravel on top of it for the hens to scratch about in. This brought the level back up by 4 inches. I thought that as the hens are inside the run most of the time, I could keep the main run clean and smelling sweet. My hens love digging in gravel more than soil, my gravel garden is testament to that! This is why I have gravelled theirs. The outer walls of the run are a heavy duty mesh but I have put barriers around the perimeter with log roll and a shrub filled raised border. Foxes can't get near enough to dig through. The run also has a netting roof on the bit that is exposed to the weather. The whole run is 8ft x 20ft. 8ft x 8ft is under cover. It really isn't difficult to build your own and so very much cheaper! Also you can make it whatever shape you like. Mine has a hexagonal perspex covered area and a large bow fronted open run. I painted the wooden frame in Cuprinol Garden Shade Holly which is a lovely dark green that blends well with the Escallonia shrubs (I call them the Bumblebee Bushes because the Bumblebees just love them!) These shrubs are dense evergreen shrubs with delicate pink or red flowers. They grow very tall but tolerate hard pruning to keep them in shape, (something I very rarely do because I get so many wild birds nesting in them). Hope this helps.