My eco solution to rat problems

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's looking really good .

 

Are you going to let them have free-range of the garden when you're around? I only ask as they will poop indiscriminately which isn't great if you have kids about . Some netting attached to the corner of the WIR could give them a little freerange area without your lawn being ruined and poop getting everywhere!

[IanT]

Thanks folks! Well we went to Hens made Easy, and Jocelyn was really helpful with lots of advice as to what we should get.

We looked at Silkies which were in a pen of their own but considered the problem of integrating them with others, then we were shown into the back field and wow - so many birds. There was a large pen of many different hybrids - they were yougsters about 12 weeks old (excuse my ignorance with proper terminology) so not laying eggs yet. But we explained that we were looking for a number of birds which we hoped would get on together. There were others which were older but we opted to take the young birds. We took a Columbian Black Tail, Bluebelle, Blackrock, Speckaldy and a Leghorn. One more than we thought but we are going to open up half of the garden to them so they have enough room.

We popped them into their run today and watched them. They have tentatively looked around and ventured onto a perch, also halfway up the ladder too. We gave them a cabbage but they don't seem too interested in that. Maybe a bit nervous after their trip away?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sounds like a lovely selection . Looking forward to seeing them in their new home (ahem, photos please ). Have you picked names yet?

 

They might try the cabbage when they're used to their surroundings. I give mine shredded curly kale and also stick a corn on the cob onto a skewer and hang it up (chicken swingball, it's hilarious to watch ).

[Plum]

Congratulations nice mix. It takes a while for them to get confident and try scarey things like cabbages

[IanT]

Well, we only saw a couple venture half way up the ladder until my wife shouted from the kitchen 5 minutes ago that they have all disappeared. All had gone off to bed! How amazing! So I have put the lock down on their door and look forward to seeing them tomorrow at breakfast. Will post pics too!

Have thought about getting some netting to fence off half the garden, but tomorrow morning we will give them run of the back garden to see what they make of it!

[Chortle Chook]

That is such a pretty blue WIR. Gets me thinking that perhaps my chooks need not trash my garden after all

[tdf010604]

All these WIR look FANTASTIC!!!

As a beginner can I ask, could I put my run on concrete (I have an unused shed base) I thought the hens would need grass but most of these photos seems to have solid bases. If I uses the concrete base I already have it gives me a larger run than I could provide on grass as my garden is an awkward shape (it does give my husband a lost shed base but hey ho!!)

 

Any advice would be much appreciated... thanks x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum . You can certainly put a WIR on concrete. It'll save you a huge amount of work having a base ready to use . It's nice for them to have soil to dig about in but not essential if you give them plenty of hentertainment in their run! Will you be able to let them freerange at all?

[tdf010604]

thanks for replying, they will free range when I am home, which is a fair part of the day, just not sure how escape-y our garden is, are they likely to go off exploring? we have natural borders where we are, not hard fencing between houses. I have visions of me sitting in the garden all day to keep an eye on them and the kids becoming feral right behind me!!

 

So, if I put the run on the concrete base, we have lots of tree chippings, could I lay that down?

 

I am excited and yet really nervous, it's like having children again!!

[LottyJ1]

Just worked out how to up load photos so here are some of the run we just built after all of the amazing inspiration on here! Thanks guys!

 

 

 

 

[scubababe]

WOW Lottyj1, that is lovely. Bet you are really pleased with it

[Plum]

Looks great Lottie, shows your lovely hen house off well

[NannyOgg]

. I have visions of me sitting in the garden all day to keep an eye on them and the kids becoming feral !!

hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa, that really made me chuckle

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Lottie, that run looks fantastic, well done .

 

tdf, hens do like exploring (although they usually come back home!) so you might want to set up some netting round their area. That'll also prevent them getting poop everywhere (which your feral kids might end up getting all over themselves ).

[LottyJ1]

Yes very chuffed - and would never have even considered one without reading all the posts on here.

Just need some more chooks as only have two now.

 

And finish the landscaping! but chooks come first!

[Chortle Chook]

LottyJ1 your run really is fantastic and certainly needs to be admired from the inside by more than two chooks

 

tdf - you don't need growing grass for your chickens. In fact they will probably scratch up any you do have in no time at all. They'd like something to have a dust bath in however, whether a tub trug of dry earth, or a place in your flower borders. They'd also like some material to rake around in, on the firm WIR floor.

 

My chooks free range around my garden all the time, but it has not grass at all (just shrubbery and paths) so from time to time I give my chooks a roll of grass from the local garden centre to play on. They love it.

[IanT]

Lovely run LottyJ1! Great space, and as others have said, plenty of room for more!

[CheekyPekins]

Wow - I'm so glad I found this thread. So many fantastic walk-in runs for inspiration I had an idea of how our run could look, but I'm off to have a total redesign now..lol.

 

We're thinking of having ours with a slab base, and then sand - has anyone else done this? I have 2 Pekins and am conscious that I'll need flooring that will let them not get muddy feet all the time.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm not aware of anyone using sand in a WIR. My concern would be if it got damp it would take ages to dry out. Will you have a covered roof on your WIR? Horse beddings like Easibed, Hemcore, etc are brilliant in WIRs as they are very absorbant (hence the need for a covered roof!) but dry out quickly and are good for nestboxes too.

 

Have fun planning your WIR .

[CheekyPekins]

I was planning a roof for the WIR - I read somewhere (on my endless internet-roaming for all things chicken-related!) that sand is quite good for just being able to rake out poos... Hmmm, need to have a think Decisions, decisions...

[Plum]

I've used it with earth in the dust bath and you're right. Will be interested to hear how it goes

[scubababe]

I had a concrete base laid and use abiose which as ANH has said is great for absorbing moisture & easy to poo pick & no muddy feet

 

I have a plastic box which I put play sand in (much to the dismay of my boys!!) with diacom & either soil or ashes which the girls use as a dust bath as Plum has said.

 

Good luck planning. It is great fun and don't forget to ask questions. I've learnt a lot from here...not only on what went right but what went wrong

 

There was/is still things I would change but I'm knit picking now. My biggest problem now is stopping the water seeping under the frame & soaking the abiose I'm working on it and really it is not an issue considering the mud bath that used to be their run They really are living in Chookingham palace now

[Plum]

I used external door and window sealant under the frame and its working. Some needs replacing each year

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You've reminded me I meant to do that job!

[scubababe]

Oooooo good idea I will wait for some dry weather and give it a go. I've actually moved the frame on the base in the hope that most of the water will now run off the roof and onto the raised soil area at the back of the run and not the concrete base....seems to have worked Not getting as much water on the base. Will have a good look at it during this month as will do a full abiose change ready for getting my ex-bats at the end of the month