Poorly chicken

[Charlottechicken]

Here are some pics of my very homemade chicken run, quite literally cobbled together with leftover bits and bobs. It is approx. 6 feet by 22 feet. For info I have a narrow east/west aligned garden which is quite long. The run is halfway down the garden (which slopes gently away from the house) and is built against a north facing fence, so the girls always have shade. It looks a bit unsafe but is actually quite sturdy (honest!)

 

 

First pic shows the view from the house. This part of the run is covered with three sheets of clear corrugated plastic, and as you can see, houses the Eglu, which is raised up. There are some old rigid clear plastic sheets, and a corrugated piece, secured to the chicken wire as weather protection.

 

 

 

Next pic shows side view of top part and half of the bottom open bit of the run, which I like to refer to as the orchard as there are two quite nice fruit trees.

 

 

This pic shows the bottom (orchard)run from the bottom!

 

 

 

Bossy models the hatch between the top covered run and bottom orchard run. I built the brick walls just a couple of months ago. In the background you can see the wooden ladder for the girls to get into the Eglu.

 

I have just previewed this and wish I had used smaller pics! It looks a real mess! Oh well

[Egluntyne]

Very functional and neat. That is what recycling is about.

 

And most importantly it has kept your girls safe.

 

It's a work of art.

[feemcg]

I think your run looks great - plenty of shelter and greenery, and thats exactly what the chooks need.Nothing wrong with that at all .

[Snowy]

I think it looks brilliant Claire, well done!

[Jools]

Wonderfully innovative - well done ! It's great that there are two "rooms" for them - their lovely chicken run plus the luxury of their orchard for "free-ranging" in. I just love it - well done.

 

Hubby built me a winter run for my banties and it's about the same size, but very, very boring! I'm now enthused to work out ways of making it more interesting and wondering if I can get trees to grow in concrete .

 

Your chickens are very lucky chickens.

[Guest]

Thanks for posting these photos - your chicken adventure park is brilliant - I love it - and they must find it very interesting too.

 

Apart from a few plants. logs and dust bath 'hides' mine is very boring in comparison, so I too am inspired to plant something big - once I get the cube in place. I will also need to make more shelter for the babies that are coming. I was going to use the detached eglu run but maybe I should wrestle with something along the lines of your plastic.

 

Trouble is mine is 22ft long and 10ft wide so a 6ft sheet would not fit without major construction work by me.

 

Here is where you can see pictures of mine.

http://kooringa.com/?p=3386

 

And if you click on my www and look under categories and chickens you can see lots more. The usually free range and hide here there and everywhere in the garden if it rains or snows - but I am thinking perhaps your idea is better.

 

I just couldn't afford the expense of one of those lovely purpose built ones by 'husbands' who are great with their hands. (Which mine isn't - but he is a whizz with the iron and vacuum cleaner which I rather like better)

[Guest]

Gosh Jools - just looked at your album - you call that boring A huge tree in their country summer retreat - fantastic views over to the mountains - and the winter one - well - it wouldn't look out of place in the alps. Lucky banties - if they ever move out I might move in

[theherd123]

Claire i just love your chicken run it has great character and i bet your chooks love it!

 

I may need to follow your lead and get some plastic sheeting for the bottom of my run as it is open on all sides and with the recent bad weather the girls have been blown about a bit, with being ex-battery babes i think they will thank me for the protection

 

Dilly your run is great too and i love the way you have used lots of different materials inside it to offer interest to your chooks I think i will get a large log for my girls too so they can prentend they are in the Pirates of the Caribbean film & walk the plank!

[Guest]

Claire thats ace

 

Great run for the girls and a lovely garden

[bronze]

I love them all though I suspect if I ever got one it would look more like Claires without the beauty of the surrounding garden.

And Jools- the views people pay a fortune for that, your girls are spoilt

Edited May 30, 2007 by Guest

[Jools]

Trouble is the chickens don't appreciate the view - I do though - every day without fail

 

Their summer garden is heavenly for them - some Sycamores for shade, a conifer hedge to hide in and dustbathe under and (with a bit of preciousness from me ) grass too. I'd love to be able to freerange them in the garden, but my two terriers would do what terriers do!

 

When I relegate them to their winter run, I feel really guilty. They have plenty of room but it's just woodchip or aubiose on concrete - extremely boring for them. I'm planning to make a turfed bit at one end so they can have some green stuff (they turn their beaks up at veggies ) and I'll cover it with some plastic mesh so they can't dig it out by the roots. But I'll have to think of an assault course to keep them amused now I have been inspired!

 

Last winter we had about three months of rain every single day. The 18 inch high wooden boards around the base of the winter run were useless at keeping it dry-ish and draught free, so we used corrugated plastic all round too. I knew they were better off in there with that awful weather, but I was so much happier when I could get them back out in their summer (spring & autumn) garden again.

 

And I'm very happy today - my lovely Boeing (Old English Game bantam) has just gone broody and I've been saving some Marans bantie eggs (plus a couple of others just in case) to go under her. Later this afternoon I'll sneak them under her. Hurrah!!

[ubereglu]

I love it! It's very cool-do you fancy building us one! Just my chickens keep escaping out of their run.

[Olly]

wow - really impressed, now that is recycling! I am feeling very guilty now, my poor hens just have to make do with an occasional bit of free-ranging (but I have extended the run - although that is really so that I can get some more )

 

I've seen Dilly's run, and it is chicken (bantam) heaven!

[Guest]

You made me blush!

 

I suppose it would be if it were covered and over and waterproof- but they do seem to like the weather whatever it is and 'do their own thing' around the garden - sunbathing or lying in the shade or perched under one of their dust bath houses - (actually the perch under there is one of their favourite places for a gossip!) Or the chicken equivalent.

 

Roll on the 18th when my cube comes.

[Charlottechicken]

Thanks all for your lovely comments! It is in my genes I suppose not to throw anything out On the bottom pic of the run, the solid white bit is actually the old tumble drier cabinet flattened out Mum had the drum to use as a composter! I have a lot of strong rigid plastic mesh from a local factory incorporated in the run too. It is used to strap aluminium together for transporting so must be tough, but comes in a nice green colour

 

Dilly, Your run is lovely!

 

The corrugated sheets come in all lengths and you will need horizontal wooden supports to attach them to, just lay sheets of it over your supports like roof tiles, with overlap so no gaps, drill holes and fix with screws, and as they are corrugated they don't slide around. Tip, cut up an old plastic milk carton into 1 inch squares to use as washers when you screw the sheets to the frame to minimise leaking. Make sure it is all on a gentle slope, attach a bit of old drainpipe and you can save the rainwater off the chickens roof too!

 

Jools, your winter quarters are brill!

 

Emma, a new version of the old rigid plastic can be bought in places like Wickes, the modern stuff doesn't yellow. It is called Ariel Liteglaze, fab unbreakable stuff like glass but thinner and much much lighter. I have a porch at the back of the house built with it.

 

Now I only have to foxproof it and bird flu proof it and I am finished!

[Snowy]

Excellant run Claire!

 

PS Were your ancestors Wombles?

[Charlottechicken]

Excellant run Claire!

 

PS Were your ancestors Wombles?

 

Uncle Bulgaria said we were never to speak about his side of the family

 

Anyway, I'm not short and blonde, so you can't actually SEE the resemblance

[Snowy]

Ah but the evidence is in the construction work! Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.