How many chickens in Eglu Cube

[Henergy]

We have had our cube for about a month now & already had a problem with an internal leak which is being dealt with by Omlet. Todays problem is more an external one.

 

This morning I venture out in my waterproofs (its pouring down & has been for a while) and see that the whole run (which is covered by an omlet clear cover) is about 2 inches deep in water & mud. The poor girls are totally covered in mud. As a reminder here is my set up.

click

 

The plastic cover has been moved since the photo so it covers the other side. And also pulled up tighter to the cube. So I don't think any actual falling rain is getting in. The whole area around the run is waterlogged and so I am assuming the water in the run is seepage.

 

Its only been raining one day - I'm now worried about what it'll be like in winter - they'll be swimming in there. I thought I'd created a nice safe dry home for them & now it seems they may as well go stand in the rain. Please, does anyone have any ideas ?

[squiffs]

Slabs could help with drainage and surface run off? My chooks have minimal water in their runs when it rains (apart from the obvious) and I think the fact they're on slabs with woodchip over it contributes to that, the water runs away as it tries to find a place to percolate the soil. Your run is probably saturated, as the water is struggling to drain out and just sits in the same place.

[fluffy chick]

What a shame you've made a lovely area for them, it looks lovely

 

I think the edging you've done to keep the chips in is also keeping water in. I think I would try move covering. Maybe try a cheap shower curtain or two to see if it makes a difference. I doubt water is seeping under from the ground as it doesn't look to be lower than the ground around it.

[Egluntyne]

I find that water tends to seep up between the gaps in the slabs in one of my runs. Some pond lining between the slabs and the Aubiose sorted it out nicely.

[Henergy]

Just taken some photos (water levels subsided somewhat) so you can see the mud !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/designsbyisis/sets/72157627397697705/

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Oh dear, it is a bit of a mudbath . I'm wondering if you need to make your bedding deeper and also perhaps change to something more absorbent, like Hemcore or Easibed? If the bedding was deeper any moisture would be spread over a larger area and might not be such a problem? I find Easibed gets very soggy at the edges of my run but it soon dries out and the girls kick it about which helps too.

 

Or a more permanent solution would be to put slabs down.

[Henergy]

Well I've just managed to dodge a shower & go & investigate.

 

I agree - I don't think its seepage although we do live on a very badly drained garden.

 

What I think is that the very heavy storm rain has run off the plastic & straight down into the run. It rained most of the night & quite a deluge. So what I think I'll do is get a bigger cover from Tarpaflex (because it is odd that the Omlet one is not the full length of the run & only covers one side) and attach it so that it is at an angle (bit like a tent & maybe use tent pegs !) hopefully meaning the water will drain on the grass side of the sleepers and not drip into the run.

 

Hopefully this will do the trick. What does everyone think ?

[fluffy chick]

This is what I was suggesting but with shower curtains! I've been looking at the clear tarpaulin for myself actually I think the cheapest is ebay.

[Henergy]

Oh dear, it is a bit of a mudbath . I'm wondering if you need to make your bedding deeper and also perhaps change to something more absorbent, like Hemcore or Easibed? If the bedding was deeper any moisture would be spread over a larger area and might not be such a problem? I find Easibed gets very soggy at the edges of my run but it soon dries out and the girls kick it about which helps too.

 

Or a more permanent solution would be to put slabs down.

 

I've got a huge bale of Aubiose in the shed - I thought that was very intolerant of water though. Would it help if mixed with the woodchip (half of which has now washed down the garden )

[scarlettohara]

I'd stick with the woodchip - aubiose is horrid when wet Get some better cover as you have suggested and give the woodchip a good rake over - it will soon dry out. Rain makes hen keeping twice as hard in my opionion

[Miss Millies Chicken]

What I think is that the very heavy storm rain has run off the plastic & straight down into the run

I had the same problem with the clear cover I use in the summer. The rain just drips down into the run as the base is wider than the top. I solved this by running a small pole horizontal under the lower edge making the cover stick out a bit and now most of the rain drips to the outside of the run. Hope this makes sense.

I don't have a problem in the winter as the cover I use fits right down to ground level

[Redwing]

I do a similar thing, I have attached a clear tarp to my garden run its attached all round apart from the bottom 6 inches which I have arranged so the tarp sits away from the run at the bottom

 

You could do a similar thing by attaching a clear tarp over the top and both sides attaching the bottom to the logs each side maybe with ball bungees to some hooks, take up one side when its warm though!

 

This all allows for good airflow too

 

Leave the end mainly clear if you can

[Happy Mrs Chicken]

I was going to buy the omlet clear cover for the winter,i have got the omlet winter green shade on at the moment and when it rains it drips off the the edges and into the run.I have the 3m run and the shade is 2m so the rest of the run gets soaked.I think i'm going to do what others do on here and buy some clear taupalin as that is better.

[LunaKiw1]

We do the 'angled tent' thing with our Tarpaflex transparent tarpaulin over both the Omlet WIR sides and the run. Pullinmg the sides out even just six inches and anchoring with bungies and tent pegs so the rain runs down the slope and into the soil a bit away from the sides makes a lot of difference.