Mnott65 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hi all I have recently started keeping hens & foolishly bought one of the small coops of eBay, it seemed fine to start with but I have 6 hens & now they have grown a but there doesn't seem to be enough room. Can any body recommend a suitable WIR that will be big enough for me to use the coop as a house inside. Iv had a look on eBay but don't want to make the same mistake by rushing in feet first again so any advice would be most grateful. Thanks in advance Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaspersmum Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I also started with a small run and quickly realised the girls needed loads more space. I was lucky enough to have a WIR built for me by v talented OH but I've often seen excellent reviews for Aviaries4U on here. They have a website and sell via eBay too I think. I haven't seen one of their runs first hand but they seem to be very popular. Flyte so Fancy also make WIRs, not cheap but v good quality - we had our wooden chook house from them and we were very pleased with the standard of build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hi Mick, welcome to the Omlet forum! There are a number of recommended WIR makers. I got mine from Bay Animal Housing (who also sells on ebay). As a rule of thumb the budget should be for at least 1 square meter (or 9.5 square foot) per hen so for 6 hens you should be looking at a 2m x 3m run or larger. You may also want to think about roofing, bedding, etc. As the first place to look for inspiration I would recommend the "Eglus, Cubes and Runs" subforum <>, in particular the various "We're all planning walk in runs" threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I did exactly the same buying a cheap wooden coop, practically gave it away after a month I've just ordered an omlet walk in run but they are a big investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutti Frutti Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hi Mick, welcome to the Omlet forum! There are a number of recommended WIR makers. I got mine from Bay Animal Housing (who also sells on ebay). As a rule of thumb the budget should be for at least 1 square meter (or 9.5 square foot) per hen so for 6 hens you should be looking at a 2m x 3m run or larger. You may also want to think about roofing, bedding, etc. As the first place to look for inspiration I would recommend the "Eglus, Cubes and Runs" subforum <>, in particular the various "We're all planning walk in runs" threads. I''ll second that and also mention guttering! And a water butt, mine's almost full after the storm just now And clear tarpaulins (or the new Omlet covers) to keep the run dry when it rains Also, many people slab/concrete the base completely (like me, makes washing down easy) but plenty of people are happy with just slabs around the edges (so foxes can't dig in), leaving the middle as soil for dustbathing. For flooring, I've tried alsorts of dust-extracted horse bedding but always come back to Aubiose, a hemp-derived straw-like material, which we've found to be MUCH easier to compost than woodchip or wood shavings Happy chook keeping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnott65 Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hi Thanks for all the advice, iv had a look at Bay Animal Housing's web site & it all looks like sturdy stuff. What is the quality like & how hard are they to put up. They have a 10% sale on this weekend so if there ok it looks like I may be rushing in again. Regards Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnott65 Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Also if anyone has any photo's of runs purchased from them it would be nice to see one in the garden. Thanks again Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctors girls Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 hope this helps this is my WIR from BAH i purchased this in april of this year as you see it now has a roof on it now which i did myself with the help of my brother and on thursday i finished it off with the guttering it sits on the breeze block with the floor of the run slabbed and the slabs fit in between the breeze blocks i first did it half slabbed half wood chip but when the roof went on i went for the full slabbed option a bale of rapport and it so much easier the WIR sits on this ] fully built half and half and finally a roof i am well pleased with run and if i had to buy another i would use them again also a good tip is i would pay that little bit extra and get it with kick boards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I have an Aviaries4u run which is in my signature link, if you want to see one up close . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
