Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Lewis]

Getting fed up with how wet the WIR is getting atm!

The Aubiose/Cushionbed is soaking it up and spreading it across the rest of the WIR so having to change that more often because its wet and not dirty from the chickens.

 

The roof is on a slope with a bit of an overhang to catch the rain, theres plastic around the bottom (and along top on the back), with army tarps covering the back 'cos I thought the rain was coming in off the roof, but its still getting wet!

 

I can't even tell where the rain is coming in to put more tarps up - have got a couple more Omlet shades and I was going to buy a glass tarp for the front (just be tricky with the 2 doors) but don't know what else we can do to keep it dry. Its def worse on the right near the big door end and not Cube end

 

It has a concrete base and I thought about being drastic and move it to put a couple of sleepers/bricks or something to raise the WIR it up but that'd be a lot of effort if it doesn't help!

 

Gerald the duck is in there and he splashes water from the superglug but don't think he's making it that wet.

 

Does anyone else's WIR floor bedding get wet, what did you do to fix it?

[Egluntyne]

Yes, me. Am having to change it pretty much on a weekly basis at the moment. I'm pretty sure that it is leaching up from between the gaps in the paving stones. Keep meaning to go to Screwfix to buy some damp proof membrane to put on top of the stones and under the Aubiose.

[Mum]

Have you noticed condensation on the roof on the inside? Mine gathers condensation there and drips down onto the WIR floor.

 

We had some heavy rain the other day and the fact the WIR is made of wire means that water will get in unless every square inch of the panelling is covered - which sort of defeats the object of a WIR and an "outdoor" environment.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I have gutters on mine and apart from the very edges where the water seeps in under the WIR frame, the centre stays bone dry. On a windy day, the rain can be driven in but I don't find that too much of a problem.

 

The acrylic panels certainly help too!

[Space Chick]

Me too, and I suspect it's seeping up through the paving slabs.

 

It's soul destroying at the moment, and I am cleaning the runs out weekly, but 2 days later they look like they need it doing again.

 

I am seriously thinking about getting a waterproof membrane, and then going down a woodchip route rather than the hemcore, as I am concerned that its going to start affecting my girls health soon

[chick wiggle]

Egluntyne, if you do get some membrane would you please take photos and let us know if it works. Although my WIR is fine, i also have a cube with run and eglu with run, both runs on paving slabs and covered with tarparlins and they get so wet its like the somme in there some days. I have just today cleaned them both out (again!) and rearranged and re-secured the tarpaulins and am as sure as i can be that rain cant get in from above, so if it gets wet now it must be coming in up through the pavers.

So, Lewis, your not the only one having problems hunni

[Henslaved]

Just out of curiosity what are your paving slabs laid on?

 

My OH laid mine onto a thick layer of large gravel and the run is only wet around the edges after it has rained.

[chick wiggle]

Mine are just laid on levelled bare earth, so that could be half the problem Unfortunately theres not a lot i could do about that now apart from taking them all up and im not sure i could convince OH to do that!

[Redwing]

Lewis, put those shades on the outside of the run, as they are at the moment rain will run down them in to the run!

 

For anyone placing covers on the sides of a run it will help if the bottom of the tap/cover is away from the frame so that water is less likely to run in, you could attach it to a batten so that the bottom of the cover flares out a bit, I have a couple of runs that have them attached but the bottom 10 inches or so left loose and sat on the ground away from the run

 

(hope that makes sense!)

[chick wiggle]

I understand what you mean Tash, my tarps are attached to the edge of the run skirt, so not directly down to the ground but still on the pavers, so will see how it goes, then maybe think again if it doesnt work.

[Lewis]

Will move the shades tomorrow

The tarps on the back are cable tied all the way up apart from the bottom to make it drain off like you said, didn't even think about the shades being on the inside!

 

Mine is flat concrete base so don't think water can seep up - I thought about waterproof membrane but thought any wetness would just be kept in rather than draining/drying out?

[sparkysmum]

My poor ladies' WIR is 4 ins deep in water right now and OH has had to construct little platforms for them to keep them half dry. One of our drains must have silted up and the rainwater isn't running away & their WIR is at the lowest point of the garden And of course everyones on holiday, so there's no telling when we'll get it cleared. Poor things.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hope you get it sorted, Alli, you'll be making little wellies for them otherwise .

[sparkysmum]

No joke, they really hate it They have to fly from a platform in the WIR out into the garden. I hope the drain clearing people are back tomorrow otherwise I'll have to try and move the whole run to another bit of the garden. Ahhh these things really are sent to try us.

[The Dogmother]

I'm currently getting a fair amount of condensation on the inside of my clear tarp, will look at it at the weekend.