Chicken boarders

[Lavenders_Blue]

I am having serious thoughts about a WIR. My hens are currently kept in an outside pen which is fine in the summer but absolutely horrid when it rains (take a look at this thread to see what a horrible muddy mess my run is).

It's not so much inspiration for the design that I am after, but more the pros and cons of a WIR - if I am going to do this it will be the very last run that we build for the hens, so need to get it right.

For example, an absolute must is that is would need to be roofed, but given our current puddly mess, will the rain water running off the roof of the WIR not just pool elsewhere and cause an equally muddy problem? I know we could attach a water butt to collect the rainwater, but in weather like this it would fill up pretty quickly!

Anything else I should be aware of? Any hints and tips that you could give me? I'd rather consider the pitfalls before building anything, hubby is already at the thought of spending more money on the girls so it would need to be perfect!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

No cons as far as I'm concerned . We still have a muddy slimy mess in their freerange area when it's wet but they always have somewhere dry to go if they want to.

 

Re the waterbutt, I have a flexible pipe (I think it's a washing machine overflow pipe, can't quite remember!) which I put into the side of the waterbutt at the top so any excess water just drains away into the ground.

[scubababe]

A WIR is a godsend I too used to have the mud bath everytime it rain..it really wasn't pleasant.

 

Here is some inspiration for you.

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12663

 

& this is my thread

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=86951

 

& more tips & photos

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=73995&start=270

 

Any questions just ask. There are loads of people who have either built their own WIR from scratch or had one made

[Plum]

Can't think of any minus it's just such a boon especially in this weather.

 

Tips-

Allow as much room as you can.

Have kickboards round the base to keep the bedding in.

Door opening inwards to stop them escaping.

Sloping roof and guttering.

Weatherproof the windward side - I have one side mostly permanently protected with plastic and drop down tarpaulins on two others.

Don't use chickenwire it can be bitten through I used 16g weldmesh

Buy or make 3ft panels to assemble.

Make the base foxproof by using concrete, slabs or burying wire.

Use treated wood to save on maintenance.

Shop around for quotes and prices. Vast difference.

 

Have fun I really enjoyed planning mine.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I'm not getting too excited yet... hubby is still about it. In fairness I can see his point, he only last year built me a lovely chicken pen that I pestered and pestered him to build, and now I want a WIR Still, I am working on the principle that if I plant the seed, eventually he will think it was all his idea... I hope!

[Cinnamon]

I have a walk in run & it is still a mud bath - a couple of days ago it was 3 inches deep in water.

We have a high water table & it comes up from the ground when the soil is saturated...the run has a pitched roof too.

 

that said,they are really good & I don't think I would enjoy keeping hens so much without one

[Lavenders_Blue]

Thanks Cinnamon, that is definitely worth knowing. I have managed the mud situation very well in the past with woodchips but this recent weather has just been too bad. However, if a WIR potentially might not cope with this kind of weather then I'm perhaps best off keeping things as they are Perhaps I just need to plant lots more shrubs in the hen pen and hope they soak up all the water?!

[Mrs Potts]

Hi.

Just to say our WIR is wood chip straight onto grass. It has kick boards and a fox-deterring skirt, but it was down to me to build it and I don't have the type of strength to pick up or move slabs about. I was worried about foul smelling mud + wood chip sludge, particularly as the village is built on springs so drainage could have been a problem but it drains really well and Stalosan keeps it smelling nice.

As well as having a cover of some kind, roof or tarp, I've found spare side tarps essential. Last Monday the rain was horizontal but putting up two side tarps really helped the drying process.

If my husband isn't keen on something, or has difficulty picturing it, I save pictures of what I want/mean as my PC screensaver, then leave it on whilst I do some washing up or free range the hens ... the WIR in-run threads have so much inspiration ...

[heth1986]

I'm not getting too excited yet... hubby is still about it. In fairness I can see his point, he only last year built me a lovely chicken pen that I pestered and pestered him to build, and now I want a WIR Still, I am working on the principle that if I plant the seed, eventually he will think it was all his idea... I hope!

 

I sent my OH out in his flip flops to put the girls to bed on the really rainy nights! We now have about 12" of hard woodchip all over the run and he is planning our WIR All his idea... honest!