Unsecure chicken perches

[millymollymandy]

Hi after all the soggy weather I have decided to build a WIR to give easier access and maybe a couple more chickens.

 

My OH has just had an op on his back so not much use with the heavy lifting so got a couple of quotes to get the area I need (15 square meters) slab bed or concreted over to make it easier to clean etc and for a path alongside. The quotes I got were all over £500

 

Is it worth it? I am inclined to think that with a roof on the run hopefully it won't get as muddy as it has this year but don't want to regret not getting the floor done after the run is up.

[sjp]

I've got 3 runs that are slabed one run I just laid the slabs on a dry mix with the slabs just butted up to each other with no cement pointing the other 2 runs I put on an existing slab base that was under the decking that I removed but because ther were big gaps and holes I pointed the whole of the base thats turned out to be a mistake even with the base having a big fall(slope) on it it dosen't drain well at all so this winter the run bedding it wet all of the time. the other run drains great. so I'd say slab it as thr joints will act as drainage

[Jules.]

Absolutely. Garden flags are fine and if you can get any of them free all the better, they don't have to match

[chicken bark]

I've been thinking the same thing. The run was originally put on a base of gravel that over the years had been pushed solid. Chickens are amazing things and have managed to dig it all up so when I clean the old bedding out I also clean out gravel/soil too. I think slabs might be the way forward.

[Luvachicken]

Definitely go for a hard base. We used to have gravel but it got very yucky so we swapped to paving slabs instead.

It still gets a bit slippy when the rain blows in from the wrong direction but it is very easy to clean. I bought bargain childrens tools and just s"Ooops, word censored!"e the poops off, sweep them up and then scrub the paving stones with hot soapy water and the little broom. Very easy.

It also means Mr Fox can't get underneath

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Just to put a spanner in the works ..... !

 

I have slabs round the edge for my WIR to sit on but soil in the middle and I don't regret it at all. It works brilliantly and gives the girls something to scratch about in when they're confined to barracks. As the WIR has a good roof, it only gets a bit soggy round the edges but soon dries out.

 

You could always slab round the edges while your OH is indisposed and if you really don't like it, slab the middle later on?

[Jules.]

ANH thats how my run was, & I found that where it was situated in the gareden that as the ground got sodden so did the soil in the middle of the run. Plus it was a pain & really hard work digging all the dirt out every now & then. I always aimed to slab the middle eventually but in the end we never did .

[Luvachicken]

Just to put a spanner in the works ..... !

 

I have slabs round the edge for my WIR to sit on but soil in the middle and I don't regret it at all. It works brilliantly and gives the girls something to scratch about in when they're confined to barracks. As the WIR has a good roof, it only gets a bit soggy round the edges but soon dries out.

 

You could always slab round the edges while your OH is indisposed and if you really don't like it, slab the middle later on?

 

Ooops, I forgot to mention my little mud sand pit in the middle of my run too. It is just like a kiddies sandpit with wood around the edges so doesn't go everywhere.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It probably depends on the location of your WIR and wind direction etc as to how wet it gets. I suppose you'll not know how it'll turn out till you do it .

 

My run is always dry in the very middle but that may be helped by having one solid wall.

[millymollymandy]

Thanks for helping me think it through I think because where of where the run will be I won't put the hard floor down at the moment. It's in a space next to a garage and a fence and as I am going to put a roof on too I think it will be ok.

 

I have chosen the worst time to build my run however! At the moment we are painting panels in the spare room as its too cold outside and the paint won't dry. The tin says don't paint when it's below 10 degrees

 

Will put some piccies up if we ever finish

[mimi5]

Best wishes with your project!!!! I've used wood chip as a ground covering in my run and have been very pleased with. (It's just in earth which has a very light layer of stones over it)

 

Piccies will be nice!!!

[Grandmashazzie]

I have just bark chips on soil,but have needed to put a tarpaulin over roof and down one side because of all the very heavy rain.It has kept floor quite dry most days and after bad wet days it seems to dry quickly.

[Silkiemum]

Used to have soil and had repeated rat incursions - they kept tunnelling in. So we have flags all over the run, with bricks filling any gaps at the end. No matter how often we blocked off their tunnels, the rats cam back!