Chicken bald back

[carrotspine]

Hi all

I'm planning a walk in run for my girls and have had some replies regarding the mesh to use (mesh direct and another comapny in Devon, sorry can't remember the name at the moment!).

Ok here's my list of questions,

How do you make it fox proof? We don't get many foxes here but I'm paranoid that one is going to get in. My husband said he will dig in the mesh but I'm in favour of putting concrete slabs around the edge, as it might keep the edge less muddy too.

 

What's the best way to deal with the floor? Its going to have a roof on so it will be drier than what they have now. I've seen that some people put slabs down on the entire floor. Do the chickens cope ok on this? We'd cover the floor in a mixture of hard wood chio, which we've got now, and auboise (would this be ok to mix). If we don't put slabs down (husband is in favour of no slabs to keep cost down) we'll use the wood and auboise.

 

We've been looking at all the pictures on the forum and found a couple we'd like to try and copy. I'd like it doing before winter comes as the floor in the eglu caged run is disgusting at the moment as its wet and smelly and in their fenced off part, the floor in squelching underfoot. I feel sorry for the girls in the rain, they are still laying so its not all doom and gloom!

Many thanks everyone

[Lavenders_Blue]

Yes, the chooks will be fine on a slabbed base with woodchips/aubiose on top. If you're going to use aubiose, you'll need to make sure your run is pretty rain proof as it's designed to soak up water (it's a horse bedding, so designed to deal with horse wee). If you can do this then I think woodchips and aubiose would be a good floor material, otherwise if you're just putting a roof on the run, woodchips by themselves will be one too (that's what I use on my run floor).

[Patricia W]

I have an Omlet run and that has the skirt round the edge so as to deter digging rodents, foxes etc. I've butted this up alongside slabs which slightly overlap the skirt. I don't have any slabs in the run itself, but it is covered so the ground stays bone dry.

[carrotspine]

hi thanks for all the advice. We've been out today pricing up wood and mesh, not as bnad as we first thought but still a huge expense! I still like the idea of something on the ground and found some stone floor tiles in the garage today, left over from when we moved in, which would cover the whole area so I think we'll put these down then put the wood chip on the top. The posts are going to be concreted in and my husband said he's going to dig a trench around the whole run and fill it will concrete to deter foxes and rodents from digging underneath. we'll use some decking as a board around the base and some clear perspex as a see through kick board, so the garden doesn't end up with more woodchip in it than the run! After cleaning the girls out today and lifting about 10cm of sludge up from the run, I can't wait to get started!!

Just think of nice plants to go round the edge and pretty bunting, lights etc ......!

[doctors girls]

If you want to make it fox proof look at the topic of raising the floor and you will see a photo of what I did