gavclojak Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I am well and truly depressed, poor girls spent the day in the cube run trying to dodge the heavy rain showers. OH and i just spent the afternoon trying to put a tarpaulin over a section of the enclosure to give them another dry area, it just makes my lovely enclosure look rubbish now:( we have a cube opening inside a 35 square foot enclosure but it's so mucky now with the torrential rain! I guess that's my welcome to chicken keeping in the winter....roll on summer 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenthelibrarian Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yes, it's miserable in the pouring rain, isn't it My dear husband rigged up sheets of corrugated clear acrylic sheet stuff to make a roof over most of our Eglu run, I'm glad it's not toooooo near the house so I can't hear the rain drumming on it. We've recently reinstalled it for the winter, it keeps some of the wind off the girlies, too. A paving slab or two at stategic points, like under food and water containers and other well-worn spots, will help with the very worst of the mud if the wet weather lasts long. Hens are surprisingly OK in the cold weather, although mine were absolutely disgusted by last winter's snow and refused to walk in it I swept a sort of path from their run into a cleared area of grass for them, spoiled madams, but they were very grudging about using it and grumbled a lot. I sympathised, I hate bad weather. Here's to a short, mild on this year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi5 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Oh dear.......dreading coming home tomorrow (I'm in Corfu on holiday and today it was 26 degrees!!!) Yes winter and chicken keeping is a challenge! First the wet and then the freezing temps! But once you've been through your first, you'll have it under your belt Apparently my girls have been trashing their wood chip run.......they have been in lockdown for worming while I've been away the week! Oh well back to reality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 That was me last Monday ranting at the monsoon rains we had all day and a large section of grass is now just mud and the chooks loving making it worse! Been lovely this weekend, but am under no illusion it's gonna get worse in the next few months. Now if we get snow and ice, that is another matter as not dealt with that in my first year of chook keeping yet........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Oh good heavens forgot about the snow, sleet and frozen glugs! Why do we do it? Because we love our ladies and redsunset I want to come up to live with you! Your girls Sound like they have the best life. Lucky girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Ha! you might not be saying that if we get snow and ice! Granted we had neither, last year or the year before but the previous two were horrendous! I have just a few weeks to get newbies up to a good size and installed in a henhouse before winter hits. Snow shovel on list just in case, and better get a few more bales of straw incase I have to make a path down to the houses for me and the chooks. My one saving grace is I do come home at lunchtime so frozen water can be replaced. Any yup the free range bit is good though may have to buy those high vis jackets for them in the winter!!..... (kidding!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Yep winter is really here now. Spent ages this evening drying Polands' hair dos and there suddenly seems to be mud everywhere . . . in the kitchen too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennie186 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Hi. I am new to keeping chickens - 2 months - and have 2 buffs in an eglu classic and run. As I work during the week they get an hour or so out each evening - more at weekends if its not too wet like sunday! I have to sit with them as there are a lot of foxes locally. They seem happy - laying well - they are friendly, follow me around the garden and sit on my lap (for treats). I feel really bad if they don't get out their run for at least an hour a day, but when the clocks go back they will be in their run all week I am worried about them being cold and damp. Also, when they are out, they like to dig holes and have mad dust baths. On Saturday they got really muddy in a hole after Fridays rain, although they did seem to like it. Do they need to dust bath in the winter? There is no room in the run for a dust bath so what should I do? PS. My husband has started building a WIR but progress is very slow. (Doesn't respond well to nagging) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 They will be ok without free ranging in the week. Mine have to be supervised and are in the run except weekends in the darkest months. In the middle of summer they are up and about for 17 hours, and in the depths of winter only awake for about 8 hours. That means they don't really have enough time to get bored in the run anyway. They also spend most of that time eating because it's cold /shorter days, so are quite occupied with that They will soon get used to the winter routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 OK so the tarpaulin idea didn't work, just sagged and was in dander of pulling the roof down, another £ 60.00 down the swanny OH says was are going to build a massive fixed roof in the spring but for now am looking at a large pop up marquee to go inside the enclosure......there little feet needs web's at the moment like ducks its so muddy out there!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 It's best to rig up a clear tarp or roof over at least part of the run or they will end up with fungal or bacterial foot problems if they are paddling in the wet/mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 OK so the tarpaulin idea didn't work, just sagged and was in dander of pulling the roof down, another £ 60.00 down the swanny OH says was are going to build a massive fixed roof in the spring but for now am looking at a large pop up marquee to go inside the enclosure......there little feet needs web's at the moment like ducks its so muddy out there!!! We had this problem at first ..You need to have the roof slightly sloping so that the water drains off . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 It's best to rig up a clear tarp or roof over at least part of the run or they will end up with fungal or bacterial foot problems if they are paddling in the wet/mud. , I am worried about their chicken feet now, I have the cube that is covered and have added a massive tarpaulin from the front of the cube run to our enclosure fence, approx 20 foot so that's a dry area and they also have a parasol to hide under, as we are expecting a week if storms and rest of the run is exposed should I worry or will their feet be ok as long as they have access to dry areas.? One worry after another, just when I relax another thing surfaces.....getting electric fencing for the top of our enclosure next week...happy days....unhappy redcoat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 So long as they have access to dry areas, they will use them (if they have any sense), Some wet isn't a problem, but standing around in wet, mucky litter or puddles is. Try not to worry about it, just give them somewhere dry to get out of the wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 The fairy dogmother strikes again..,,perfect thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I have one daft hen (an Araucana needless to say ) who runs around out in the rain - not a good look since she is currently virtually featherless and covered in quills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
