Olly Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 You won't regret it and it sounds as if your chickens will have a lovely run. As long as they have some shady areas within the run I think clear plastic will be fine - that's what I have. Slabbing the run makes it easier to clean in the long term. I have slabs round the perimeter for the aviary to stand on, but bare earth in the middle which I top up with aubiose/wood chip/pine needles etc as available. The downside to this is that it can get very wet in winter if your run doesn't drain properly, and every so often I have to dig the whole lot out. At the moment it's like concrete and the hens have made some pretty large holes in it so going in to collect the eggs is a bit hazardous! If I did it again I would slab the whole area, I just didn't have the time/energy/money to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam771771 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Don't be put off. I have 3 Chickens in a 'Cottage coop' with built in run (look them up on e-bay for an idea of sizes). It's pretty small but they are happy. I do let them free range for 20 mins - an hour a day (most days but not all - they stay in the coop/run if it's raining). I wouldn't put more than 3 in a coop that size though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam771771 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Just to add - I used gravel at first - it was awful, messy, smelly, and they'd just dig it up into great big heaps I then put down a few paving slabs with the coop/run on top, and I put down wood chips (equine bedding - the large wood chips), which I change once a week. It's sooooo much better then the gravel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethK Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Thanks everyone, we've decided to go with stabbing the area now and then putting aubriose inside. Will post a picture once it's done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 All sounds fab, BethK. The other thing I didn't realise with getting chickens was...well I thought I was just getting 4 chickens....HA HA HA! I got 4 personalities, some bigger than the others and one who is still alive at nearly 4 and a half years old..they Darthveda who is still well and truly alive and will outlive all of us and very much lives up to her name, wants to know exactly what my problem is with life if and what I am doing near HER run with HER chickens! Favourite past time, bossing me round, so she thinks and eating frogs whole...then the other 3 girlies who are now in land of fluffy clouds were Cluck who was the sweetest chicken ever, followed me round the garden and got under my fork a lot waiting for the next worm, Chelsea...liked playing football and Victoria who was well a quieter chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 My slabs didn't cost me a penny, they're a bit like crazy paving, just a load of old broken slabs that I found. I put them straight on top of the dirt. The gaps help with drainage. I use biodry in my run, which is similar to nettex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 My roofed run is on slabs has been for over 3 years and it is sooooooo much easier than on soil, a lot depends on where the run is sited though as rain does get in through the run sides too. I strongly advise you get a skirting board (for want of a better description) around the bottom as this will help to keep the chips inside the run. If you live near a horsey shop then you have a wide choice of flooring, aubiose, bliss (which is a little like the old hemcore), straw bales, straw chippings. In the autumn chuck a load of fallen leaves into the run your girls will love rooting among them for crawly treats. Your girls will thank you for a dustbath, I have filled an old tyre with soil then topped with another tyre so the hens don't kick the soil out. One tip is to get compost bins for the chicken waste, I have a very large garden so I went for the wooden open heaps (£10 each Home Bargains) which I then painted, the dalek type will be better in a smaller garden I imagine. I am in Burton On Trent so too far for you otherwise you would be welcome to look at my set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethK Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Thanks ever so much for all the tips! Will definitely get my girls a dust bath Thanks for the tip about the compost bin, that's a great idea! I can't wait to get them and start finding weird and wonderful little treats for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammy72 Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I have 2 medium size hens in a Omlet Classic with run extended to 3 metres plus they have a fenced off area to roam around when we are in the house. It possibly would take one more hen but I'd want to let them out more frequently. When I do get another couple of hens I will be buying an Omlet walk in run and attach to the eglu 3 metre run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
