Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[PixieDust]

Proceedings have stalled on the building of the WIR for the girls as OH has been knackered from work in this heat, (he is a Head Gardener for a large estate and works long hours). He is stalling because of digging in the weld mesh. We live on heavy clay soil and one side of the run is on what we can only describe as an old cinder road. It took him half a day to dig down 3 holes for 3 posts on that side. It is full of stones and cider material below the lawn.

 

I have not been pushing him because he is shattered at the moment, but he is talking about me painting the woodwork with a preserver in whatever colour I like and varnishing the coop slide out drawer before we start on the weld mesh.

 

Long story short - could we not create a weld mesh floor and cover with soil and chippings? Just thinking if this would be safe as protection from foxes?

 

The weld mesh is 1" x 1/2" 19 gauge and 4ft wide.

[PixieDust]

Wow 579 views and not one person has an opinion? Would really like some advice please.

[PixieDust]

Lol not sure about hiring him out!

 

Well we are going to have just wood chip on top of the grass to about 6" I guess. He was happy to do a skirt with the weld mesh around the back where all the stones are but he was talking about wire skirt and slabs elsewhere. I put forward the idea of slabs for the entire floor but he said no as he does to most of my ideas and then 90% of the time does them.

 

I am getting a little frustrated with this to be honest. This was supposed to be my birthday present in June and we have a frame and a bought coop and a door. No roof and the weld mesh I bought a month ago sitting doing nothing.

 

And no he doesn't want the chickens really. Keeps laughing with mates about the most expensive eggs in the world!

 

How wide should the weld mesh skirt be?

[mullethunter]

Hi PixieDust. I don't really have anything useful to say, just that I can sense the frustration you have with slow progress and I know how hard it is to wait for your girls when you want them so badly. My OH didn't really want them either - only agreed because he knew how much I wanted them, and now he is really pi**ed off with how they've wrecked our small back lawn, but having said that he does like them when they mob him for mealworms! So hang in there, it sounds like even if it's not the most comfortable 'journey' you will get a really good set up for your girls eventually and it will be worth the wait.

[mollyripkim]

If it's any help we were in similar situation and solved it by laying plastic pallets topped with weldmesh, then a good quality non woven porous membrane followed by wood chips. It's brilliant as any rain that does get in can drain away.

[UKMARCH]

I would think you would need to put the weldmesh quite deep to prevent the chickens catching their feet if it is going under the whole of the run which in itself would be a nightmare from the description of the ground. We dug down the side and put weldmesh vertically below one run side to stop rats from tunnelling under and have block paving under the run edges with the bottom of the run panel screwed into them. Our hens do dig a lot and I dig it over from time to time and remove all the stones/flint but they still keep turning up more stones and bits and pieces continually its amazing where it comes from.

[PixieDust]

Thank you all for your kind replies.

 

We had a chat about it this evening and he may dig some of the mesh in and the rest on the stoney ground he may just lay a skirt.

 

The frustration is that he gets bored quickly and wanted to rattle off a quick cheap n cheerful pen made from chicken wire. He spun me all sorts of stories about how a fox won't bother with our chickens. I have finally got this far. He wasn't going to put a roof on so I paid for the weld mesh and he agreed to put a roof on. He didn't believe a fox would eat through chicken wire or jump a 6' fence and refuses to watch video of it. He is a stubborn cuss.

 

Anyhow, sorry for waffling. Just so excited about getting the girls

[Guest]

My WIR is entirely ON slabs not dug in at all, the easiest option is to have a skirt but placing slabs/rocks/sleepers around will stop digging. Or if you have oblong planters that are quite weighty when filled then these are another option, the chickens will enjoy destroying anything you plant in the boxes.

 

I live in fox and badger town so my run had to be bomb proof.

 

One thing not to over look is the roof, although mine has a (defective) plastic sheeting roof it is weld mesh panels underneath so if a plastic sheet should fly off the chooks are still protected. *sorry if you mentioned having a roof earlier and I missed it*

[PixieDust]

Thanks Mrs B. Yes we are rural and our neighbour has lost all but one girl to fox/dog attacks. However, she let's them free range all day even when she is out and she is still surprised they were taken! However last I heard she only had 3 left out of about 15 and allegedly she keeps them locked in a tiny run. So the easy pickings the fox once had has disappeared and hence my worry about a hungry fox on the roam.

 

OH was just going to put bird netting on the roof and I went batty. He said he thought my initial discussion about a clear plastic roof was just me joking about. I ask you Anyway so he will do the clear plastic roof and he has decided upon chicken wire underneath. My real problem is he "designed" the run in his head without talking to me and it has lead to copious arguments because he wanted to do it quick and on the cheap. Stupidly he has built a fabulous structure so far and it would be a shame to spoil it for a h'appeth of tar!!!