SeramaSilly Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 At the moment I have my covered WIR on a concrete base but I am soooooo fed up of the wet seeping in underneath and having to change the aubiose every time it rains that I'm seriously considering moving it onto earth. I know if I do this I will have to put a 'fox skirt' of weld-mesh around it to stop anything burrowing in but can I ask how big the skirt needs to be? Does anyone else have this set up - please tell me it stops the wet coming in??!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Hi SeramaSilly ,we have walk in run and put a paving slab under perimeter, so about 6 inches of slab either side of run structure. On outside part we embedded a piece of wire meld into grass so prob about 18 inches of defence. We got rats burrowing underneath and coming up in the small bit of earth we left for scratching etc. We ended up slabbing it all. Not what you wanted to hear I’m sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 20 minutes ago, Grandmashazzie said: Hi SeramaSilly ,we have walk in run and put a paving slab under perimeter, so about 6 inches of slab either side of run structure. On outside part we embedded a piece of wire meld into grass so prob about 18 inches of defence. We got rats burrowing underneath and coming up in the small bit of earth we left for scratching etc. We ended up slabbing it all. Not what you wanted to hear I’m sure. Oh no Grandmashazzie - that wasn't what I wanted to hear at all!! Darn it......back to the drawing board!! Thank you anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I would stick with it and modify what you have, which sounds almost ideal. To help us understand the problem and help with a solution, may we have some photos of your set-up and the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Oh god now you're asking Clare - I have nooooo idea how to post pics on here - bit of a techie numpty I'm afraid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Ok, so take photos on your phone and email them to yourself - pick up the email on your laptop/home computer and save the pics onto your desktop. Start a post as normal and drag the photos you want to use into the bottom area of the posting window, where it says to drag them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Why not just swap the aubiose for some hardwood wood chips ? Mine have a good layer on top of their patio slabs and although some rain does blow in it stays dry underneath. Flyte So Fancy do a good deal, but might be cheaper to drive there for a day out instead of paying their delivery charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 34 minutes ago, The Dogmother said: Ok, so take photos on your phone and email them to yourself - pick up the email on your laptop/home computer and save the pics onto your desktop. Start a post as normal and drag the photos you want to use into the bottom area of the posting window, where it says to drag them. Thank you Clare, I'll take some pics tomorrow and try that 6 minutes ago, Luvachicken said: Why not just swap the aubiose for some hardwood wood chips ? Mine have a good layer on top of their patio slabs and although some rain does blow in it stays dry underneath. Flyte So Fancy do a good deal, but might be cheaper to drive there for a day out instead of paying their delivery charges. Thanks Luvachicken but I really wanted to stick with aubiose if I can because I just find it an easier option (or I would if I could keep it dry!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, SeramaSilly said: Thanks Luvachicken but I really wanted to stick with aubiose if I can because I just find it an easier option (or I would if I could keep it dry!!) Yes, the leaky bits are annoying as well as strong winds that blow the rain where it wouldn't normally go. Hopefully once you do the pictures, someone might be able to come up with an idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Do you need a tarp, or similar - down to the ground on one side to prevent the rain coming in, or does the roof need extending a bit along there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 What sort of ground are you on? I am on heavy clay. As the WIR is covered on the top and three sides to the bottom, the aubiouse stays dry and the earth is as hard as concrete underneath. Rats don’t tunnel in BUT it is slabbed around the perimeter inside and out. That seems to stop the digging. However, as it’s an Omlet WIR the rats were just walking through the wide holes in the mesh until I covered in weldmesh! I’d never buy another Omlet WIR for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 3 hours ago, The Dogmother said: Do you need a tarp, or similar - down to the ground on one side to prevent the rain coming in, or does the roof need extending a bit along there? I do tack up heavy clear plastic to the run to stop the rain coming in but the problem is it seeps between the gap between the bottom of the wooden WIR and the concrete so the aubiose looks dry but it's actually soaking underneath 2 hours ago, Patricia W said: What sort of ground are you on? I am on heavy clay. As the WIR is covered on the top and three sides to the bottom, the aubiouse stays dry and the earth is as hard as concrete underneath. Rats don’t tunnel in BUT it is slabbed around the perimeter inside and out. That seems to stop the digging. However, as it’s an Omlet WIR the rats were just walking through the wide holes in the mesh until I covered in weldmesh! I’d never buy another Omlet WIR for that reason. It's been erected on a concrete patio. I was thinking if I moved it onto soil (also heavy clay) the water would have somewhere to soak into and wouldn't seep through the bottom but I don't want anything being able to burrow in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Try angling the bottom edge of the tarps out a bit so that the water runs away form the run. I fasten the bungee hooks of mine to the outer edge of the cube run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 22 minutes ago, The Dogmother said: Try angling the bottom edge of the tarps out a bit so that the water runs away form the run. I fasten the bungee hooks of mine to the outer edge of the cube run. I'm not sure how I would do that as mine's a wooden WIR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Yes I had this trouble because when my concrete plinth was put down it was level another time I'd have it sloping away slightly from the run so rain doesn't puddle there. I've solved the water coming into the run between concrete and wood problem by filling the little gap with sealant/ decorators caulk. I use one that's exterior, flexible and can be used on wet surfaces. I backfill first by poking polyester wadding in the gap so it's thin enough to cure. It works a treat, just have to renew every couple of years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Thank you so much Plum! When the weather is a little better I'm going to try this! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 You're welcome 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Mine are actually on earth. I have dug in some slabs and the run is resting on border stones (the ones you use at the edge of a border or patio), which are dug in as well. then filled back in with earth. I don’t do anything to it, other then filling back up some earth once in a while to replace kicked out earth and hose down once in a while in winter. But the worms do the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Mine are on slabs from freecycle, which cover the footprint of the run and extend beyond the edges of the run - so easy to muck out and nothing can dig in underneath. I just sprinkle Ground Sanitising Powder over the slabs before laying clean Aubiose, and sprinkle it over the litter weekly in between clear-outs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Mine are on both. You can’t even tell. I deep litter with straw. They free range all day. At the moment, due to the wonderful weather, there is mud everywhere. Chooks don’t seem to mind. Bed time is clean. I’m waiting for a dry spell to get rid of some of the mud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 8 hours ago, Chickabee said: Mine are on both. You can’t even tell. I deep litter with straw. They free range all day. At the moment, due to the wonderful weather, there is mud everywhere. Chooks don’t seem to mind. Bed time is clean. I’m waiting for a dry spell to get rid of some of the mud! Are your runs covered? They ought to have dry runs to escape the weather during the day and somewhere to put their feed. Clear tarps or similar and Aubiose on the floor and they will be clean, fresh and snug for ages between cleanings out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 My runs have stayed dry throughout these downpours. It’s really worth covering them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
