[Totty]

Hi all,

I have just finished building our chickens new home.
 We already had an eglu cube with 3m run, and although they are handy for moving around we decided they needed more room.
 I used four 11ft harris fence panels and cut a hole in one so that the eglu house sits outside it. This means we can clean out and collect eggs without going in the run.

The run itself is covered with windbreak mesh to stop them getting out and anything else getting in. All in all i am really happy with it, although they have not yet seen it as they were locked away! And plus, it was all made with materials that cost nothing at all, except for some cable ties! It feels great to have built somewhere for them to live where they can have plenty of room and protection, but i would like to add some interesting things to occupy them. we have a compressed seed hanger for them to peck at, and a couple of logs, and ill be digging a small hole to fill with sand for them to shake about in. Any other ideas?

Happy New Year!
Totty

[joyfull]

a covered area so they can get out of the rain (I use old lorry wheel arches - but you could use an old table or similar. Also put the dust bath area under cover to keep it dry.

[Totty]

The Cube itself acts as a sort of cover as thet can walk under it and i also have the eglu rain cover stretched over the first part of the run. May be best to put the dust bath in a corner nicely covered up then! Thanks.

Totty

[SamnElla]

I'm all for giving them a covered corner with a perch, somewhere they can get out of the wind and rain.
My girls have a wee shelter made out of corrugated iron in the corner of the garden and due the adverse weather they've been spending quite a lot of time there recently !
They spend quite a lot of time perching so that's a definite (see other posts for sizes and heights etc) 
 

[Totty]

I have two 2inch perches, both big enough for five birds, made out of metal pipe in two corners, in another i have dug a hole, filled it with fine sand and completely covered and surounded it with bamboo fence stuff. Basically its a little bamboo shelter, but they seem to enjoy jumping onto it, then onto the top of the eglu run and shouting at me when i walk near them. Got two new birds yesterday so its at capacity and all seem happy!

[jinty1911]

Can you post a pic? Am interested in the netting.  :happy:
Jinty

[Totty]

Can do but no guarantee when. Work 6-5 so its always dark in the week when i go up!

Basically the windbreak mesh/netting is really cheap stuff and i have used two pieces cable tied together then pulled tight and cable tied to the fencing panels. Just got to make sure i give it a shake after snow or rain to stop it sagging.

Totty