[andyw]

I've been clearing the section at the top of the garden to house the chick coop and run, but was wondering are there any special preparations that i should do before housing the chickes?  I was planning on digging and leveling off, but should I be putting some sort of membrane.  Also what isbest for a chicken run?  Bark, wood chipping, grass etc.

Here is a link to the house and run that I will be getting.

http://www.chickencoopsandhouses.co.uk/cocoon-cc4000-chicken-coop-house.html

[kegs]

Hi Andy.  I've got a similar coop to this which I have placed on paving slabs, with some Rapport bedding on top, but I've got 4 chickens who have the run of the garden all day and don't actually spend any time in the run of the coop as it is far too small for 4 hybrids.

I gave the coop a good coating of slurry using the following receipe before I got the chickens to help prevent red mite.

  http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=81422.0

Hope that gives you some ideas and good luck with your chickens.

[andyw]

Thank you for the advice.  I've got quiet a few slabs that I can use for this.  I am internding to increase the size of the run.  It does seem very narrow for up to 9 birds. 

[Diddy Gardener]

We used hardwood chippings in ours - these can be hosed down periodically to get rid of the poo. Chips have been put down on top of grass... well, what grass there was after having chooks for 3 years!!!

[kegs]

We used hardwood chippings in ours - these can be hosed down periodically to get rid of the poo. Chips have been put down on top of grass... well, what grass there was after having chooks for 3 years!!!

Grass.... what's grass?  I've only had chickens for 10 months!!   

[andyw]

I will not be putting down any grass for them 

Will it be a good idea to use a material like shed roofing to stop the rain getting the run wet, or would chickens like a bit of sun now and again?

[kegs]

Sun is a necessity - they love to sunbathe.  Half and half would be a good idea, so they have somewhere to shelter when it rains.

[hen-night]

I have a double run, both under cover. Straw and wood chip neares,t the coop.and just soil outside. I turn the soil once a week and dig in corn, this spruts very quickly and the hens luv,em...Aden..

[emotion-2003]

Will it be a good idea to use a material like shed roofing to stop the rain getting the run wet, or would chickens like a bit of sun now and again?
[/quote]
i think roofing is the best idea.i used roofing plastic shhet and bought from B&Q £6.80 each.looks nice. also chickens getting sun and keeping dry from rain.

[LittleRedHen]

We have the exact same house/run for our hens.  We put it on concrete slabs to stop Mr Fox from digging underneath and getting in.  We have a heavy layer of horse bedding in the run and in the hen house.  Any good quality bedding will do: Easibed, etc. 

We clean the hen house daily by removing all of the hen poo and then replacing the bedding that was taken out with fresh.  We clean the run out once a month by taking ALL of the bedding out, washing the concrete down with Jay's Fluid and after the concrete dries, adding a brand new deep layer for them.  It gives them plenty to scratch and nestle into little nests for day time napping. 

Oh!  I almost forgot.  We bought a run extension and attached it to the unit.  It made a world of difference for the hens.  They needed that extra room - every bit of it.  We had to cut the wire mesh to do so, but it was worth it.  We put corregated plastic on top of the run so the hens could keep dry.  We also put a piece of the plastic on the side of the run with the prevailing wind hitting it.  Hope this helps.

[bygrace]

We used hardwood chippings in ours - these can be hosed down periodically to get rid of the poo. Chips have been put down on top of grass... well, what grass there was after having chooks for 3 years!!!

Grass.... what's grass?  I've only had chickens for 10 months!!   

I've had mine for 4 months - no grass, but Australia is in sight!! How those little legs and feet manage to dig so deep amazes me.
I have a generous layer of miscanthus on top of the grass earth - that seems to keep it fresh and dry, and they seem to love scattering it everywhere!

[Sassy]

Best not to use bark as this can contain the aspergillus spores - very bad for chooks.

[andyw]

so anything but bark?  Blimey these chicks are a bit delicate, how did they ever on their own 

So now my plan is to have a base of slabs with chciken friendly wood chips etc for the main run with some sort of weather proof roof, and for the additional run just leave this on the soil with some more bedding withhaving partial sun and rain cover, does that sound ok?

[Sassy]

It may seem that they are delicate when you are learning all the do's and don'ts but like all stock given the correct environment and good housekeeping they usually thrive.

[andyw]

Yes very true.