The perfect chicken run

[Morff]

Well, we have a thick layer in the run, probably about three inches deep. They tend to kick it out a bit but it's easily raked back in. We have an eglu with extension run and a bale will last us about three months, so at £7 a bale it's really good value for money. It sounds like you have more chooks than us, but Hemcore is originally horse bedding so you can imagine what it is capable of absorbing! We have 'shades' over the run to give the girls some shelter from the bad weather, and the run is in a sheltered spot so it doesn't get too wet in there anyway. When we change the hemcore we use the old stuff as a mulch in the garden because it breaks down really well and obviously contains some lovely home produced fertiliser! We find when the girls kick it around while free ranging it's easily swept back into position so our garden is still nice and neat despite their best efforts.

We have straw in the nest box because Val sleeps in there every night. I'm very sad and build her a little nest every day. The straw is very easily scooped out (still in it's nest shape) complete with poo. We keep it in a bag and then line the bottom of our bean trenches with it.

[kirsty b]

To get a good thick layer over the whole run, it would probably take about 5 bales. What I will do this week is get 2 and spread them over the most protected bit and see how we go with that.
All the mud I had over the winter isn't healthy for the girls so I'm trying anything I can to keep it cleaner and drier. They have had pallets laid down in the run over winter to keep them above the mud but it's not ideal, which is why as soon as the weather is settled, Steve is going to help me take down the old sheds and sort the girls out with another run on the other side of the nesting shed so the run they are in now can be rested and recover.

[matthew2riches]

what you need to do is have a look around ones you can buy and take note of any good ideas.

you can then draw up your own design with all the good features and have really the best chicken run.

as far as nesting boxes are concerned - you will need one for every 4 chooks you have. i have 6 hens and i have put 4 nesting boxes in to be generous. just make sure that they do not roost in them at night.

[kirsty b]

I have 17 hens and 4 nest boxes. They only use 2 and roost on perches. I have an area on the plot that comes up at a 90 degree angle from the shed and current run. I consider it dead space as it is inhabited by derelict sheds that really need to come down. The area is approx 3m wide by 10m long and when we turn it into a run it will effectively double the outdoor space that my girls have. (Current run is 4m x 9m approx)

We can obtain massive pallets from a company on the industrial estate opposite, so wood is no problem. Its getting the time and himself down there to help me!!

[Morff]

Good luck KirstyB - Pallets are wonderful things aren't they? We've just built all of our raised beds on the allotment out of them. Ove the next few weeks the husband is going to build a whole shed out of them.

I know this is going off the thread a bit here but we were wondering about nest boxes in the traditional style chicken house. Our three girls sleep in the same spot every night without fail: Val on the nest box, Flo tucked in the corner and Phoebe on the outside. They are real creatures of habit. So we wondered, does one chicken frequent the same nest box for laying? My husband is going to build a 'holiday home' for the girls on the plot so they can spend the day down there with us, and we wondered. Evidently we will need two nest boxes as we are planning to add some ex-batts to the flock shortly.