building paradise for the birds

[Tony K T]

I have 7 hens with a coop, an attached run and a chunnel leading from the run to a protected area of my yard.
My problem is the rain. I notice many people do not cover their run. When it rains, I have an inch of water in my run.
How do you and everyone else handle the rain?

Metal roofing works great.Always dry inside the pens.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[aart]

I have 7 hens with a coop, an attached run and a chunnel leading from the run to a protected area of my yard.
My problem is the rain. I notice many people do not cover their run. When it rains, I have an inch of water in my run.
How do you and everyone else handle the rain?

Luckily the land my run is on is fairly sandy and slightly sloped...so it dries out pretty quickly after being saturated...but man it stinks when wet.

I still have to dig a small trench to direct water to flow where I want it to flow thru the run because there is nowhere else for the water coming off the driveway to go during a heavy rain and/or spring thaw....and the chickens will re-arrange that trench for me regularly, so it has to be redug.

It sounds like you need to raise the level of the land in your run, this might be done with sand and side boards to keep it from moving out of the run area.....depends tho on the slope of land around the run and what building roofs and/or non permeable surfaces are nearby to contend with.

 

[birdman55]

I have 7 hens with a coop, an attached run and a chunnel leading from the run to a protected area of my yard.
My problem is the rain. I notice many people do not cover their run. When it rains, I have an inch of water in my run.
How do you and everyone else handle the rain?

like everyone else has posted I would do sand as well..when the snow melts...I will have a dump truck drop a load of sand and everypen that I have now is getting four to six inches

Hey, I just found you in the Michiganders, do you have any quail??
I built a quail pen last year and then the eggs didn't go so well, I'm looking for some fertiles to try it again but would like to find something closer that perhaps I can go pick up myself and save the post-office mishandling.
Hope to hear back, I'm in Munger. Only got a few chickens right now but have some new babies on order for early April.

no quail at the moment...but am getting some...and I do know people that have them or can get them....so let me know how fast you want them and what kind you want and I shall ask around

 

[birdman55]

how them chicks doing misfitmorgan....hope the birds are quiet now for you

 

[misfitmorgan]

how them chicks doing misfitmorgan....hope the birds are quiet now for you

Your chicks are doing great....the frizzle cochin i got your chicks to keep company died. i think he got to cold cause he was the only one in the brooder and he couldnt get close enough to the light. i modified the brooder and put the light about 4 inches off the floor in one corner so they can get close to it if they want....i made a stand out of 1/4 hardware cloth so the light cant fall in as it sits on the stand and is clipped on the side of the brooder to be double secured. We got home the night we picked up the chicks from you and he was dead...i think the cochin size, single chick, and light distance was just a mix he/she couldnt over come. The 3 i got from you are very happy and are all chirpy in the day time...eatting good and drinking plenty of water. i also noticed 2 of the 3 chicks have muffs comming in.

In other sad news i had late stage death on 5 of the muscovy eggs....2 were still alive last night but didnt absorb the yoke and died in shell, i checked on them today and found them dead. The incubator temp being set wrong for so long of their incubation was to much....one was malformed like your little guy, 1 eye crooked beak. So i will have to try again on the muscovy eggs if the other eggs come out good,if not i will shut down the incubator until closer to spring.

Thank you again for the chicks birdman, i have another frizzle who may or may not be affected by the low incubator temp. He/she was on day 13 when i found out about it. Hopefully it will hatch and can go in with your chicks.Day 21 is tomorrow for him/her.

 

[birdmansmom]

Hey, how's things going today? It's about 38 degrees out in cloudy Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Just FYI-there are quail for sale, birdman, not to far from our house on craigslist. Even though we are originally from Illinois and die-hard Bear fans, we're getting ready to watch the Packers and Seahawks. Hopefully, the Pack can pull off a win today--GO PACK GO!!!

 

[birdmansaunt]

WOW birdmansmom Packers are winning.

The chicks look good. Hope things are going well.

Love ya,

Aunt Cindy from lovely Illinois.

 

[auntie mary]

Hey birdman it was nice talking to you dont forget me come spring with some little chicks. Have a good evening Love You from Illinois

 

[bigmrg74]

WOW birdmansmom Packers are winning.

The chicks look good. Hope things are going well.

Love ya,

Aunt Cindy from lovely Illinois.

JINX!!

 

[birdman55]

Your chicks are doing great....the frizzle cochin i got your chicks to keep company died. i think he got to cold cause he was the only one in the brooder and he couldnt get close enough to the light. i modified the brooder and put the light about 4 inches off the floor in one corner so they can get close to it if they want....i made a stand out of 1/4 hardware cloth so the light cant fall in as it sits on the stand and is clipped on the side of the brooder to be double secured. We got home the night we picked up the chicks from you and he was dead...i think the cochin size, single chick, and light distance was just a mix he/she couldnt over come. The 3 i got from you are very happy and are all chirpy in the day time...eatting good and drinking plenty of water. i also noticed 2 of the 3 chicks have muffs comming in.

In other sad news i had late stage death on 5 of the muscovy eggs....2 were still alive last night but didnt absorb the yoke and died in shell, i checked on them today and found them dead. The incubator temp being set wrong for so long of their incubation was to much....one was malformed like your little guy, 1 eye crooked beak. So i will have to try again on the muscovy eggs if the other eggs come out good,if not i will shut down the incubator until closer to spring.

Thank you again for the chicks birdman, i have another frizzle who may or may not be affected by the low incubator temp. He/she was on day 13 when i found out about it. Hopefully it will hatch and can go in with your chicks.Day 21 is tomorrow for him/her.

sorry to hear about your losses..hope everything goes well....

here are some pics of the chicks