gravel run

[bovrilheid]

Hi all

After posting my first message the other day and getting some fab advice I'm on again asking for more.

I am thinking of using 6mm grave to raise my run up around 10 inches in an attempt to escape the really muddy ground we have, free range isn't an option I'm afraid. A local expert has however warned my of this idea as he says it will get clogged up with chicken poo and peat washed down of the hill. Is he right?

His idea is for plywood with holes for drainageto be put down first and then rough bedding such a straw and wood shavings to be used. This is what he is going to attempt as he has a similar problem.

As a newbie to this I just want to make sure I have the best for the girls. (note I haven't got them yet).

I read with interest another thread about how much the first egg costs.....I'm beginning to understand this

 

[spencereb]

bovrilheid,
I have what I thought was an adequate run for our flock, four hens and two roosters. However, after only one year and then a wet fall, my run was all mud. Then I found BYC, and learned all about tractors. No way our birds could free range, so I put together 16'x4'x4' coop/run on adjustable lawnmower wheels. They love it! Once a week I raise it up, roll them about 16 feet, lower them down, and they have fresh pickins' for anothe week!
Just a thought!

-Spence

 

[spencereb]

bovrilheid,
Opps..Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the site, tons of great information!

-Spence

 

[shadi]

I had the same issue and I put in Pea gravel and it works so good I would kiss the dump truck driver if he were here- I swear they love it they have gravel paths hay- cedar shavings and dirt they love it and no more muddy eggs and feet would never put wood in a wet place the way mold affects these critters- just a thought

 

[bovrilheid]

Shadi can I ask a simple/probably stupid question about your run?
You say they have pea gravel...which is what I plan to do, but you also say you have cedar wood, hay and dirt. So have you added that on top of the pea gravel? and I take it if you have that the cedar wood is kept dry as it is raised up off the muddy ground?.....Am I worrying too much about all of this????

If I go with pea gravel to a depth of say 3 inch is that enough or do I need to add more gravel/wood/sand/shavings?

Thanks for your help
Andy

 

[MTchick]

You might consider a partial awning or roofing to make certain that part of your run is dry no matter what. We are building a run and henhouse this spring and due to our mud problems, I'm planning to put in a brick patio, pea gravel edging, and an awning. Part of the run will be exposed to the elements, but when we get snow, then rain, then more snow, then a thaw... etc... I want there to be a place in the outside run that is dry and clean.

-MTchick

 

[bovrilheid]

thanks for that MT Chick, I really appreciate your advice, but I don't think it will work for me. The weather in Shetland is extreme. We are a small island (only around 22 000 people in Shetland) at 60 degree north, as far north as the most southern tip of greenland. The wind from the atlantic is a constant and we regulalry have gales of force 8 - 11 (which is hurricane force). Temperature never really gets warmer than about 20C.

We have no (or at least very little) trees on the island. My chicken coop will be anchored down with ropes etc. an awning is a good idea but the wind makes the rain come at you horizontally so there is little chance of keeping any area dry. Many people do keep chickens in Shetland though, but they are very hardy and smaller than "standard" chickens. As i'm finding out wet conditions are a common problem for most here.

For more pics and info about shetland follow the link to see where I live and what problems I might have.

http://www.visitshetland.com/

interested to hear what you think about Shetland.

bovrilheid

 

[shadi]

Well under my awning is where the water collected mostly and what i did-I filled all the puddled sink hole type spots with the pea gravel-put a few leafs of hay under awning and they spread it- ceder shavings I put in the hens favorite scratch and rumble corner and made a pebble gravel path from the gate to the nesting boxes and under waterer and the rest is dirt-lol they even have a few tree branches growing through chain link to jump on. their spoiled

 

[kstaven]

Hi bovrilheid:

Have you considered a dome shaped coop? The wind does not effect them like a conventional structure and they stay warmer in the winter due to decreased surface area. Google "starplates"

They are great for severe climates like yours.

 

[Crunchie]

That's why those ponies are so darn ornery!!

I'm interested in hearing the responses, too....The climate here in the mid-Atlantic states isn't a fraction as bad as Shetland, but I do deal with a lot of mud...