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Tortoise said:
My two girls are finally outside. Between getting the run done and the terribly cooler temps, they are probably later then most getting out of my house but they finally get too live outside.
Going to miss not having them in the house, but won't miss the dust, yikes.
Still need to put the solid roof on the run, but it's all enclosed with hardware cloth.
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What happy, spoiled chickens!!!
I'm sure they will learn to love their new coop. They'll miss sleeping inside at first, but only because they don't like change. You'll have to put them inside by hand for the first few nights until they learn the routine.
 
Tortoise said:
My two girls are finally outside. Between getting the run done and the terribly cooler temps, they are probably later then most getting out of my house but they finally get too live outside.
Going to miss not having them in the house, but won't miss the dust, yikes.
Still need to put the solid roof on the run, but it's all enclosed with hardware cloth.
View attachment 1817628 View attachment 1817631 View attachment 1817633
Click to expand...
Nicely built!

I see a bunch of green that's going to disappear though! :gig
Those chickens are going to quickly eat every bit of that grass. Have you considered what you'll put down when it becomes a mud pit?
 
BReeder! said:
Nicely built!

I see a bunch of green that's going to disappear though! :gig
Those chickens are going to quickly eat every bit of that grass. Have you considered what you'll put down when it becomes a mud pit?
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Thank you
I only have the 2 so I figured it would last for awhile,
The whole run will have a roof and the one side is protected with the neighbors hedges. It is also on a slope, so it shouldn't get too wet in there. If it does, I will have to figure out what to put in there. Any suggestions?
 
Tortoise said:
Thank you
I only have the 2 so I figured it would last for awhile,
The whole run will have a roof and the one side is protected with the neighbors hedges. It is also on a slope, so it shouldn't get too wet in there. If it does, I will have to figure out what to put in there. Any suggestions?
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I mixed my run up, some rock here, some mulch there, some bare dirt areas, a pile of compost. Last fall I piled in leaves about 18" deep throughout their entire run. They loved it. Sand is a popular option too since it is easy to clean and drains well. I would avoid using solely rock or mulch. Its hard on their feet. But my girls enjoy a bit of rock as that area stays mud free and a bit of mulch to scratch through for bugs. Variety is the key IMO.
 
YellowBird0 said:
Hi Everyone! Just joined, I live in a small town near Mahomet, east-central Illinois in Champaign County.
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Welcome to BYC!
:welcome
There's a lot of friendly people in this forum and it stays farely active.
Tell us what birds or other animals you have.
I am no too close to Champagne county, but it's likely that somebody on this forum is.
 
Tortoise said:
Thank you
I only have the 2 so I figured it would last for awhile,
The whole run will have a roof and the one side is protected with the neighbors hedges. It is also on a slope, so it shouldn't get too wet in there. If it does, I will have to figure out what to put in there. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Mulch is inexpensive & easy to just keep adding more. (deep litter method) Chickens love to scratch through it and turn it. Once or twice a year, you can remove the bottom layers of rich compost to put in your gardens.

I was too afraid to try it, so I went the sand route. My coop & run have course sand. The chickens can dust bathe almost year round. I sift it daily like a giant kitty litter box so it rarely smells and we don't get many flies since everything's so dry. Sand usually drains quickly when we have spring flooding. (The exception was this year when the ground was still frozen & we flooded with rain & then the water refroze into mini skating ponds inside the chicken run.) Other than this crazy end of winter/ snowy spring, I've been very happy with the sand.
 

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