Transitioning from roofed to roofless run

[rosemarythyme]

Damn, I should've just made it big and covered it before a rain (like I imagine you do) instead of building a roofed structure... Another round of pointless labor But maybe I can use that roofed frame for something else. I'm going to fence off part of the run for integration purposes in the spring/summer (I'm hatching more chicks!) so maybe the new chicks can use the roofed frame for shelter if it rains while they're out there... (the fenced off section won't be under the umbrellas).

Nah, not pointless... like you said maybe it can be reused elsewhere. I sure would use more rain shelters in the run myself.

And yes I cover my bath when it rains. I did try a "built in" dust bath before but we get so much rain, rain seepage gets the bottom of the bath wet so the bath wouldn't stay dry from bottom up. So a fully enclosed bath is the only way I can ensure a dry, fluffy bath they'll use.

 

[aart]

I'd been eyeing it in its bag, unused for years, but was too lazy to dig it out from under a bunch of stuff.

I have one of these too......think the mice may have made it unusable tho.
Your post and vid gave me a big grin

Nah, not pointless... like you said maybe it can be reused elsewhere.

Ditto Dat....plus no experience is worthless.

 

[Windrider]

I can see how you could salvage what you've already made into a bigger covered dust bath, if you still have some leftover lumber and feel the girls would continue to use a "full flock" dust bath.

Don't disassemble the two sides of the structure, just take out the three long pieces that join the two sides. Add three longer ones instead. Use the clear roofing panel instead of the plexi on top. Use more bricks from your brick pile to extend the bath. Done!

Love that video!

 

[countryladyNH]

Guys!!!

The peat moss...

It's MAGIC!!!

I'd been eyeing it in its bag, unused for years, but was too lazy to dig it out from under a bunch of stuff. @rosemarythyme thank you for giving me the final nudge to pull it out! I removed the roof and dumped a thick layer of peat moss on top of the sand. The chickens came over immediately and didn't wait for an invitation. Dirty Butt was first, and just couldn't help herself - she started digging and rolling and flopping right away! Then all of them started trying to cram themselves in there and dust bathe together. It was a glorious sight to behold, after two unsuccessful attempts and lots of labor being put into dust baths for nothing! Now I'm wondering if I should make it bigger... I made it as big as it is because that was the size of plexiglass I had for the roof. I do have one last unused panel left from the clear roofing though, which is 2'x6'... I'll put the existing frame/roof back over the dust bath tomorrow (no rain in the forecast, but it will raise the sides by 4" so they don't kick everything out), and hope they still use it. If it seems like they really want to dust bathe together, I might extend the brick part and just use the clear panel to cover it - just slap it on top weighed down by bricks when rain is in the forecast, then uncover it again. I'm not building another frame. But if today's dust bathing bonanza was a one-off event because of the novelty of it, I'll just leave it as is.

View attachment 2488533View attachment 2488534

In action:

I love how politely they peck each other Everybody wants to get in there, but nobody is mean enough to really drive the others out.

Awesome! Great job! Listen to all those happy sounds!

 

[K0k0shka]

Yesterday's success wasn't a one-off miracle! This morning I watched on the chicken cams as the auto door opened. Dirty Butt went straight for the dust bath and gave herself a nice big roll again, straight out of bed! I love it. Late morning it started drizzling, so I put the roof on. It's been drizzling all day. I just went to check on things in the afternoon, and, even though there was nobody in the dust bath at the time (how would there be - they run towards me as soon as they hear the back door opening, so I can't sneak up on them...), I saw that there were clear signs that the dust bath had been used throughout the day - craters dug in it and material settled on the edges of the wooden frame. But the inside was dry despite the rain, and there wasn't a lot kicked outside of it (so the added height of the frame helped).

I'm SO glad that they've been using it, even with the frame on, and the rain!

 

[K0k0shka]

And yes I cover my bath when it rains. I did try a "built in" dust bath before but we get so much rain, rain seepage gets the bottom of the bath wet so the bath wouldn't stay dry from bottom up. So a fully enclosed bath is the only way I can ensure a dry, fluffy bath they'll use.

I'm starting to think that I'll need to cover it more even if I keep the roofed frame. It will be fine on normal rainy days, but for storms that blow horizontal rain or snow, I imagine I'd need to cover/wrap it somehow to keep the inside dry... On one hand, I'm thinking I should just ditch the roofed frame and cover it with a lid of some sort when it rains, the way you do, to make sure it really stays dry. But, on the other hand, they'll lose access to it whenever the lid is on, and it would need to be on every time there's any precipitation, even a light drizzle. Today, for example, it's been drizzling all day, but the roof has helped the inside stay dry, and the chickens have been able to dust bathe despite the rain...

 

[K0k0shka]

I have one of these too......think the mice may have made it unusable tho.
Your post and vid gave me a big grin


Ditto Dat....plus no experience is worthless.

Experience is always valuable, that's true. I just don't have an abundance of free time, and had to stay up past midnight to build that thing, so it was a little annoying. Today's experience gives me hope though. I think I'll leave the dust bath as is for now.

 

[K0k0shka]

I can see how you could salvage what you've already made into a bigger covered dust bath, if you still have some leftover lumber and feel the girls would continue to use a "full flock" dust bath.

Don't disassemble the two sides of the structure, just take out the three long pieces that join the two sides. Add three longer ones instead. Use the clear roofing panel instead of the plexi on top. Use more bricks from your brick pile to extend the bath. Done!

Love that video!

Yeah, I may extend the brick part and add on to the frame to cover the extension. I just found another piece of the same kind of plexiglass. Shorter, but the same dimension as the other one's short dimension, so I can extend the frame and give it the same kind of roof. That would be the least amount of work, and the chickens will all be able to fit inside.

 

[K0k0shka]

Awesome! Great job! Listen to all those happy sounds!

Thanks! I really enjoyed watching them.

 

[aart]

I'm starting to think that I'll need to cover it more even if I keep the roofed frame. It will be fine on normal rainy days, but for storms that blow horizontal rain or snow, I imagine I'd need to cover/wrap it somehow to keep the inside dry... On one hand, I'm thinking I should just ditch the roofed frame and cover it with a lid of some sort when it rains, the way you do, to make sure it really stays dry. But, on the other hand, they'll lose access to it whenever the lid is on, and it would need to be on every time there's any precipitation, even a light drizzle. Today, for example, it's been drizzling all day, but the roof has helped the inside stay dry, and the chickens have been able to dust bathe despite the rain...

Got any more clearish panels to cover 2 of the sides?