The Poultry Keeper

Nursie · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 162

In the event of our birds having to come under cover, what size run would you chaps think is suitable for 17 hens?

I think, looking at this new outbreak in Italy, etc., that the 'under cover' rule is going to come in pretty soon Sad

Dixie Chicks · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Posts: 280 Location: Cumbria

Hello Nursie

Not that this is very helpful, but I would say as big as you can make it!

My banties (sadly now down to four) and two hybrids currently have about 20ft x 70ft to share, but if the order comes to bring them under cover, they are going to be very unhappy in their covered arks - about 100 sq feet in all.

There's loads of info on this subject on the PP forum (if it ever comes back again!) and I dare say here too, I just haven't found it yet. The roof needs to be bird proof - and that includes the droppings too - I've used corrugated plastic so the light can still get through. The sides can be mesh, but small enough to keep out the smallest bird or rodent. The smallest chicken wire would probably do if you couldn't run to weldmesh/twiweld (much more expensive).

Get building girl!

Dixie

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6953 Location: isle of lewis

i've used pallets so i can wire inside and out using bird proof wire and then covered with board ,deb knows the stuff i'm talking about,carn't remember the name ,cheap and chearfully but hopefully does the job Confused

suz

debcat · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject:

sterling board, the cheapest thing we can get up here Confused

even wire costs loads more than on the mainland

kittoch · Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 163 Location: glasgow

sometimes get deals on weldmesh in cage and aviary birds paper......19g is the cheapest, and 1" x half" should keep all birds out, and is cheap , as weldmesh goes.
thankfully i have 8 aviarys that i kept parrots in, slabbed floors, covered roofs, double weld mesh panels, and my chooks were in there for the winter............may now be a LONG confinement!!! Crying or Very sad

debcat · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:43 pm Post subject:

the trouble is if you mail order it the postage will cost more than the wire Sad

Nursie · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 162

Thank you folks!

I think you're right Dixie, biggest possible! Better get the OH outside wielding a hammer pronto!

What a nightmare this could turn into Crying or Very sad

mojo · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:19 am Post subject:

i posted elsewhere ....the suggestion is to buy a cheapy thin plastic greenhouse to make a covered run for chickens remember to weight the bottom edge well

Zooey · Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 82 Location: East Sussex

It's not a cheap solution, but we covered our chicken's winter run last autumn. It's about 30' x 10' and we bought scaffolding and had a couple of local chaps put it up for us. The top has been covered in clear tarpaulin and then we draped an enormous roll of anti bird netting over everything. The option is there for us to extend the scaffolding over their grass run if necessary. (I hadn't heard about the latest reports, so thank you for the warning. I think we'd better break open the VirkonS tonight) Sad