Topic: Hens are indoors

[Merlins Mum]

That's great news and I'm sure they are very happy about it too. ;D  I hate to see any bird caged  :'(

MM

[Heldi]

Yes...good news!

[Paulines7]

The covered chicken run that my OH and I are making is still ongoing.  We spent all the Bank Holiday weekend on it and all of the weekend just gone.  The roof is on though there is still some timber to be put on around the edges for the guttering to fix onto.  We have the worst job to do and that is to fit wire netting around it.  :( :(

None of it has been easy as it is on a slope so it is 7ft high at one end and 10ft at the other.  We made it bigger than we originally planned and the dimensions are now 8ft x 18ft.   :D  Plenty of room for my 14 chickens if you include the attached chicken shed that is 8ft x 12ft.  Hopefully we will have it finished over next weekend so I can post some pics.   ;D ;D

[Heldi]

Oooh sounds like good progress Pauline.

 OH started on our outdoor run on Saturday. It consists of four posts and a roof at the moment! He brought four different coloured doors home from work yesterday to use as the back wall! I haven't seen them yet but he laughed and said one of them has a sticker of Robbie Williams on it!  I want to paint it bright colours when he is finished but OH reckons it should be black. Boring!!

 I'm hinting on for a potting shed attached to the run as I have to sit on the floor in the conservatory at the moment and my back aches so much! He must be thinking about it because he asked if I want to be able to see the hens whilst I'm in the potting shed and have them able to watch me?  Ofcourse I do!

[Heldi]

Heres some pics I took at the end of last week including a pic of the state of Toffee's feathers. They are improving since Dennis hasn't be able to ruffle them. I haven't been able to find any poultry saddles yet. I did find a website selling them but feel unsure about sending money off to some place I don't know. It was a private website not a retailer. Need a supplier up here really.

Don't worry about Den because he gets let out everytime anyone is at the allotment. The girls will have their outside area soon and Den will hopefully be reunited with them.

[His Madge]

Hello I'm Heldi's OH !  And I made that hen house !!!  :D  So don't listen to any gossip that says otherwise  ;D

[Paulines7]

Hello His Madge, welcome to the site.  That looks a good house you have made there but I do have a query.   ::)  In the picture it looks as though the netting has too wide a gap and would not stop birds from getting in.  Is it the angle the picture was taken?   :-\

My OH is still making ours and all it needs now is the doors which he is busily making up.  I will post a picture when it is finished.   :D

[Heldi]

Hiya Pauline!

Those pics are of the inside run so the netting is just to stop the hens running amok amongst the tools and pinching all their food!  The outside is not finished yet but will have mesh with half inch holes and a roof. The roof is on but the sides are still to be done.

Ofcourse I am of great help with the construction....(OH is looking at what I'm typing and has walked off muttering).

[Paulines7]

At long last I can post a photo of the undercover chicken area that my OH and I built.  ::)

It was difficult to photograph as I couldn't get far enough away because of fences.  We only intend to use it if there is a "flu" outbreak and failing that, I will attach bubble wrap in the Spring and have an additional "greenhouse".   ;D

[Heldi]

Oooh wow Pauline,your outside/inside run looks tres posh!  ;D

[Paulines7]

Thanks Heldi.  It seemed to have taken forever to build and OH is still in the process of making a stand for the waterbutt so we will have the water that drains off the roof.