covered/uncovered permanent run

[MoonStar]

Hi all

(I really should change my id photo, my girls are all feathered now, except for the ones that died of course.... ermm maybe I shouldn't have started with this?)

I am considering covering the girls run (bought a nice see-through tarp from tarpaflex as recommended by someone else on here). But what are the pros and cons?

Pros, obviously the run stays dry, but isn't a good wash through with some rain a good thing? The run is on bare earth covered in hard wood woodchips (and some good old stalosan) so not easy/viable to hose down that regularly. Should I just leave them to the elements or do you covered run owners swear by a roof???

Just to say also that my 3 newbies are settling in much better now, and although Lacey has definitely retained her crown, they do all squeeze into the nest box for bedtime . The ex batts have always slept in the nest box and the newbies seem to think this a great idea, certainly for the first portion of bedtime. By morning they're all roosting - maybe they get too hot or maybe someone 'lets one go' and they all run off for some fresh air on the perches - hee hee sounds like my house!!

M

[perchy]

Hi, my run is about 12 x 4 and the end opens up so they can have some extra garden, I bought some plastic sheeting from Wilkos £2.99 and covered the top and one side, (stapled it on) and have a tarp on top of that, and am able to roll it back, so it always stays dry, although I do have to scoop rain off if its been heavy, I don't know how big your run is or how tall, mine is only approx 4ft high, they also have the bottom of the ark for more space. Mine have a roof if they need it, or the outdoors.

[4c lady]

Ive got mine covered by clear taurplin. My run floor is sharp sand which I just rake over and sprinkle with stalaston F. I did dig it cover a couple of weeks ago as it had become compact so will need to keep doing that. So far ive not encountered any problems but I do take some out occasionally and add a fresh bag rather than having to empty out the lot. When it rains the edges of the run get wet and when the sun shines the sand warms up and the girls love dustbathing in one section. The clear taurplin does make it light in their run. Im a big fan of the whole covered roof bit although I did add drains to mine so any water that collects runs down the drains and into buckets rather than having to sweep water off by hand but I did have to use a sealant as the drains leaked as you had to cut the taurplin to fit them (got them from the same place that I brought the clear taurplin).

[Richard]

With warmer drier weather coming you'll find they will turn the run into a massive dust bath if covered all the way or all the time.
They like scraping down to find the moister soil where they could get occasional buggies to eat and the odd worm.
The dry soil will soon become 'dead'. My Run is 40 / 45 feet square and hasn't grown anything except stinging nettles for two years - and that's not covered!

I'd go 50#50 or at least hose it once in a while

[MoonStar]

Hi

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I think half and half is the way to go, plus there's some bushes in the run which will still need the water, now I think about it.

I always feel sorry for the worms that have battled their way through our tough clay soil on a nice wet day only to come eye to eye with Lacey, a particularly ferocious predator!

Cheers

M

[Grannyof4]

I have both...the run atached to the chicken house is covered but the big run, which they have access to all the time, is open.

[dawncolin]

My run is permanent and completely covered. We have had our girls for 18 months now and have not experienced any problems. We dig it over every week, hose it down regularly (there is one pot plant hanging on to life in the run still) and add fresh top soil every so often.

Our next project is to remove some of the soil and empty it onto the veg patch and then refill with 5 bags of top soil that we have. We have also given them turf over the period that we have had them so that all breaks down too. At the end of the summer I often empty the compost from our pots into it too so they can scratch around in that as well.