[Justin]

After all the help I received here on the plans for the chicken run, I thought you might like to see the progress.

This is the little ex-orchard field that we started with.



We started by banging in the big corner posts and gate posts, a small gate on one side and a larger size on the other. Having a friend with a big tractor and post banger is very useful.



Once all the big posts were in, we used the digger to dig a shallow trench round the outside to bury the bottom of the mesh pointing outwards. Then ran a strand of galvanised wire along the bottom which the mesh will be clipped to every foot or so near the ground.



We then used this as a guide to bang in the smaller posts in between the big ones, and then stapled the wire to them.



While the post banger was there we banged in 4 smaller posts that I'll put a roof on and which will give a covered area for a dust bath. The final post went in once the tractor was on the outside.

This is how it looks at the end of day 1.

[Womble]

Superb!!  That's going to be amazing once it's finished! 

[Eve]

Wow!! 

[Kimbo]

Brilliant. Im SOOOOOOO jealous!

[Carey boy]

Hi,

Will you be selling the eggs or listing them on the stock market (lol).

I read somewhere that an average cost for non commercial produce (back yard) eggs is about £5.60.

Good luck

David

[Justin]

If I was worried about the cost of eggs, this is the last thing I'd be doing

Actual cost is a few hundred more than the fencing and posts as I'm paying someone to help me build it. However, having use of the post banger is brilliant. We're building this as part of the build of our smallholding and a better/different way of life. I see it as an investment over 20 years to try and protect our chickens from the local foxes etc.

I remember my mum coming down one morning to find a fox had got into her run, killed all her chickens and left them in pieces around the run. I'm doing my best to prevent that.

[devonlady]

A gun turret in each corner and you're done!!

[Kimbo]

I read somewhere that an average cost for non commercial produce (back yard) eggs is about £5.60.

That figure only applies here if its per egg 

[chrismahon]

Looks like a similar arrangement to ours Justin, except we have little soil depth so all the posts have to be a tripod arrangement just 6" deep into the ground. We hung the chicken wire very loosely using metal rings, the idea being it would be very difficult to climb. The top wire when tightened pulls our posts over so each of the four corners have straining wires anchored into the ground. We have adjusters on every tension wire length and the whole 'frame' was tensioned up before the chicken wire was hung.

[devonlady]

Hi,

Will you be selling the eggs or listing them on the stock market (lol).

I read somewhere that an average cost for non commercial produce (back yard) eggs is about £5.60.

Good luck

I drive a round of 15 miles twice a day for 2 eggs. Work out the cost of my eggs
David

[nutterly_uts]

I read somewhere that an average cost for non commercial produce (back yard) eggs is about £5.60.

I work with someone who specifically buys Waitrose veg for their chickens

[Justin]

Finally got some work done on Fort Clucks. I had a week away at a friend's wedding and returned to some lovely weather, so got stuck in with putting up the weld mesh.

Gosh but that's difficult stuff to work with, no give in it at all. As our posts are round and not perfectly aligned, it took me and a friend most of a day to work out the best way to get it attached. The lower, closer, heavier mesh finally got stapled to the posts, bent out at the bottom at least a foot and buried a good 6" under ground level.



As you can see, the walls aren't as tight and straight as I'd like them but I don't think there's enough give in them to be a problem.



View of the fort at the end of the day.



Better view with the sun behind me, the poles on the left are for some shelter.



It stayed like that for a week while the weather was rubbish and I had some other things to think about. Then a couple of days ago we got to work building some gates. The big gate posts weren't completely straight so we put some 2x2 framing in place so we had a square opening to work with and cut a board to fill the gap and create a lip for the gate to shut against.

Also built a concrete step for the bottom of the gate. The boards will come off the form tomorrow and I'll infill around them to ground level





After a long day of gate building, right into sunset, I left my friend finishing the last of the concreting while my girlfriend and I dashed off to our appointment with a seller of hens. We were just going to get 3-4 so as not to overburden ourselves. Knowing my girlfriend, this was never going to work and so, not unexpectedly, we came home with 7.

This is just after we let them out this morning



They wandered around while I built the roof for some shelter. I ran out of cutting disks for the grinder before I could finish the 2 sides to protect from the rain we're having and the wind that blows in during the colder months so I stood some plywood in place temporarily.



So, there we are. We have chickens at long last and have just got them safely into the house for the night. I still have to wire the overlapping mesh together, fill in round the steps, put some 1' long extension pieces on the top each post so that I can push the mesh out at 90 degrees and fix it in place. Also have to run a couple of electric fence wires round the outside and put some old paving slabs either side of the gates where it's going to get muddy, and clean out an old plastic pond liner to use as a dust bath.

However, I'm off on another contract from Monday so won't be home for a month so some things will have to wait till then. We've spent a chunk of time today just watching the girls explore and getting to know their characters, they're utterly fascinating

Cheers.

J.

[Kimbo]

really nice Justin, well done.
And I see a lovely Grandpa feeder. Good choice. We have one but as they are so expensive Ive just bought 2 cheaper treadle feeders....big mistake. They aren't a patch on the Grandpa and I wish I had just gone for the real McCoy

[Justin]

Yes, we splurged on the feeder, got a discount at the Devon show the other week and could carry it home and save on postage. Want to do our best to prevent rats as much as possible.

[Kerriech]

Wow, your run looks amazing. We built a similar but smaller structure for our hens. Tractor knocked in posts, then weldmesh sides and roof. It's 10x5m. The 8hens free range when we're around, but are locked up if we can't be here when it's getting dusk.

Over time we've added to it, building shelters at each side so they've always got a wind break. Last winter the grass turned to mud, so we floored it mostly with granite sand. Drains really well, and easy to clean.

I dread to think the cost per egg....... Way more than £5.60 I reckon, but it's a lifestyle not commercial.

Interestingly, since we got pigs, have not seen a fox. Don't know whether that's a coincidence or whether the smell of pigs has out the fox off. But the pigs will be gone by winter, so the run will hopefully protect the hens.