Wet Run. Humour me. Chicken dad needs help!

[MattyBowman]

Whether building chicken coops, skyscrapers, or relationships, you can't go wrong starting with a good foundation.

You got it looking good, high and dry now.

So true!!! I’m learning as much as I can mainly from this site. No idea what I’m doing but making sure they are as healthy as I can make them.

 

[chickens really]

It’s a start. Only had the girls about a month. It’s becoming more that it was supposed because I love it. The next step is building a larger permanent coop. That’s why I attached a bigger run to it right away. This is just my first steps in. But the coop was labelled 3-4 chickens. 5-6 bantams. So I bought it.

I understand but for standard Birds that holds about 2 full grown if that?

 

[FortCluck]

I put lots of sand on the muddy areas like the contactor/builders sand not the sandbox sand. The chickens mix it into the first and it makes the water drain better.

 

[townchicks]

But the coop was labelled 3-4 chickens. 5-6 bantams. So I bought it.

Yes, the prefab manufacturers are notorious for overstating capacity in those tiny coops. If they all get along, and have a reasonably large run, you can sometimes get away with it. I'd start on that bigger coop soon, though. A prefab shed makes a quick and easy coop.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

No one mentioned planting. I had terrible problems and besides all the suggestions I also dug a trench through the run and buried drainage pipe then added rocks over it so it wouldnt clog up and because I knew I had it as big as I wanted I added willow bushes . They love the water and greedily suck it up. I thought that the floor would build up and eventually leave me w/ no head space but that never happened. LOL I dont know if anyone else had that thought or not. 7 yrs w/o cleaning the run. Just adding pine shavings . worked out pretty good but it did take a long while.

 

[MattyBowman]

Yes, the prefab manufacturers are notorious for overstating capacity in those tiny coops. If they all get along, and have a reasonably large run, you can sometimes get away with it. I'd start on that bigger coop soon, though. A prefab shed makes a quick and easy coop.

Thanks for the info. They seem to get along great, haven’t seen any fighting or pecking like that. And that why I immediately got the 8/8 run. It was too small for them to run around in. No doubt about it. Rookie mistake, but I’ll upgrade as soon as I can afford it, blew everything on what is there. I feel bad it’s too small buts it all I got right now.

 

[aart]

to a higher part of the yard with much more natural drainage.

That'll help.

 

[MROO]

Thanks for the info. They seem to get along great, haven’t seen any fighting or pecking like that. And that why I immediately got the 8/8 run. It was too small for them to run around in. No doubt about it. Rookie mistake, but I’ll upgrade as soon as I can afford it, blew everything on what is there. I feel bad it’s too small buts it all I got right now.

You can easily adapt it to buy yourself more time. Covering the hardware cloth sides with some plywood boards (or even old windows with the glass in place, if you have them) will enclose the original "run" area and turn it into coop space. In the meantime, keep an eye out online for someone giving away an outgrown wooden (but NOT cedar) playset ... the kind with a cabin or "fort" over a sandbox. Those are sturdy as all get-out and make REALLY cool coops! You can check out some playhouse conversions here on BYC's coop pages.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for the info. They seem to get along great, haven’t seen any fighting or pecking like that. And that why I immediately got the 8/8 run. It was too small for them to run around in. No doubt about it. Rookie mistake, but I’ll upgrade as soon as I can afford it, blew everything on what is there. I feel bad it’s too small buts it all I got right now.

Many of us start with less than ideal set ups, it's not a huge problem as long as you're willing to make changes as time goes on to compensate. Moving the set up is already a good start.

 

[townchicks]

Rookie mistake, but I’ll upgrade as soon as I can afford it, blew everything on what is there. I feel bad it’s too small buts it all I got right now.

That's one many of us here have made, myself included. Got to start somewhere. My little prefab is now serving duty as a quarantine/introduction coop. They have their uses.