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Woohoo, we're getting there Got a chook house thanks to Kirsty B, materials for the fox-proof run being delivered from the builders' merchants today, so a busy weekend planned for "us" building the run. Another cup of tea darling?

I'm not sure what to do with the floor of the run, if anything. At least half of the roof of the run will be covered in plastic to create a dry area, but even so rain is going to get in from the sides. As there's some fairly invasive plants in the area that I can't shift, would you put weed supressing matting down on top, maybe with straw on top of that, or would the hens just rip the matting to bits? Also could it do them any harm if they were to peck at it and swallow some of it? What does everyone else do?

It depends on the plants really. Anything that's poisonous to us I'd pull out, otherwise if they're ok, leave them and let the chooks sort them out.

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I wouldn't use any membrane as it could cause problems if they ate it or got tangled up in the threads.
I'd try to put the house on slabs/bricks/concrete to stop it rotting
As for the plants, the chickens will probably eat them for you! What are the plants?

Snowberry. Don't know the proper name, but hideous woody roots that spread underground and even 6 ft 4 hubby who works out in the gym can't shift the main plants

Think they're poisonous as well!

Just wondered how you are going to make the run foxproof? Burying wire? Paving around edge? Using wire on base?

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Cheers for the advice everyone

Snadger, you wouldn't belive what's been delivered, it could withstand a small siege! The corner and middle posts are thicker than my upper arm, and they'll be sitting in metal shoes to stop them rotting. Met posts I think hubby called them. Whatever gauge chicken wire is, the stuff he's bought is twice as thick and as well as burying it a foot down all the way around, he's going to cable-tie some of my old bamboo canes into the bottom of it before burying it, so that if a fox wants to dig his way under, he'll have to dig up the whole side of the run.

Unfortunately hubby's on such a mission with it that he's been awake since 3.30am with brain fizz, has mentally built it three times over, and has just gone back to bed feeling completely zombified

Hopefully just the berries are poisonous? If it's the leaves as well then I'm really stuffed. We've taken it back to ground level, and I'm going to keep hitting the main plants with glyphosate until it gives up. I'm just have to keep an eye out for anything coming up in the run and try to get to it before the hens do, I suppose.

I would suggest burying 2-3 foot down, foxes can dig deep.

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Symphoricarpus. (Oooh, Hark at her!)

Richard Mabey in his Food for Free reckons you can eat the berries. However, he reckons it's hardly worth while - no flavour realy. lt's certainly a bit of a thug and hard to dig out. You could try a brushwood killer if you really wanted rid of it.

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Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

"how you are going to make the run foxproof?"

I would favour a "skirt". Easier to install than digging-deep.

For example the Omlet Eglu:
Omlet UK | Product and Services | Chickens | the run

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K's Garden blog last update 3rd August 2008

Interesting - presumably that would only work on grass, though? Ours is going on what was half my veg plot, so it's looseish soil all around it, hence digging down half way to Australia

If placing a run on previously-dug area, bury the 'skirt' a few inches deep and if foxy tries to dig, he finds the skirt in the way and gives up. He won't think to move a foot or so further from the fence and try again. That is the purpose of the skirt.

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Hi, new to the forum section but have a question along the same lines. We are currently building a run for our new chooks. For the bottom I wanted wire acorss the bottom as well with concrete slabs on top-to be covered with that hemp core stuff. Here's the question, my husband thinks if we have concrete slabs then we will only need wire going in about 6 inches all around the edge-what do you think? Also what would be a good run size for 3 chooks-their house is a large converted playhouse. Thanks for your advice!! sarflo

I would say husband has a point. If the 'sides' go down and bend inwards, with slabs on top, no way is foxy going to get past that until it becomes seriously weakened. The potential weakness is where 'floor' meets 'wall'. Any gap there will get widened.....

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Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.