We extended the girl’s run in the spring and fitted panels over the top so that they could be closed against rain but opened to allow the sun in. During the summer when it rained the panels leaked between the joins and rain blew in through the sides but it dried out again during the better weather so stayed dry most of the time.
We have been disappointed to find that during this winter the new part of the run has become completely wet and it no longer dries out between wet days. During heavy rain it has puddles and although I dig the run over at least once a week the soil is claggy and heavy and the girls constantly have muddy feet.
I had hoped that extending the run would give the girls more dry area during the winter but that has proved not to be the case and I have been getting fed up of all the mud.
Today we decided to put a tarpaulin over the top of the entire extended area to see if it keeps most of the area dry. It was inexpensive and we will take it off for the summer. My only concern was that as it’s not available in clear, it will make the run a little dark. We decided to try it for a few weeks and see how it goes.
I know that the run will take some time to dry out but I am hoping that this will help and although rain will still blow in I hope the middle area will stay dry.
Tarpaulin over the extended part of the run
It doesn’t look attractive but will only be there for a few months.
View of tarpaulin from the original part of the run
Tarpaulin from inside the extended part of the run
It was a dull and foggy day so I think it will be better during brighter days. The girls didn’t seem to mind the new look and spent as much time in this part of the run as usual.
We also made another change to the bedtime perches. Since we had put up a new bedtime perch, this had become a success, with the girls using the new perch each night. Honey likes the left hand side of the new perch and Emerald likes the right hand side of the new perch.
What I did find though was that the big perch was no longer used at all. I think that now there is more choice of perch space the girls favour the slimmer perches as they are easier for them grip (as bantam girls have little feet) and the big perch is now redundant.
We decided to replace the big perch with a slimmer one to match the rest.
A new slimmer perch on the left
This worked a treat and tonight three girls used the newest perch.
Bedtime line up
Amber is on the chair. Honey is almost hidden but is behind Peaches and Barley on the left hand side of the previous new perch. Peaches, Barley and Sparkle are on the newest perch (replacing the big perch). Topaz and Toffee are on the right hand perch and Emerald is on the right hand side of the previous new perch.
Closer shot of seven girls
To get Emerald in shot I couldn’t get too close so this shows the other seven in their positions.
It’s amazing how a simple change in the perches has made the bedtime routine so much easier. The girls all now find their spots on the perches quickly and easily without any hassle.
I think keeping the extended run area dry may be a trickier matter but only time will tell. At least the old part of the run is dry and gives them a good dust bath area but it would be great to have the girls with dry feet too.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Your latest modifications should keep the run drier – it’s a sensible idea, as it can so easily become a quagmire. My two hen houses with attached runs have covered tops, but are open at the sides, like yours, and they manage to keep relatively dry. The big run is open-topped and turned into a mud bath last year, although I found that spreading builders’ sand did help. Another thing I do (an idea I got from you) is buy a few rolls of turf every few weeks; the girls love them, and they do keep the mud at bay – at least for a while.
Our curious bantams love to explore new perches – I’ve just put two new ones in the small coop, partly to stop them from roosting in the nests, and a couple of tree branches from my pruning escapades have been a real success.
It does seem a constant battle trying to keep everything dry. It seems a bit better today already.
The girls do love a turf and they also love perches. Every one of the branch perches in the run gets used every day and they do use them to get off the ground when frozen or muddy or to get to a patch of sun.
We have to improve ours in the spring but by replacing a lot of the mesh with welder mesh. Ours stays quite dry with the corregated plastic. If you want some clear tarpaulin I have a large sheet you can use for the winter.
The corrugated plastic keeps the patio area dry but the run needs something that can be opened in summer.
We couldn’t find clear tarpaulin only plastic sheeting which we have over the original part of the run. It wouldn’t have been tough enough for the extension part of the run as we had to drag it over and it would snag and tear.
As we have done it now we will see how it holds up but I may check out your sheet when we meet up if that’s okay. the Tarpaulin only cost twelve pounds so is no great loss if it doesn’t work out.