Advice for new Poultry run

[Olivia9801]

Now its time to make radical changes to my run as lots of the current posts as rotting. I have got a combination which is not recommended in that they comprise of a series of 4x2 & 2x2inch square posts.

I am hoping that my plan of 3x3 inch square will be adequate thought ideally I would prefer 4X4 inch tantalised.

My main question relates to how they go into the ground. In the pat I dug 12 inch square holes and cemented them in, but with 40 to dig I`m not looking forward to doing this! Now if I repeat this process of cementing the 3x3 inch posts in, I was going to go down 2ft but this time hire one of those petrol hole borers as the ground around my pen is a good soft soil/clay combination. This will be far easier!

An alternative method of fixing the new 3x3 inch square posts is to bore a smaller hole but enough to create a tight insertion of the post into the hole to a depth of 2 feet. My question is, do you think this would be strong enough to secure the pen and be a long term option to offset the winds as it does not involve cementing them in?

Regards

Olivia9801

 

[Marigold]

Hi Olivia, what an interesting project. The uprights for our run are 3x3ins tanalised and this is plenty big enough, so long as they are part of a framework, ie are joined round the top edge and also reinforced horizontally across the top. We used 2by 2ins for the 'rafters' and door frame. Extra strength and rigidity, also security, comes from completing the 'box,'by fixing weldmesh to the uprights and over the top as well. Our posts are about 2 metres apart and were bought as 7ft 6" long, which reduced to about 6 ft high when they were concreted in to narrow holes 15" deep, at which depth we met with the solid chalk so that was that! Once the whole framework is completed there's no possibility that it will shift or blow over, so I wouldn't think you would need to go down 2ft on quite compacted and stable soil. There's no point in digging wide holes because if you can make deep narrow ones, the undisturbed earth holds the posts upright just as well as masses of concrete. It's a good idea to put some concrete round the edges as the holes are not going to be perfect, but not so much as if you have a wider hole. Hiring a machine to dig them sounds an excellent idea, though I have been told that you need to be quite hefty to manage these machines. You don't need to actually mix concrete, just use bags of Postcrete, which is a dry mix of sand, gravel and cement, ready mixed, which you just ram in to the remaining space round the posts and it sets in the damp of the earth around it. We painted the wood with heavy-duty preservative before using it, even though it was tanalised, especially a good soaking where the bottom of the posts were going in the ground. After 7 years it's all still as good as new.
It sounds as if you're planning to make a very large run, if there are 40 posts. What are the dimensions of the new run, and do you intend it to have a roof over at least part, or a covering of weldmesh? If it's going to be too big for fixing 'rafters' over the top, I suppose you will need diagonal reinforcements across the corners to brace them?

 

[dinosaw]

Concreting the posts actually makes them rot quicker Olivia, when it rains the water has nowhere to go, sits on top of the concrete and rots the posts where they meet the concrete. You would be better ramming the posts directly into the ground or digging and then backfilling with gravel and the spoil and then compacting it down, personally I just ram them, digging a small pilot hole with a digging bar makes them go in a lot easier as does wet weather.

 

[rick]

Galvanised post spikes are quite good and easy to use though the upper framework has to provide most of its own rigidity (through cross bracing etc.)

 

[Olivia9801]

Thank you for your advice.

Its good news that you don't recommend cementing the posts in as that is quite an extra bit of work!

In fact one of my cemented tantalised posts has rotted and snapped at ground level. I am also pleased that it seems more than adequate to use 3x3 inch as opposed to 4x4! That's a tidy saving in cash as well!

I priced the hiring of a one man hole borer from my local tool hire centre and it was only £45.00 plus vat for the weekend. Will probably drill a hole just a tad smaller than the posts and use a post rammer to drive it home. It may be a little difficult to get my levels spot on to cap these uprights with a bracing section of 3x3. I know I could saw them level, but ideally I wouldn't like to lose the already sealed stumps on the uprights.

Anymore advice will be appreciated.

Regards

Olivia9801

 

[Marigold]

Sounds fine. Our bracing framework at the top is 2 X2, not 3X3 like the lists are, and this has been fine. Lighter cheaper and easier to work with than larger size, reduction in weight at the top of the framework, but thick enough to take mesh securely or put a roof on if you're intending this. You can buy really long ones, The long side of our run is over 3 metres and we did this span in one-piece lengths. What are the planned run dimensions? It's easier to visualise the job if we know this.