Warm boot recommendations please

[little chickadee]

I've been using Hemcore on earth in my run and like someone said "the poo just seems to dissapear" I've started seeing the poo now, so guess there's something I need to do. Do I have to get it all out of the run (If so, how on earth do I do this (I've got a cube run with the tiniest little door) Would be grateful for any advice.

[Tina C]

Rake it?

 

I don't use hemcore in my run but I am sure someone will come along soon with advice on how often to change it. Makes lovely compost.

[Trish]

I use Aubiose which is much the same and when it gets to the point where we are seeing poo then I tend to rake out about half what there is add some garden lime and top up with new stuff. What comes out makes great compost. May be once every 6 months or so I take more out and if it looks really bad I will remove all of it but not often.

[Daywalker]

I use hemcore in my eglu run. At the moment I just rake it and add fresh on top. The old stuff will compost fairly quickly. I suppose I will have to take some out at some point but that's probably months away. HTH

[lozkate]

I have a theory that hemcore makes the poo 'disappear' because it absorbs a lot of the water from the droppings and the remaining solids break up, disintigrating in to unseeable bits.

 

I've raked out all the hemcore in the run this morning. It was looking very brown and the chooks have turned it over so much that the soil is now mixed in. I think this (combined with quite a bit of rain) is the point at which the hemcore stops absorbing the moisture from the poo and therefore you start to see it more.

 

I've been adding a bit now and again and then clearing the whole lot out monthly.

 

After I raked out this morning all four chooks piled into the run (from free-ranging) and started eating stuff from the soil. They wont let me back in to re-lay the hemcore!!

 

As for the compost - I can already taste the spuds & toms.

 

Loz

[The Dogmother]

You're right - it makes fab compost.

 

My run is covered, so doesn't get wet, except for a bit around the edges.

 

Every so often, I detach the run (& extension) and pull it away from the eglu, rake it all out, lay down some garden lime then pop some new Hemcore in on top before re-attaching the run. When I run out of room on the compost, I give it to a friend, who has an allotment - she pays me in veggies

[Guest]

I know what you mean about it disappearing quickly, see the new thread i posted. For a run of our size, a whole bale would only last about 3 weeks, 4 at a push.

 

DH rakes out the old stuff, puts it on the compost, digs in a bit of lime and then puts a new bale in.

[CatsCube]

I dont know if its the same, or what you have your run on, but Im cleaning the woodchip out of the base of mine this weekend, and I will pop the cube onto its wheels and get OH to hold the run end and move the whole thing out the way, and then just sweep it all up, sit the cube back in place and empty a new bag in and let the girls distribute it all over the floor.

[feemcg]

I do that too - dump a big pile in the middle of the run and the girls climb on top and start kicking it all over the place

[chelsea]

 

the chooks have turned it over so much that the soil is now mixed in. I think this (combined with quite a bit of rain) is the point at which the hemcore stops absorbing the moisture from the poo and therefore you start to see it more.

 

 

I agree with your theory! I dont think this awful weather is helping, when there is "just wind" and not this constant rain and wind the hemcore tends to dry out lovely, but with all the downpours it wont absorb the poos/turn over in the run as well.