Chicken Memorials

[leopardstar]

we recently got our cube and extension and have got quite a big garden but not enclosed enough to let chickens free range.

 

We originally thought we'd just move the cube and run every week to fresh grass but as you all know in the winter the grass doesn't stay grass long and all our lawn is getting gradually ruined!

 

Could we leave it in a permanent position and put a layer of bark or something in the run? Would it get really dirty and smelly or do the droppings disperse with rain etc?

[Guest]

we use aubiose, it's much better as it soaks up the droppings and when it's fresh, the girls love dust bathing in it

 

we have a plastic roof on the run as it helps to keep the aubiose and the girls dry (although not completely as rain does get it from the sides if it's really bad) if you don't have a roof it will soon turn into a mud bath

 

i read something about bark containing spores which could harm the chickens so we stopped using it

 

here's a pic of the run with aubiose in it, we get it from our local animal feed store, about £8 for a big bale

 

[Couperman]

hi there,

 

Bark can go mouldy and cause problems. I don't think bark composts very quickly either.

 

We have our cube on paving slabs on the patio. The run is filled to about 2 inches deep with Hemcore (horse bedding) it is very absorbant and dries quickly too. Some people use Auboise which is essentially the same stuff.

 

Another good alternative is Easybed again horse bedding. Failing that wood chipping work fine and are cheaper and maybe available free if you live near a tree surgeon. Whatever you choose to go for it is worth checking that it has had the dust extracted prior to baling as that can cause respiritory problems. All of the above compost well,

 

The likes of Hemcore and Easybed are available in most horsey typ shops or country supply stores.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kev.

[leopardstar]

With the Aubiose or hemcore do you essentially muck it out every so often and rack it all out a replace with fresh?

 

Not quite sure how you keep it dry when our run is out in the garden with no shelter?

[chelsea]

we have the winter shade with a clear shower curtain over the run.

 

I also use hemcore - it really is brilliant in the run. Every week we take off the top layer of hemcore and replace with fresh and every 3/4 weeks we take out the whole contents and replace.

 

It seems to make the poo magically disappear, it comes in large compacted bales approx £6-7 and a bale will last a good time

 

www.hemcore.co.uk

[Guest]

With the Aubiose or hemcore do you essentially muck it out every so often and rack it all out a replace with fresh?

 

Not quite sure how you keep it dry when our run is out in the garden with no shelter?

 

Dh rakes it over every night as the girls dig big holes in the soil, so he fills them in and rakes it over. Every couple of weeks he'll skim off the top layer, put it in the compost heap and adds some fresh.

 

Once a month the whole lot gets dug out, the soil gets limed, the coop etc gets a thorough scrub with poultry shield and then fresh aubiose goes down. In the coop and nest boxes, he mixes some red mite powder into the aubiose.

[Couperman]

With the Aubiose or hemcore do you essentially muck it out every so often and rack it all out a replace with fresh?

 

Not quite sure how you keep it dry when our run is out in the garden with no shelter?

 

Oh yeah, like Chelsea we have a shower curtain over ours which keeps it dry. I generally do a major muck out every four weeks or so. Shovel the entire contents of the run into one of our ever expanding army of compost bins, jet wash the slabs clean and start again.

 

As the hemcore starts to compact I add a thin layer each week and then repeat the whole process.

 

We also use it in the dropping trays as it helps keep the smell to a minimum and dries the doddles out making the trays easier to clean.

 

I intend to build a bigger walk in run when the weather improves a bit so we can get a few ex-batts as well. That will have a more permanent roof!

 

I did look into making a proper roof for the CUbe run out of polycarbonate or similar but it proved to be too expensive.

 

Kev.

[henny penny]

Hi

How do you attach the shower curtain to the run ?

[Egluntyne]

Bungee clips.....2 looped together over the top and then clipped to the sides of the run, near the bottom.

[Guest]

Bungee clips.....2 looped together over the top and then clipped to the sides of the run, near the bottom.

 

we use bungee whatsits to attach our little stand up greenhouse to the fence, to stop it blowing away in this weather!

[hodge]

We had the same problem, the grass soon got manky even when moving the egloo around. I made a wooden frame and filled it with ornamental bark, and its been great. They love scratching around in it and all I do is rake it over through the egloo door when when we clean them out. As the bark gradually disappears I top it up every three months or so. It looks very smart too.