spruce Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Please help me! I am fairly new to being a chicken owner. Have 7 in total and they all seem very happy, laying 7 eggs a day. They have huge pen with a covered area one end, where they have their feed etc. The last week it has become a complete mud bath - literally puddles!! I have tried sawdust, straw but this works for ½ hour & then makes matters worse. My main concern is that the chickens will become unhappy or poorly - can chickens get cold etc? We have put in an old rabbit hutch but they lay in it and not stay in to keep dry - do chickens only even go indoors at night? Due to this awful rain I haven't been letting them roam the garden, to which they are use to normally every afternoon. Told you I was a novice so any advice or tips would be so much appreciated. Are chickens hardy enough to cope with our current terrible english weather? Lucy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Someone on the forum suggested aubiose to me. It is a super absorbant horse bedding. It has really been great in my run and although the rest of my garden is a mud heap, the run is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Meant to say that the hens also love scratching about in it and flicking it everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 i use hemcore which is the english version of aubiose! Its very good in the run. dont worry about the mud bath though -everyones gardens are the same. Hopefully if this rain stops we can all dry out a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I second this suggestion. We use Hemcore, which I think is almost the same as Auboise. As Janty says, they love scratching and playing in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Can you buy it at the normal country store type places? How much is it? I inherited a long row of leylandii and I built our run with some of them in it. It gives some shelter and I'm sure they suck up a lot of the water in the run as a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 We buy ours from a pet feed store, just ring around and see I think it's about £7 for a huge bale which lasts ages (not sure though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 yes we pay between £6-7 for a bale of hemcore. Its very compacted in the bale so will last a good time. We get ours at our local farms supplies, but horsey places or even pet shops (if you ask they may order in - if they are a local shop). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 heres a link to the distributors around the country to find your nearest stockist http://www.hemcore.co.uk/distributor.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 If you can put some perches in the run that will give them somewhere to keep their feet dry if they need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I echo the hemcore suggestion (I have to pay £9 a bale) - my run is more impacted dirt now that they've dug all the hemcore in, but it's not wet at all. My whole run is covered in this wet weather - perhaps you could think about covering the whole thing? My girls never go into the eglu except to lay, even in the worst weather . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Can you put it in their nest box as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 You can - I use Aubiose in the nest box, & most importantly in the poop tray. It is super absorbant,so you end up with nice dry poos,& the tray is much easier to clean out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 We use Hemcore, eggcellent stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygal Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hi- my chickens have arrived THIS MORNING!! and although the sun is shining at the moment, the forecast for the next 3 or so days is rain, rain and more rain...now I've read that as these chickens are young they may just stand out in it all day , so does it sound like a completely mad idea to put up a gazebo over the top of their run to keep the worst of the rain off just for now?! I don't have one of those Winter cover thingies, and I'm concerned that other things I have like bubble wrap that I could fix on they will just try and eat?? (I'm such a newbie!!) They have currently gone into their little house. I can't wait til my children come home from school to see them- they are so excited!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Covering the run, wholly or part of it, is a good idea, that way it stays drier and so do the chookies! A few people use clear shower curtains; I think anything will do really, so long as waterproof and reasonably robust. Maybe start witht eh bubble-wrap as its what you've got to hand, then look around for something stronger when you get chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 A gazebo would certainly be the poshest rain cover on the forum . Certainly no harm using that till you find something else. Others have used clear plastic sheeting, corrugated clear plastic or shower curtains. Hope your kids have fun with the new arrivals! (A tip to tame them, give them a stroke once they've gone into their eglu/cube or if you can, bring them into the house for a cuddle. They'll be quite docile and easy to handle.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygal Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 okay- the gazebo idea may backfire if its windy! I think I'll go with the bubble wrap for now. I've literally been going through the garage wondering what I have to hand- I may put a request on freecycle this weekend and come up with something a bit more practical and permanent. My kids were so excited this afternoon and have given their chickens middle names so Miranda is now Miranda speckles, and Clarice is Clarice spot. Molly is Molly the Bully as she seems to peck the other two rather a lot. As her comb is the biggest and reddest I guess she is the oldest and trying to rule the roost?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waders Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hi Crazygal! Hello and welcome to what my husband calls 'BeakBook'! I've only had my girls for a month now and I watch them nearly all the time - they're fascinating! When my girls arrived there was a bit of posturing going on. It worried me at first but as you have said my Betty had her comb and wattles way before the others. She rules the roost now, the others follow her around and let her get to the food first. She is the only one laying at the moment. Minnie and Pearl still do a lot of pushing and shoving but their combs and wattles are still quite small. In fact it is really like watching your children playing - who's in charge, who's the follower and so on - except my girls go to bed with no problem! Now if I could only get my children to do the same.......! I have an old shower curtain pegged onto my run and that seems to do the trick. I am waiting to move them to a permanent site, partly to protect their feet from the mud (I read somewhere that it can give them problems?) and to give my garden a break. I'm going to put them on Hemcore so they can have a good scratch and it smells nice! Good luck with yours, the others are right - things will never be the same again! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygal Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I've only had my girls for a month now and I watch them nearly all the time - they're fascinating! Lisa Its not just me then! I've had them 24 hours, and I can already see they have different personalities. They also look over to our back door- I'm sure to see if we are going to come out to see them...I've saved them a bit of my porridge for later- that should go down a treat! It does seem like Molly (the biggest) goes for the food first, then when shes wandered off the other two venture out and have a nosh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Hello and welcome to what my husband calls 'BeakBook'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 My OH refers to it as Chicken World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
