chickencam Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 It was like spring here today and the eglu had an extra special clean and the bark chips were replaced and lots of other pending outdoor jobs were done. Whilst we were doing all this I said I bet we are not the only peole scrubbing and eglu today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Yep - had a really good clean out of the eglu. Raked out and replaced the hemcore and let all of the insides dry nicely in the sun. The chookie girls had a dustbath and a sunbathe on the allotment and purred with pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Not me - we went out for the day! A job for tomorrow though - can't leave it any longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Spring-like here today too . Cleaned eglu and transferred a big pile of old hemcore & soil to my new compost bin which arrived today, using my new blue tubtrug which I bought today . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Got back from a night flight this morning and decided to give the eglus and run a thorough clean out. Since I put the runs on slabs, it is so much easier to clean out the runs. I moved them both off, and shoveled the aubiose into a wheel barrow. Replaced the wood on the outside to keep the fresh aubiose in too! I have a hen party in the morning, what's the betting the girls mess up the area before 10.30am?? Lovely day, cool but bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I should have done more outside today..........but I was out there all week putting the last of the finishing touches to the eglu area and garden :D so I spent today admiring my work and retrieving a determined chook from the newly laid (but fenced off) lawn............there's always one wouldn't have minded so much but I bought extra rolls of turf to lay in the veg patch just for the girlies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Eglu cleaning is on my list of jobs for tomorrow So is the ironing, but don't think that'll be done as it was also on today's list...and yesterday's Still who cares, it's sunny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 So is the ironing, but don't think that'll be done as it was also on today's list...and yesterday's Still who cares, it's sunny! Funny you should say that............it's the same here :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Well I was busy cleaning my hens out today too...I s"Ooops, word censored!"ed out all of their woodchip and washed down the paving slabs. Louse powdered the hens and then changed my trousers and coat as they'd manage to louse powder me too. Plus I took apart the eglu and gave it a good scrub and made the nestbox nice by filling it up with lots of shredded paper and wood shavings and then put it all back together and filled the run with lots of nice chipped bark. Also did their water and mixed up some more food for them-phew, very busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Nope, did it yesterday Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I cleaned out my cube wile the small people wreaked havoc on the rest of my garden. It was the first time that Nia had played properly out there and she seemed to love pottering around. It will make my cleanout job so much easier from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Eglus and run cleaning for me tomorrow. also need to do some repairs on the run after the recent gales I took myself off to town this afternoon, OH stayed at home and did all the ironing while he watched the footy/rugby on the TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Had to work all day today so didnt even get chance to say goodnight to the girls - will make up for it tomorrow though when I finish work at 1pm hope it's a lovely sunny day again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hubbie did it today (He's so great!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Our girlies were mud bathing too, white chickens and wet soil make for very dirty girls Didn't help that Dippy also fell into the pond when she was already dirty, you have never seen a chicken move so fast, they have never done this before but it is quite shallow with plenty of plants to get hold off so I think they would only drown if they were weak anyway. We have thought about some kind of barrier of netting but I think that would actually make things worse for escaping We also turned the eglu and run around by 180 degrees to give them some fresh ground and the bark is deeper at the other end because the garden slopes away and the run is level, this caused some confusion when they went home for their corn and bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iChicken Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Cleaned ours out yesterday before the weekend and took our daughter to the zoo today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Took the boys to visit Grandad and play with his trains today. Eglu cleaning tomorrow after church! (just hope the weather holds!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Lovely day, cool but bright. My favourite weather, we've been outside all day today. Hubby cleaned both eglu's whilst I planted 30 primrose plants and 5 grasses. garden is looking very spring like We even have that green stuff called GRASS growing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 We bought loads of evergreens to put round the garden all of which are hopefully chicken resistant, going to plant these tomorrow hopefully no fog because that is what we have forcast for most of tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwichick Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 It's been like summer here for the last two days and more of the same expected tomorrow. Scrubbed the Eglu down yesterday (I've only had it 5 days but you know how it is with new toys ) and today moved it and the girls to a new part of the lawn. I wish had Hemcore over here - the smell of the pine shavings makes me feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Nope - I cleared out the old bark and replaced it with new barely four weeks ago, when we had a nice dry sunny (but cold) weekend. I'm tempted to try hemcore in the summer, but the soiled bark makes a great mulch for the asparagus and fruit beds on our allotment! Instead I tidied the garden, moved the chicken netting so it's around my salad beds (instead of around the eglu, where they can flap up onto the run and escape!), and sowed lots of seeds: leeks, welsh onions, celeriac, broad beans and early carrots (the latter under mini-cloches made out of Coke bottles). Then I sat in the sun watching the girls have a good explore of the garden - but mostly they stood around basking and grooming Today (Sunday) we're going to a local stables to pick up manure for the allotment, and I may well scrub out the eglu this morning once it warms up a bit. I also need to prune the dead wood from the clematis and tie in the new growth. No rest for the wicked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Sore reminder that I need to do mine today, thanks! Eyren, how do you make mini cloches out of coke bottles - I'm intrigued and intending to put my carrots and parsnips in today. Also, would the soiled bark chippins be OK for my very small veg patch with cabbage, lambs lettuce, carrots and pasnips? Sounds like a good idea rather than filling up my already almost full composter. Great idea! Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Doing the eglu & cube today whilst the girls free range. I've also got to do my holiday ironing, I want to get it out of the way - so I can relax before Friday. I'm a bit over excited today! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Eyren, how do you make mini cloches out of coke bottles - I'm intrigued and intending to put my carrots and parsnips in today. I use the 2litre bottles - anything else is too small to be useful. I throw away the lid and label and wash the bottle out, then I cut the bottom off using a pair of kitchen scissors - there's a handy line to follow, to help you keep it straight! If using these mini cloches you need to sow your carrots and parsnips in little patches rather than conventional rows - you can use one to make circles on the ground and sow as you go. For parsnips you probably need to have the bottles touching and count on maybe one parsnip per cloche after thinning - I'm aiming for baby carrots so I won't need to thin as much. Also, I've pinned some netting down over the bottles so they don't blow over/away if we get any more blustery spring weather! Also, would the soiled bark chippins be OK for my very small veg patch with cabbage, lambs lettuce, carrots and pasnips? Sounds like a good idea rather than filling up my already almost full composter. Great idea! Kris It is probably OK around the cabbages, which are pretty stout plants, but it might be a bit co"Ooops, word censored!" for lambs lettuce! Also, whilst not so handy this time of year, in winter you can use it to cover any ground not in use, and then dig it in in spring. Keeps the weeds down and opens up your soil - just check the pH and add lime if it's too acidic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Both Eglus are scrubbed and shining like new I have decided to put away the red Eglu as the girls all sleep together in the green one. It will be saved until we get a bigger garden and I can then get some big girls OH bagged up the wood chips out of the run and scrubbed the paving slabs for me (I wonder what he is after ). the girls like the hemcore, I think the run needs another half a bag of hemcore in it A bit cold here today so I wore a pair of wooly gloves inside my marigolds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...