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Stevie

Straw,hay or paper?

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I ordered my Eglu couple of hours ago so am not in possession of it or chooks as yet,but what is the best material to use? Straw,hay or shredded paper?

 

I just want to be prepared for when they eventually come!

 

ps.I ordered the bright orange one cos its my fav colour! :lol:

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I assume you mean for the nestbox?

 

Straw and hay are not recommended - straw can harbour mould and bugs, and if chickens eat hay they can get an impacted crop (a potentially fatal form of indigestion). Shredded paper is OK but needs changing regularly as it gets flattened quickly and also can turn damp - a lot of people use various brands of horse bedding (hemcore, aubiose, easibed), which is about seven quid or so for a big bale that will last ages if you're only using it in the nestboxes.

 

Welcome to the forum BTW - have you chosen your chickens yet?

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Eyren is right!

 

Someone on the forum had major problems with a hen having an impacted crop through eating hay recently.

 

Shredded paper is better but gets damp, manky and very cold quickly.

 

I use **Aubiose** Which is marvellous, easily compostable and easy to refresh by a bit of poo picking and fluffing up. A bale lasts for ages.

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Thanks for the sugestions.I just googled all 3 types and theres a place which sells easibed a few miles away.Im gonna be all questions because this is new territory for me,but so exciting! :D

 

ps.I chose 2 Ginger nut rangers from Omelet because apparently they get pretty tame.Cant wait to see what my dog (a soppy Bullmastiff x) thinks of them.He's incredibly well behaved and dont take any notice anyway of ducks,swans,geese etc while out on walks so im not expecting ay trouble. :lol:

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Yep,thats a dogs nose-complete with his smiling face! :lol:

 

Without posting too much info on an open forum-i live in a small town in Cromwells county.The one with an old bridge & chapel! :D Atleast i wont feel isolated being from Cambs! :lol:

 

Does anyone know how long delivery takes from Omelet-weeks,days or months for it all to arrive?

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The eglu delivery is normally quite quick, its the chickens that sometimes delay the order. (typical ladies :roll::wink: )

 

It depends what chickens they have in stock as they sometimes are low on Gingernut Rangers. Give them a call on Tuesday and they will be able to tell you.

 

I originally waited 6 weeks, but some have waited as little as a week. :D

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Does it have the same name as a more famous place in Cornwall? I'm afraid I don't know the rest of the county terribly well, as I've only lived here ten years and seldom venture far from the city. I live in a suburb (formerly a separate village) named after its fruit trees :)

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Does it have the same name as a more famous place in Cornwall? I'm afraid I don't know the rest of the county terribly well, as I've only lived here ten years and seldom venture far from the city. I live in a suburb (formerly a separate village) named after its fruit trees :)

 

Yep-you got it and i just worked out where you are too! :clap: Cambridge is a stunning place. :angel:

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Cant wait for the first egg! :D

 

Normally i buy my eggs from a local farm where they are genuinly freerange (looks a bit like a hillbilly type place!),but recently-i've thought that they cant be that hard to look after and wanted a go at it myself.I mean,if i can look after dogs with all their various ailments and care etc-then chickens must be simpler plus i get eggs into the bargain too. :pray:

 

Anyway,its blowing a blizzard outside,its settling,my dog needs walking,im 37 years old,we're off to have some fun in the snow and i wont be back until my hands are frozen! Speak to you soon! :dance:

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Going back to the nestbox material question, I use (cross-cut) shredded paper and don't have any problems with it getting soggy :? . I put loads in so the nestbox is full and each morning, if there's poo in it (there isn't always) I scoop it onto the roosting bars where it ends up in the poo tray.

 

Same here :) I love the thought of my chickens pooing on the shredded credit card statements :D

 

Tessa

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[quote="Tessa the DuchessSame here :) I love the thought of my chickens pooing on the shredded credit card statements :D

 

Tessa

 

I quite like this idea! :lol:

 

I shred everything which comes through my letterbox which has my name on and would be a fitting end.Mines a cross cut too so i might give this a go! :D

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The only downside to using copious amounts of shredded paper is that it tends to end up all over the garden, especially if it's windy :? . Doesn't look quite as natural as hemcore :roll: .

 

I suppose theres that aspect also so the best thing is for me to try perhaps several types to see which is best.

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Same here I love the thought of my chickens pooing on the shredded credit card statements

For those of you that use shredded paper - good on you! We use shredded paper too; I work for a company that produces junk mail and it would be so wasteful if I didn't use the return mail! The hens have clean shredded paper (junk mail) put into the nesting box every day -and I so don't mind that they poo on it!

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Yep-you got it

 

Yay!

 

and i just worked out where you are too! :clap: Cambridge is a stunning place. :angel:

 

It is - I just wish we could afford somewhere with a bigger garden :(

 

Still, the walk to the allotment (about a mile away) is good exercise...

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I'd love to have a large garden for chooks to roam 24/7,but i also like gardening so its not practical.Mine isnt excally a small garden,but neither is it considered huge-i would estimate it 50ft x 30ft with plenty of lawn/borders/shrubs etc for them to explore though so they shouldnt get bored when i let them out.When i read recently that battery hens are only required by law to have the same space as a sheet of A4 paper-suddenly the Eglu seems so spacious and morally right.

 

People used to keep chickens on a nearby allotment,but teenagers went up there and killed the entire lot couple of years back.Scary when you think these 'kids' will be running the country in 30 years time. :(

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