4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[druids57]

Okay I give up - How on earth does a Bridget Jones plus some woman get into the run of an eglu to pick up poo??? Despite daily poo tray and nest box changing, 2nd day bars washing, weekly washing of everything, easibed in run tray and nest box, generous shakes of barrier powder, (Stalosan F just ordred)_no treats in run, garlic powder in food, I think the run smells What am I not doing??

[jomaxsmith]

I think it's the weather. I took most of the waterproof covering off my run when it went warmer and so this last week it has got soaked. I raked out the hemcore today and it _stank_ - never noticed that before!

 

I usually just rake out what I can reach from the door end.

 

Jo

[TAJ]

I find my garden rake fits through the run door and almost the length - I just rake bits to the door for me to then clean out. For full cleans a pick up the end of the run at swing the eglu around by 90 degrees so the old stuff is outside the run, then do the clean and put it back.

 

Tracy

[Hen Watch]

I think the run smells What am I not doing??

 

I echo what Jo says........the stink is down to rain, rain and more warm rain.

 

I'm a Bridgit Jones woman too. I never get in the run to poo pick. In Summer I blast a hosepipe through the run bars and poo dissappears into the grass. Then I just move the run once/twice a week.

 

At the moment, following on from Winter/Spring, I have 1 inch of auboise straight on top of the grass in my run. In winter run is covered with a shower curtain. Then just change Auboise once a month.

 

But in this warmer weather I have taken the shower curtain off so I don't come home to find kentucky fried chickens in the run, and am just relying on the winter shade. Well.........with these downpours, my run is now a sloshy, smelly mess. So don't worry it's just warm rain causing the problem.

[Seagazer]

Thats a relief to hear as I've taken the bedding out each week because it stinks!!

 

I have just kept adding more garlic powder and bokashi bran to their feed. I won't worry so much now.

[Egluntyne]

Have you tried adding bokashi bran to the pellets? It does help.

 

Some sprinkle it in the poo tray too.

[chelsea]

in answer to your question - get someone else to do it!!!

 

When we had the eglu standard runs - hubby poo picked and cleaned out the run.

 

Now we have the walk in one - I do it.

 

sounds like you are doing everything right to me, do you use easybed in the run aswell?

[Egluntyne]

Aubiose or Hemcore might help too.

[chelsea]

Aubiose or Hemcore might help too.

 

I've just switched to aubiose (after using hemcore for yonks) as everyone had sold out of hemcore. I really think aubiose is better, AND you can see the poo's so easily in it as its a lighter colour.

[Sheilaz]

The other thing is, are they spilling their feed? My original pair used to spray mash on the ground, and it was a few weeks before I realised that the pong was from the discarded feed, not the poo which was mild by comparison!

Just a thought.

[Cyber Chook]

The other thing I read about here, and now use, is a sprinkle of garden lime on the run surface before putting down the hemcore, to neutralise the acidity.

 

Also, of course, citronella or has that already been mentioned?

 

Chelsea, I'm interested to read that aubiose is better than hemcore and wondering in what way?

 

Caroline

[chelsea]

 

Chelsea, I'm interested to read that aubiose is better than hemcore and wondering in what way?

 

Caroline

 

Well, its been down for a week now and even though we have had rain its still dry and not smelly. with hemcore (that's all I've ever used) it was very good at absorbing poos but when it rained I found it had a slight smell.

 

I think the aubiose is finer - therefore it dries out quicker. Its a very light colour aswell - so poo's (for poo picking) are easily spotted whereas in the hemcore it was a game of hide and seek . Even now the aubiose is looking pristine and new in the run. I think the light colour helps with that too!

 

I wouldnt totally outrule hemcore if I couldnt get aubiose as it has served me well for 2 years but now that I can get aubiose I will.

[jomaxsmith]

In the Hemcore v Aubiose debate - I started with Hemcore but have now stuck with Aubiose partly because it is a finer and less compacted in the bale so it doesn't stick in your fingers when you get it out! I hate buying french when there is an English equivalent but I really disliked handling Hemcore

 

Jo

[druids57]

Thanks everyone. I do use easybed in the run on stones but it does disappear really quicky. We used to have chipped bark with a thicker layer of easybed on top but that was horrible with the winter weather. It took forever to finally clear it all out (3 hours shovelling and bagging up unbelievable) . Perhaps garden lime at that point would have been a good idea.. The spilling of food may be a source of the smell i hadnt thought of that one I shall investigate that tomorrow. Certainly a game of trial and error isnt it

Thanks a million

Druid