Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Bootscooter Nell]

Hello All

 

My girls have asked me to post this query on the forum on their behalf

 

They live in a 15ft x 6ft covered walk in run with an eglu. The floor is soil based with layers of easibed on top. They also have access to part of the garden which is enclosed within some Omlet netting. The routine is that they stay in the run until after lunch and then are let out in the afternoon. Marj constantly moans until they are let out into the garden. The soil within the run is now rock hard, and there doesn't seem to be anything alive in there for the girls to eat. Even the flies seem to have disappeared.

Obviously they have their pellets and water in there.

 

I do occasionally hose the ground down after they have gone to bed but never really sure if I'm doing the right thing or just creating a damp environment for germs to grow although I do regularly put Stalosen F down.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make the run more beneficial for them especially as the bad weather is just around the corner and they may have to spend longer in there and less in the garden.

 

Thanks and

Bok, Bok, Bok from Marj, Maggie and Lisa

[buffie]

We use woodchip, this of course does eventually turn to a sort of compost and they love digging in it and find plenty of things to eat. I also rake and fork it over on dry days to break it up.

 

Perhaps this would help. Hosing it down could be replaced with removing the top layer and getting new chip

 

Buffie x

[Snowy]

I throw bundles of weeds into ther run for them to peck at and scratch through for bugs, also when the leaves start to fall, rake them up and put into their run. I also soak a patch in the run and dig it up a bit so they can get to the bugs.