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

[chicken crazy]

I've had my hens a week and already the eglu looks dirty. I've been trying to s"Ooops, word censored!" the poo out every day but as they are on bark its abit difficult.

 

I've read on here people only give the eglu a good clean every 2-3 wks!

I can't leave it that long, can anyone suggest a cleaning routine or anything I can do in between cleans.

 

Arrived 22/8/08

[Stevie]

I wash my Eglu once a week inside and out using hot soapy water then rinsed with hose.Washing up liquid is excellent and i've even used car wash & wax as i found this made cleaning afterwards even easier!

 

Dont underestimate how much chooks poop cos its more than i initially thought plus they do it in their sleep too!

[chicken crazy]

Yeah think I will start doing it once a week, they poo alot more than I thought!!

 

I've homed the eglu at the end of the garden and there is a few little flies round there, any ideas how to keep these away?

[Electricbarbarella]

citronella oil mixed with water in a spray bottle, I use it around the house every day and in the run weekly.

[chelsea]

citronella oil mixed with water in a spray bottle, I use it around the house every day and in the run weekly.

 

 

ditto, works for me too. I also have an old duster hanging up in my walk in run, once a week i dot a few drops of citronella and eucalyptus oil on it, it works and smells fab

[cluckbok]

Have you tried some bokashi bran in their grub mixed with pellets? and sprinkled in the poo tray, that really helps keep the poos down a bit.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My eglu doesn't really seem to get dirty - only the roosting bars do . I put 2 sheets of newspaper & shredded paper in the tray and push the poos through the bars every morning so I just need to empty the poo tray straight into the compost once a week. My girls get bokashi bran so the poos are pretty solid.

 

I give the eglu a really thorough wash out every 4 or 5 weeks, the poo tray more often.

[chicken crazy]

Right I'll add this to my list thanks, knew you guys would be able to help!

[Stevie]

Yeah think I will start doing it once a week, they poo alot more than I thought!!

 

I've homed the eglu at the end of the garden and there is a few little flies round there, any ideas how to keep these away?

 

If you get the citronella oil for garden lamps-its cheaper at around £3 for 1litre and has a strong smell.I soak a small piece of cloth and then pop it between the run & sunshade,but put a piece of cling film between the shade first to stop staining.I also give a squirt in the poop tray too which keeps the Eglu smelling fresh!

[sparkysmum]

Hi chicken crazy, I scrub the roosting bars with a 9% dettol solution at least once / week, and wash out the whole thing with washing up liquid also once /wk. The poo tray is filled with hemcore and solid matter removed daily. Oh and I also sprinkle with red mite powder from time "just in case". Don't worry you'll soon get into a routine. Best wishes Allisonx

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sparkysmum, I just read a thread that mentioned Dettol - you maybe know already, but thought you might like to see it (if you haven't already!). Scroll down till you get to LWEScott's post.

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=29180&hilit=dettol

[Egluntyne]

I give mine a mini clean out twice a week and it hardly smells at all.

 

I use Aubiose everywhere and it is wonderful stuff. Absorbent and easy to dispose of too.

[poppy33]

I also use Aubiose and it is marvelous stuff, it dries out the poo's and there is no smell at all. I tried bark but its very messy and gets mouldy when damp.

[Hen Watch]

I've had my hens a week and already the eglu looks dirty. I've been trying to s"Ooops, word censored!" the poo out every day but as they are on bark its abit difficult.

 

Hi, your girls have only just arrived and may still be settling down. When mine first arrived I was cleaning the roosting bars every 2 days as they were really poopy and squitty. Now, don't get me wrong, they do poop a lot, but I noticed a huge difference after my girls had been with me for 2 weeks and then just produced "normal" amounts of poo. You won't have to clean the bars so often then.

 

When you say the eglu looks dirty do you mean the run floor or the roosting bars inside the eglu, or both?

 

I only clean my actual eglu once a month, change poop tray once a week, and change Auboise in the run floor once a month. Every day any poop on the roosting bars I push through into the poop tray.

 

 

I notice you use bark. You might want to try Auboise / Hemcore in your run - get it from horse supply shops. It soaks up poop amazingly and I just chuck old stuff in the compost bin and change it monthly. Must keep it dry with a run cover though. Also with the poo tray, line with a sheet of newspaper, and sprinkle 2 handfuls of Auboise, again really helps absorb the poo. I also put Auboise in the nestbox.

[chicken crazy]

Thanks everyone for all your help! I'm off out now to give them a good clean and a chat about been nice and tidy for me!

 

I've noticed alot of you use Auboise, is this the same as Easibed? I got some of this and have put abit in the run but noticed on Hen Watch's picture you have filled the run with it.

 

Fingers crossed I will get there in the end. At least I know if i need anything you always find help on here so quick!!

[Poplars]

We have a large area of bark chippings, underneath a "fort" (large wooden play area thingy) and they seem perfectly happy scratching around in it and using the soil underneath as a dustbath... it is only sheltered by (quite a big) tree... do you think they will be ok there or should we use something else?

 

Eve

[cluckbok]

Just something else to think about. We have tried Aubiose and Hemcore. We really prefer the Hemcore because it is already treated with Citronella whereas the Aubiose isn't. So the Hemcore smells better and helps keep the flies away. Also Aubiose is a bit finer and therefore blows around easier on windy days.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've used Hemcore for the past year and love it but sadly, my horsey place isn't stocking it any more . It's gone from £7 to £12 in that year . I'll be trying Easibed next - fingers crossed it's as good as Hemcore.

[jomaxsmith]

I'm just finishing the last of a bale of Easibed - it's the first time I've used it but it was a pound cheaper than Aubiose so I thought I'd try it.

 

I'm really impressed - it has almost the same magic poo disappearing qualities of the hemp products and works well in the nestbox and poo tray as well as in the run. I'm always a bit stingy with bedding in the run but it seems to be working well. I think I'll stick with it for another bale and see what it's like as the weather worsens ( ).

 

It smells nice too - reminds me of a pine forest!

 

I'm not sure how well it will compost but won't know that for a while!

 

Jo

[frazzled]

We've placed our eglu on slabs and put Nedz Beds on the run (I think this is similar to Easibed).

 

I'm wondering how often I need to change it. Its been on a week and last night I detected a smell. Does it need more bedding or a complete change

 

What do other Omleteers do who have an eglu run on slabs - in terms of bedding and cleaning

[moomin]

I use a 2 - 3 inch thick layer of Easibed as I can no longer get Hemcore/Aubiose.

 

I change the bedding off the run floor every 6 weeks or so, but I pick the poos out every day, out of the run, poo tray, and off the roosting bars.

 

There's hardly any smell becuase there is never much poo in there. You have to keep on top of it though. Bokashi bran helps.

[frazzled]

Sorry to be dense - but if you poo pick every day does this mean you have to crawl in the run Not sure my knees could take that