Chickens all want to stay in the doorway!

[Crooked Chicken]

I've had my new big run (7ft wide, 14ft long, 7ft high) for three months now, but I'm just a bit concerned about the flooring. Earth floor with woodchips. They love digging around and making craters, but obviously being covered, it's bone dry in there. I would say on average they spend 3/4 of their time in the run and 1/4 let loose in the garden (I would love to keep them out constantly, which I had been doing, but the garden was getting in a dreadful mess and I have two small children that roll around in the garden, so I need to 'try' and keep it as poop free as possible). Anyway, what I'm trying to say it because they spend so much time in there, I'm concerned that it's not healthy for them. Digging around in their own poop and that. Am I supposed to replace the wood chips regularly? There doesn't seem to be much poop in there, it just seems to just disappear. Will that area get stale.

 

Questions, questions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Cinnamon]

Hi Sue,

Your setup sounds the same as mine,except mine are never in the garden as,like you,I cannot bear the poo

 

We have had them in there since March & have only topped up the bark chips so far.

They seem to get a bit compacted down,so we have afew hard lumps,which I just broke up with a fork (hundereds of worms - the girls loved it!)

 

The poo in our run just seems to disapper....I am sure you find that too...& we have no smell so I am happy to leave things as they are for the moment.

I may give it a claer out before autumn & throw down some garden lime then some new bark,but we shall see.

 

If you are ever over this way,let me know & pop in for a coffee

[The Dogmother]

That sounds a bit ike my set-up. I have the run with extension and Aubiose on the floor on top of soil. This soil does get compacted and i level it out when I replace the flooring, then sprinkle down some lime before putting down new Aubiose. It stays poo and smell free for ages

[Cinnamon]

One thing I would mention about bark chips.

My little Lily got a splinter from bark in her toe pad,which became infected (as you would expect!),had to be drained,s"Ooops, word censored!"ed & dressed in a blue bandage,which she is now trying to peck off

 

Maybe bark isn't the perfect flooring we have all thought it was.

I am certainly thinking about changing to Aubiose,to stop this happening again

 

Clare,does the poo need to be collected up from Aubiose,or does it just disappear like on the bark?

And how often do you replace the bedding?

[The Dogmother]

It just disappears like on bark or woodchip. I replace the complete run about every 6-8 weeks. I empty the poo tray once a week when I wash the Eglu, and empty it out of the nest at the same time. It's supposed to compost very well.

 

In the hot weather I have been adding a couple of drops of citronella and eucalyptus oils to keep the flies away too - smells heavenly