Poo help please!

[nutterly_uts]

Am trying to plan out my cube etc, and want to sit it in an area on a permanent base. I'm hoping for pics of what other people have done to inspire me please! Am particularly interested in how people have solved the problem of keeping stuff in the run with chickens who like to kick it out!!

 

 

ETA

What do you use on the floor of the run?

 

I have this vague idea of building a raised rectangle of boards, filled with something, with the cube and run in the middle?

[Egluntyne]

Mine is on cobbles......just because they happened to be there, with a walk in run.

 

I use Aubiose in the bottom of my run.

[Jules.]

My run is on earth with a skirt of flagstones which the frame of the run rests on, to help prevent it rotting & also to stop nasties digging into it.

 

I use aubiose in the run, & shovel it all out onto the flowerbeds every 6 weeks. I also use garden lime to neutralise the soil, & am just about to but some Stalosan F to help keep bacteria away.

 

To keep the aubiose in I have an extra layer of wooden "frame batons" across the bottom of the run frame- I have the run frame, & then on top of that another bit of wooden frame.

So far this doesn't work for me, but in theory it should as my base wasn't completely level when we made it , & the frame is wedged up off the ground in places. I'm going to sort this out at some point.......

[nutterly_uts]

Thanks. That gives me an idea I think!

[chelsea]

this is ours, like Eglutine we use Aubiose in the run

 

 

 

Ours is set on compacted earth with a brick surround. We have chippings and slabs in front of the run for us to walk on. We are at some point going to concrete the base inside of the run, as when its really wet the water seeps in underneath, so would recommend anyone building a run to ideally do a slabbed/concrete base.

 

We have fencing boards around the outside to stop the Aubiose kicking.

[dancing cloud]

My Cube is on cement slabs, being the back end of a long drive gated off to form a secure yard. They are in there during the day and play out in the garden evenings and weekends .

 

The aubiose is kept (mainly) in the run by bamboo lawn edging (very cheap from Wilkinsons online) cable-tied to the mesh. I can move the whole thing to sweep up the used bedding and, every now and then, give the whole yard a jet wash as well as the Cube to keep it all clean.

[Clash City Rocker]

Mine live in "Dirt". I just dig it over every couple of weeks.

 

[Gallina]

My two Cube runs are on permanent sites on soil, and the hens dig it over every day and anything unpleasant gets buried. You can only get away with this, however, if you have a very light sandy soil as we do, and rain drains away instantly at all times.

 

(The downside is that undesirable animals can dig in easily too.)

 

It's best to put the run skirt on slabs and weigh it down.

[Olly]

My cube is on earth, with aubiose on top - every so often I move the Cube and dig out large slabs of compacted aubiose/chicken poo/soil, which makes fantastic compost. I also tip the contents of my garden shredder into the run for them to scratch about in, the last lot was shredded birch twigs. You can put plastic lawn edging around the edge of the Cube run - attached with cable ties - to stop aubiose being kicked out.

[Snowy]

Mine are on soil and I put whatever is to hand on top - wood chippings; dry leaves; aubiose when there is nothing else I have a large fixed run with flower beds around it so when they kick it out, it goes straight on to the flower beds - self mulching beds The side with the cube on is flagged - that is the only problem area, I have to keep sweeping up that area