What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Patricia W]

My Homebase in Abingdon has 10k bags of rubber mulch for half price ( £3.99). Interestingly, ( for me anyway!) its made in Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire. I've got some to try it. Anyone else use it?

 

Tricia

[cordelia]

I saw it, but was a bit worried that they might eat it...so I didnt buy...I have B&Q's 4 for £12 wood chip currently....

[MerchDuw]

Hi. Just bought a 'Practical Poultry' who are adverytising rubber chips for chickens.

[cordelia]

interesting to see if its ok...another problem of course would be getting rid of it when used...as you cant compost it, it will cause a nuisance in the rest of the garden to me, anyway..

 

unless you can keep it under better control than I can with the chickens and their wood chip...

 

(apart from their eating it implication)

 

so I think I wont use..

[Olly]

The point is that you don't need to get rid of it, it lasts indefinitely - you just hose it down every so often, presumably flushing any poo into the ground underneath.

 

There was a whole article in last months Practical Poultry about it, and as MerchDuw says there are a couple of ads for it in this month's. It sounds good (and the chickens don't eat it, apparently!) but I like aubiose because it makes great compost when mixed with poo, so I won't be changing.

[Olly]

The point is that you don't need to get rid of it, it lasts indefinitely - you just hose it down every so often, presumably flushing any poo into the ground underneath.

 

There was a whole article in last months Practical Poultry about it, and as MerchDuw says there are a couple of ads for it in this month's. It sounds good (and the chickens don't eat it, apparently!) but I like aubiose because it makes great compost when mixed with poo, so I won't be changing.

[Patricia W]

They've still got plenty left. I haven't used mine yet - well, not for the purpose I intended! I'm using the bags as sound absorbers on top of and around the eglu to muffle Phillip, the cockerel's early morning calls! It helps a bit.....

 

Tricia

[MerchDuw]

Hi. Just to let you know, I tried the rubber chips from Homebase. They're fab. The chickens don't eat it and it hoses down to look like new.

[quickcluck]

.................but how long does it take to dry out? I've a vision of a wet run that smells like halfords for ages and chooks with damp mouldy legs!

[purplefowler]

I have just got my chickens today so I am no expert, but after loads of research I have gone for Dunweedin's version of the same thing and so far it seems great. The chickens are really impressed and have been happily digging around in it. They have shown no sign of eating it, they just spit it out when they pick it up. It also rained quite abit this afternoon and it was dry again in no time. It was a little pricey but the initial outlay should pay for itself if it lasts half as long as it claims and for such easy maintenance it had to be worth a go. I will post if there are any changes, but so far so good.