What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Jennyhenny]

Planning to sit my eglu on woodchip. - 4th April and counting down

 

I have read the forum for months now and I know I've read it - but typical when you want it again you can't find it so sorry for going over old ground.

 

How often will I need to change the wood chip

 

What do you prefer for the nest box auboise (not that I know where to get it), shredded paper or straw

 

Thanks to everyone, I'll probably be back with alot more questions

 

Jennyhenny

[theherd123]

Hi there and congratulations on deciding to get chooks!

 

I personally prefer to put hemcore (aubiose) in the run and the nesting box as its great for both.

 

You can get Aubiose/Hemcore (basically the same thing but different make) from horsey type places.

 

Good luck next week with the arrival of your girls

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Like you I can't remember where I read this, but I think it's woodchip that takes ages to compost so unless you've got somewhere else to get rid of it, hemcore or aubiose (or easibed or nedzbedz!) are a good alternative. If you've already got your woodchip, don't worry, it'll be fine .

 

I change my hemcore (on soil) every 6 weeks give or take a week. I use shredded paper and/or hemcore in the nestbox.

[Yolky]

I used to be a huge Auboise fan however when winter came I found it soooo difficult to keep dry and when it gets wet it does smell. Then my walk in run got thrown over in the wind and so there were some holes in the roof, and we could not afford to replace the roof yet, and so the auboise seemed just useless as it just soaked up any rain. So I decided about 3ish weeks ago to change over to woodchip (went for the hardwood chips from B&Q) and I am, so far, finding them excellent. The run isn't smelly, it doesn't seem to be soaking up the rain and the chooks seem to like it. I possibly may go back to auboise in the summer (when it is hot and there are flies) but for the time being I am going to continue with the woodchip. From what I have read it lasts 2 months maybe 3. Also if you have a green bin or a compost collection from your local council they will collect the stuff from the run. This is what we will be doing to get rid of our woodchip.

[Redwing]

The woodchip in my run has been down since the first week Oct, if it gets damp I mix in big handfuls of Aubiose and the combination is brilliant

 

My run doesnt smell (to be fair it has been winter so far!) and looking at it today it looks in good nick, the woodchip has broken down a bit but its not bad at all

[Falkor]

I started with bark and HATED IT! Always wet and smelly and read something about nasty spores so chucked it all out.

 

Then I tried woodchip, the hardwood ones from B&Q and thought they were great. If they got wet they dried out quite quickly and with regular poo picking and a rake over evey few days it all stayed quite fresh. The only problem may be disposal. We are lucky and our council collect garden waste for high temp composting so I just threw it all in there when I did a change over. I used one bag of the woodchips and changed them at 3 months. The bits that came out during poo picking went into the composter and look no different today to when then went in late December.

 

I use aubiose in the nest box and poop trays and highly recomend it! The poop tray is almost clean when I do a full clean as the aubiose clumps the poop so it doesn`t get the chance to dry onto the plastic I poo pick the tray once sometimes twice a day.

 

I did try Aubiose in the run but as I didn`t have it completly covered to start with it got damp and a little smelly.

 

Everyone is on grass at the moment as WIR is being built and the chooks keep getting relocated in their eglu to allow for men at work!

 

Not sure if any of that helps

[alih]

I have tried and tried to find hardwood chips at B and Q and have had no luck for 6 months....anyone in the Manchester/ Cheshire area or who can get me a link online I would be sooo grateful.

 

I use easibed in the nesting box and bark chips in the run and am happy with both.

[Kenilchick]

I have my four in an eglu with converter and extension on woodchip I got from our local tree surgeon.

We bought 5 railway sleepers (£13 each) to frame a big U-shaped area against the side fence, under the apple trees. After just a couple of calls I was lucky to have a truckload of wood chip (mostly cherry) dumped onto the drive. It cost only £10. There was enough to give a good covering with a bulk bag left over. It didn't take that long to shift and I kept thinking of all the money I was saving.

We lift the eglu and run off the chipped area every 2 weeks and give it a good rake over. They seem to love digging around in it down to the soil.

[Jennyhenny]

Alih

 

I have tried adding a link to the B & Q site but it won't work

 

So here goes:-

 

Go to the B & Q website

 

Click GARDEN

 

Click GARDEN DECOR on left hand side at the very bottom

 

Click DECORATIVE STONES AND CHIPPINGS on the left hand side

 

Click TOPPINGS on the left hand side

 

You will find Hardwood Chippings 56L on the third page about half way down (they do two different colours)

 

I have bought 4 bags of these today from the Nottingham store at £4.98 per bag.

 

Good luck, hope you find them with my instructions

 

Jennyhenny

[alih]

Jennyhenny, you are a total star! I have looked for months and with your instructions i found it in minutes! Thank you That said, none fo the stores near me have it in stock so will have to wait a bit but at least I know where to find it now.

[Jennyhenny]

Glad I could help Alih

 

Jennyhenny

[bluekarin]

I have hemcore in the nesting box and inside their house. I used to have it in the run attached to their house as well but as we have now built a larger slightly-crouch-down-in run we have wood chip from B&Q which I need to get some more of and want to put that down inside their house-run. I wasn't planning on getting rid of it, just hosing it down and topping it up everytime it rotted down or got kicked out. Does anyone know if this works?

[alih]

It works fine

[Jules.]

Oh good

I have ben an auboise user, but find it gets really when the rain gets through the side of the run.

So this week a neighbours huge weeping willow tree had a drastic hair cut & I blagged lots of free wood/leaf chip for my run

 

My girls love it, it has lots of exciting things for them to eat in it.