Warm boot recommendations please

[quickcluck]

We are convinced that there is something wrong with the soil in the run. We've had bald chooks for ages now, the vet said they were burned from too much lime in the soil. So we lined it and put compost and bedded in.

 

So sorted out a bullying problem. But now they are bald and red again. they've dug up all the lining so we are assuming that they've dug in the soil underneath. The soil also have conifers in at somepoint, which are also acidic....

 

So we are thinking of paving over it and just putting stuff on top. Should we stick to a mix of compost/bedding?

 

We are at our wits end, and new chooks are coming in the summer. I dont want 10 bald girls

[atsw]

A solid base is pretty easy. Either slabs or concrete will do the job. You then use Easibed / Hemcore / Aubiose / wood or bark chippings on the hard surface to lessen the impact on the girls feet. They will be fine. It's how I did the base of my Walk-in-Run, which has slabs and a combination of Aubiose and Bark Chippings on the floor.

 

Andrew

[Plum]

They like anything to stratch in. I started with woodchip which was good because it has insects in it so is fun for them. At present I'm using hemcore which they dig in and dustbath in, I like that because it dries the poos and is easy to clean. I think that as long as what you use has a good depth of 4" + on slabs they are able to act normally.

 

Mine dig under conifers a lot, I shall watch out for bald bellies.

[Steve.]

Mine are bald too - on the patio at the moment on hardcode woodchip. They've had that woodchip for a good few months - can't really rinse it at the moment without flooding the patio area and getting their muck everywhere.

[Hen Watch]

Mine were on grass last Winter'07 and on the patio slabs this Winter '08. But only on the patio because my clay garden floods with water and the patio doesn't. I plan to put them back on grass soon. But they have happily spent the winter on the patio slabs with Auboise in the run.

 

Here they are on the patio.

[Egluntyne]

I have mine on paving slabs and put Aubiose on top, and a clear cover over the run.

 

Dead easy to hose off and maintain.

[Busybird]

We've had bald chooks for ages now, the vet said they were burned from too much lime in the soil.

 

Should I be worried about the amount of garden lime I dig into the soil my run sits on to combat the smell?

 

Worried that I will cause a problem trying to solve another

[quickcluck]

I think many people use lime, I think we have been unfortunate. But there is a guideline on the box usually about how much to use per metre. I wouldn't exceed it just in case....

[charliechick]

Humm reading these posts with interest as one of my chooks has a bald belly. It might be a small moult but she is still layiny and the others are not bald in places. Also the bald bit is very pink, like something is irritating her. Could this be the soil perhaps?

[quickcluck]

have you got a bit of pecking going on do you think?

[Cooks]

I have a concreted base and I agree it's so easy to maintain.