Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[seraphine]

Further to my previous post on your run set-ups, we have decided to site the run encased in an edged area and with wood chips/bark on the ground.

 

However I'm a bit confused and have read so much conflicting information as to whether to use woodchips (such as these http://tiny.cc/B9Hor) or chipped bark.

 

Can anyone offer any advice please? I'm completely green at all this and want to get it right!

 

Thanks

[JB09]

Hi,

 

I use the same hardwood chips from B&Q, they are perfect in my eglu as even with all the rain we had at the end of last week did not go mushy at all. I just rake them over every couple of days and they have been ideal. It is worth putting edging up around the side of the run because if your chooks are anything like mine they will kick them all over the place! I heard that chipped bark can become messy and sludgy meaning you will probably have to change them more frequently. I have only had the wood chips down a month but would anticipate getting another coupke of months use out of them.

 

Hope this helps

 

JB

[seraphine]

Hi,

 

I use the same hardwood chips from B&Q, they are perfect in my eglu as even with all the rain we had at the end of last week did not go mushy at all. I just rake them over every couple of days and they have been ideal. It is worth putting edging up around the side of the run because if your chooks are anything like mine they will kick them all over the place! I heard that chipped bark can become messy and sludgy meaning you will probably have to change them more frequently. I have only had the wood chips down a month but would anticipate getting another coupke of months use out of them.

 

Hope this helps

 

JB

 

Thanks JB, that is helpful. When you say rake them over, I'm a bit confused as to the logistics - obviously the run is pretty much permanent on the site (pegged down? I think that's what my H has mentioned doing), so I'm wondering how you rake it over?

 

Re. edging, we have log edging around our daughter's playhouse at the moment, so we'll buy some more of that. This is all such a minefield! I'm kind of glad the chooks aren't arriving for 5 weeks as it looks like we'll need that time to sort everything out!

[Jennyhenny]

This is my set up, the woodchips are from B & Q and look great. Definitely need the log roll as they will kick the woodchip all over

 

 

Jennyhenny

[Redwing]

Always use woodchips not bark as bark gets very damp very quickly and can harbour nasty spores

 

B&Q are good for woodchips

 

My woodchips are in their seventh month and still looking ok albeit a bit broken down, I mix in handfuls of aubiose which keeps it fresh and it always looks dry (my Eglu run has plastic over it which helps)

 

My run is pegged down but I used a long rake to rake the bits I could get to and once in a while (about every month) took the top off the Eglu and reached in through the door with the rake to sort out the Eglu end of the run. Some people just lift off the run and lift it back on afterwards.

 

Lawn edging or boards are good to keep everything in place, you have two options, make a frame and fill it with woodchip putting the whole thing on top of it or place the Eglu run first then put your edging around the run sides and fill it with woodchip

[Guest]

HI

I am going to try the B& Q chips mine are the wickes ones and they were very damp even when i put them out fresh..so know what u mean re spores?Can see from your photo the difference in the chips..mine are more like coconut outer husk stuff...

Got to say I cleaned it all out today and it was hard to find the poos ...so I just sort of did my best to get rid of what i could see..most of it seemed to be in the trays in the which was so quick to clean out ..i did line it all with newspaper ..I am well pleased with my

indie