How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[no1smiles2000]

Hi

 

i have had my ex bats about 3 weeks now and they seem pretty happy!

 

they have settled and started laying we have 4 girls and get about 3 eggs a day!

 

i have put bark down on the patio for them but yesterday i cleaned it out, it stunk and the bark was squashed and where they eat it was coming off in slabs!

 

I have a rain cover but need a better one, where can i get a good clear cover from?

 

Also how often do you let your girls out? hubby says i shouldnt because they poo everywhere! but i feel mean keeping them in the run.

 

I have a cube with extension

 

what do you have in the run to keep them occupied?

 

We're plannin on moving the run to a old flower bed which i have dug over, would i need bark ontop of the soil?

 

Katie

 

[no1smiles2000]

forgot to mention, they are also sleeping in the nest box, how do i stop this? i dont like the idea of them sleeping in their poo!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You can give them bokashi bran and garlic powder (the equine type) which really helps with the smell and firms up the poos too.

 

I used corrugated plastic sheets on my eglu run but for a cube I think glass clear tarpaulins are good (I use one for my WIR now!)

 

The poo can be annoying - have you considered containing them somehow either with Omlet netting or just fruit netting and canes? My girls are contained to my flowerbeds now and it's made a huge difference. We can go out in our socks/bare feet if we wish .

 

I had my eglu on an old flowerbed and used Hemcore or Easibed. If you sprinkle down Stalosan F and garden lime, it helps keeps things hygenic and fresh. My WIR is on soil too and I'm using the same regime.

 

To entertain them put perches, logs, seed bells (with honey not fat), hanging veg/fruit, some use CD's which catch the light, mirrors (so they can check their hairdos ). Peckablocks are another option (I've never used one though).

 

This is an eglu run but gives you the idea!

 

For the poo in the nestbox, you can put an old football or upturned flowerpot in the nestbox but you have to be careful to remove it in time for laying! I just keep a small plastic scoop beside the egg port and scoop the poo onto the roosting bars each morning. They may change their habits anyway - mine don't seem to poo there nearly so much now.

 

Hope that helps .

[no1smiles2000]

wow thanks for the tips!

 

gave the girls some boiled left overs and they loved them!

 

Also where can i get garlic poweder etc? i find omlet shop quite pricey or i am i wrong?!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You'll find garlic powder at any equine supplier (along with Apple Cider Vinegar, pellets, corn and various types of bedding). That's just mine - yours may have other stuff too!

[snowcloud]

...they can make a bit of a mess if you let them out to free range and your garden is not prepared for a good scratching. We have built (as many other have) a big area for them, in which the eglu is sat.

 

 

It has lots of sticks and climbing areas for them to run around on; my neighbor said it looks like Monkey world in there, but the chickens love it. There are lots of pictures on my blog (see link below) but here is one shot that shows part of the run where they have their tree house( ); you can see that we have used clear corrugated plastic sheets to roof the area. We haven't put bark down as they like to scratch in the dirt and dust bathe too. Hope some of that helps!

[snowcloud]

... oh, and I forgot to say, try eBay for supplies; amazing what you can buy there. I have had a lot from small suppliers trading through eBay...