Cinnamon Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I discovered this nice green way to clean your roosting bars by accident this week. All you need is a spare set to use while the other ones get clean, & the weather to be in your favour! 1- Remove dirty roosting bars & knock off the worst of the poo. 2- Prop them up in the garden, where you would normally scrub them. 3- Put nice fresh clean bars back in eglu, your spare set. 4- Promptly forget about the dirty set on the lawn & go & have a nice cup of coffee 5- 4-5 days later remember that you were supposed to have cleaned those dirty bars, go & get them to find that the torrential rain has done the job for you 6- Spritz with tea tree solution,& put in the shed to dry 7- Repeat the process next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Isn't Mother Nature wonderful Now I just need to get a spare set of roosting bars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Fabulous idea! I got a spare set of bars when I bought my eglu so I'm on the case this afternoon although can I have gin & tonic instead of coffee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Great idea, might be just the weather. I have a spare set for just that!! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Mine need doing today as well. I have the rain , but sadly no spare set. OK, back to the usual method this afternoon..... if it ever stops raining I think my hens are developing webbed feet after the last week. Certainly if it rains much more I'll be issuing them with bouyancy aids, before they drown in my very waterlogged garden. Anyone seen rubber rings to fit chickens any where Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I think my hens are developing webbed feet after the last week Same with mine - I feel so sorry for them, I've only had them a week and it's been more or less constant rain. Still, CTB started to feel for them yesterday - as he watched them wandering around the garden getting wet he insisted I open the patio door to let them come indoors for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Theh soil here is quite well drained, so we're not too wet, but I plan to use that Plastidip stuff to coat my bars; I am going to get one set REALLY CLEAN and then coat them. once they have dried and the fumes have gone, I will do the other set. sounds liek they will be much easier to clean like that. here was an article in the local paper this week, the torrential rain we had at the beginning of the week caused the darins to overflow and the carpark and part of the arts centre was flooded with raw sewage - apparently they need to replace the Victorian sewers in Banbury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Theh soil here is quite well drained, so we're not too wet, but I plan to use that Plastidip stuff to coat my bars; I am going to get one set REALLY CLEAN and then coat them. once they have dried and the fumes have gone, I will do the other set. sounds liek they will be much easier to clean like that. Oooo - let us know how that works out Clare. Plastic covered bars would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 The American lass who has been trying it out here seems to think it's a good idea. I have located a supplier in this country, so just need to get round to ordering it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I plan to use that Plastidip stuff to coat my bars; Me too! Am waiting for my order to be delivered - tempted by the flourescent purple but went for the more calming blue option! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I have just ordered a can of clear. Playing safe as if it works the way I think it will, I will coat the inside of the wooden bunny hutch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Clare, did you get the spray can or the paint on stuff? I may get a new bar set if I am going to do this - might as well make sure they are really clean to begin with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Dan, I don't know except that I do the same as you and then worry about wet bars on chicken feet too. I must be a bad chicken mummy letting them go to bed with wet feet , but they don't complain, and haven't developed trench foot yet. I think I'm going to get some more bars for the winter though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I bought the paint on version mainly because I felt that the spray would be wasted where it didn't hit the bars, and also because I want to coat the floor of the bunny hutch too. In the summer months, I was the Eglu in the day at weekends and let it all dry in the sun. This isn't practical in the winter, so the bars go back wet - my girls seem fine with this, and I find it easier to squidge diatom onto the ends of the bars when they are wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Good call Dan. If they get stained, they come up very well after a soaking in Milton solution and a good rinse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner.girl Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 My roosting bars are mucky already despite washing and we've only had the eglu 2 and a half months but when i went to look at getting another set of bars to alternate, the postage was nearly the same price as the bars! I hate paying postage for things and that seems excessivly high (over £5) so i'm just gonna have to find a better way of cleaning them until i can get my head round the postage. Other then using water and a scrubbing brush does anyone else have another idea? Whats milton soloution and is it ok to use on chicken stuff, i.e not dangerous to them? Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 ..... and I find it easier to squidge diatom onto the ends of the bars when they are wet. I know what you mean, but Diatom only works in it's dry form! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 My bars are over a year old now, but I am always so impressed with how clean they look when I wash them. Just warm water, washing up liquid and a scrubbing brush which needs replacing now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 My roosting bars are mucky already despite washing and we've only had the eglu 2 and a half months but when i went to look at getting another set of bars to alternate, the postage was nearly the same price as the bars! I hate paying postage for things and that seems excessivly high (over £5) so i'm just gonna have to find a better way of cleaning them until i can get my head round the postage. Other then using water and a scrubbing brush does anyone else have another idea? Whats milton soloution and is it ok to use on chicken stuff, i.e not dangerous to them? Helen Helen, I oreders a spare set of bars, & added a few other "essentials" I need with no increase to the postage costs. Its not so bad if you are ordering a few things for the same price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner.girl Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 Yes, maybe i'll do that Sarah, i'm finding there's increasing stuff that i absolutly have to have for my chickens! and the postage isn't so bad if you buy stuff together, some stuff the postage is so cheap for ie winter shade under a £1 so i don't think that they are deliberatly trying to rip me off! I'll give washing up liquid a go for now, i have the ecover one which presumably should be better for the little dears delicate feet then a heavy duty one! Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 I have recently started sprinkling Diatom liberally around the inside of the Eglu, on the bedding and on the bars. I noticed that the Poo s"Ooops, word censored!"es off the bars sooooo much more easily with the Diatom, that I must confess I sometimes just s"Ooops, word censored!"e them and re sprinkle them with Diatom, especially if a bit pushed for time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 ..... and I find it easier to squidge diatom onto the ends of the bars when they are wet. I know what you mean, but Diatom only works in it's dry form! The damp bars seem to take the Diatom better and it dries out in no itme into a hard cover over the ends of the bars. Milton is used for sterilising baby equipment and is easily rinsed off, you can buy it in tablet or liquid form in the baby section of most pharmacies and supermarkets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 8, 2006 Author Share Posted October 8, 2006 The Hubby has bought me some Plasti-cote,which I assume is the same sort of stuff as plastidip,unless anyone out there knows better????? Plasti-cote (I think thats how its spelt) is available form B&Q etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 It sounds like the same thing-why don't you give it a go and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
