Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[beingmaisie]

I have just bought my first eglu secondhand via a friend. Its one of the early green ones and seems to be in good condition. I paid £170 which i thought was a good price.

Its going to be inside a walk in run in time. Do you put anything inside the eglu underneath the roosting bars or in the bottom to catch the poo on the pull out tray. Also what is best in the nesting boxes. I dont have a compost bin so i dont need to keep any contents.

 

I have 3 chicks, 3 weeks old at present waiting to grow up to live in their new home. What would you recommend?

 

Oh, and how often do you clean the eglu out, ie. do you clean the pull out tray weekly and the whole thing monthly etc.

 

Thanks

[Patricia W]

I think they may be a little young at 3 weeks to go in the eglu outside. Mine were about 8/9 weeks. We removed the roosting bars at first and had them on straw. Most people seem to use aubiouse or hemcore or easibed but we didn't know about it then. We still don't use these as we can't easily get them locally.

 

Now I put paper in the tray, dust free sawdust on top. Then I put the sawdust in the nestbox with straw on top.

 

I'm sure others will have suggestions too. As I say, I think the problem you have at the moment is that the chicks may be too young to go outside - but you may be planning to keep them inside. ( Now that's a thought... expand inside.. )

 

Tricia

[beingmaisie]

Thanks Patricia, No i dont intend to put them in the eglu yet they have a lovely wooden brooder to live in at present but just wanted to get an idea of what i needed for when that time comes

 

Gill

[Redwing]

I put a thick layer of woodshavings in the hen house for my chicks who went outside at 7 weeks or thereabouts, I banked the bedding up around the sides to a few inches above the rest to make a dip for them to sleep in to protect them from draughts, as they get older I am reducing the thickness of the bedding.

 

Saying that mine went outside when it was much colder