Solitary chicken - need advice

[Jennyhenny]

Hi,

 

I have moved my eglu and run a little further away down the garden (not far as garden tiny ) Instead of putting the wood chip back down I thought I would try the rubber chippings. How have you fellow omletters got on with it especially the poo aspect

 

Also should I be putting down some disinfectant of any sort as yet I havent put anything down.

 

I have looked at B & Q and they only have the green and brown, quite fancied the plum as I have purple slate in the garden My local Sainsburys Homebase doesn't sell it anymore, does anybody know where else sells it. I have looked on the internet for bags but looks like you have to have it delivered by the ton

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

Jennyhenny

Edited May 11, 2009 by Guest

[theherd123]

Hmmm TBH i would rethink putting the chooks on rubber chippings as they may eat it when pecking for food etc and that wont be much good for them im sure. Also the pooh issue would be just awful to clean

 

Stick to the wood chip or hemcore and then when its all dirty bung it in the compost heap

[Alma]

Hi,

 

I'm finding the rubber chippings are working really well.

 

The pieces are too big for the chooks to swallow and so don't seem to be a problem there.

 

I have had them down for 3 weeks now, with no poo problem. Yesterday I let the girls free range while I hosed the chippings down. They dried really quickly. A few handfuls of Stalosan F as disinfectant and all is well.

 

I would strongly recommend them.

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Alma

[Redwing]

I must admit to being very tempted for my next run flooring as that run won't be on slabs and the rubber chippings drain really well

[Patricia W]

Believe it or not, Abingdon Homebase still has some 99p bags left! Reduced from £7.98 as a discontinued line.

[Alma]

Morning

These links may be useful:

 

rubber chippings

 

chicken keeper

 

Alma

Fizz

Maria

[Jennyhenny]

Thanks everyone for replying

 

I have just phoned Downtown at Grantham and they have black, green and PURPLE so definitely a trip there - £9.00 a bag

 

Jennyhenny

[Ness3103]

sorry if this is a silly but what do you do with your chickens when you're hosing down the chippings, how long does it take to dry and does it get smelly

 

i'm trying to decide what to put in my wir once it's built and these sound good, especially if i can get purple ones

[Jennyhenny]

From what I have read on the forum they dry really quickly. I will either shut the girls in the eglu or more likely just let them free range while I give it a quick wash, according to other users the poo disappears and theres no smell

 

Popping down to Downtown later to pick some up, so will keep you informed

 

Jennyhenny

[Ness3103]

sounds too easy

 

another are you putting them straight onto soil or on weed fabric? i'm getting myself in such a muddle on what i need, i'm dreaming wir's and chickens

[Jennyhenny]

I'm popping mine straight onto soil as when we had the bark chippings it was on top of a membrane and the chickens scratched it up so it looked a mess.

 

Just picked up the purple chippings - they look great will report back when I have them down later this afternoon

 

Jennyhenny

[Ness3103]

i luv purple, you'll have to put a pic up so we can see what its like

[Jennyhenny]

Looks absolutely FANTASTIC very bouncy and PURPLE

 

Just put it down and one of the girlies had a poop, so I turned the hose on and hey presto it disappeared I will have to stand guard with a hose so it stays looking good Will get a photo hopefully tomorrow and post.

 

Jennyhenny

[Alma]

Hi,

 

But remember, you only need to hose it down every few weeks.

 

The rest of the time the poo just dries and disappears. Hey presto! it's gone.

 

Glad you are pleased with them.

 

Looking forward to see a pic jenny.

 

Alma

Fizz

Maria

[Jennyhenny]

Hi,

 

As promised pictures of the purple rubber chippings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm really impressed with them, think they look great.

 

Look whats left on the table Its my chicken weapon

 

Jennyhenny

[jlo]

Wow - they look fab - especially with the the slate. Great garden!

[sgregson]

Hi Jennyhenny

 

I think it looks fabulous as does your garden

 

We put rubber chippings down a week or so ago and everything is going well - haven't got the hosepipe out yet though!

[Ness3103]

wow! they look gorgeous, don't spose the place you got them from deliver's do they the only ones i can find local to me are brown

[Jennyhenny]

Ness3103 I got them from Downtown at Grantham, not sure if hey have stores anywhere else. Are you anywhere near Grantham

 

Jennyhenny

[Ness3103]

i'm in london, near wembley might google purple chippings and see what i get

[Jennyhenny]

Ness 3103

 

The make is Dunweedin, if you put it in google, go through to dunweedin.co.uk, it will take you to their site. Click on Online Shop and it will bring up nationwide stockists and a map, (it has B & Q logo at top but their not all B &Q) thats how I found that Downtown stocked it. I phoned Downtown then to double check and also which colours they stocked (black, green and purple)

 

Jennyhenny

[Ness3103]

thanx, none of the B&Q's near me stock any other colour except brown

 

i've just calculated how many bags i need and it says i need 22 so i'd better start saving

 

i'm going to order direct from them once i have the money, so i can have purple

[charlies82]

Hi jennyhenny,

 

I thought i would reply on this thread about what materials to use in the run! They look fantastic! can i ask how many bags you used for this? Would like to do the same as they are child friendly too.

 

Thanks

Charlotte x

[Angels4]

Hmmm TBH i would rethink putting the chooks on rubber chippings as they may eat it when pecking for food etc and that wont be much good for them im sure. Also the pooh issue would be just awful to clean

 

Stick to the wood chip or hemcore and then when its all dirty bung it in the compost heap

 

I was interested in the "rubber chippings" but thought the same. Plus what happens to all the bits of food dropped? Won't it rot in between the rubber chippings? I also question the source of the rubber. Is it from recycled tires/tyers? If so what are the hazards or chemicals used in the production of said tire/tyre when manufartured? Will they leach into the soil and poisen my girls? I found the following information about the advantages/disadvantages of using rubber mulch made with recycled tires.

 

Advantages

Rubber mulch provides several advantages over plant material based mulches. For landscaping and gardening purposes, both nuggets and buffings insulate soil from heat allowing a 2 or 3 degrees F higher soil temperature difference over wood mulches. Rubber mulch is beneficial for soil moisture as rubber is non-porous and does not absorb water on its way through to the soil. It also reduces fungus growth and plant growth, and becomes a weed barrier as weed seeds dehydrate in the mulch before reaching the soil. Neither nuggets nor buffings provide any humus to compacted soil.

Another advantage over plant-material mulches is its elasticity, which gives it a springy quality when used in a fairly thick layer. This makes it a natural choice for playgrounds, where the extra springiness provides additional safety for children when they fall off of playground equipment. Tests have shown rubber mulch is superior in breaking falls to traditional bark mulches. It can be 97% wire free for landscape use and 99.9% wire free for playgrounds. Rubber mulch is also becoming a product of choice used in horse arenas for footing material when mixed with sand. It can be found in nugget or shredded style.

 

Disadvantages

Some recycled varieties may leach chemicals(some toxic) which are harmful to plants

Rubber mulch, like some organic mulches, is a hazard if ignited. However, rubber mulch is more difficult to extinguish.

Although rubber mulch is generally safe, recycled tire rubber leachates do contain certain minerals and compounds which may cause concern in high concentrations. Recycled tire mulch can contain trace amounts of various minerals from the tire manufacturing process and other chemicals that may have been picked up during the tire's service life.

 

I also found this website about using rubber mulch in the garden http://www.paghat.com/rubbermulch.html

[Jennyhenny]

Charlies82,

 

The rubber chippings are brilliant, I just hosed them down today. For the standard eglu run I used 6 bags which was enough for inside and to cover the rim on the floor so it looks neat

 

Jennyhenny