Solitary chicken - need advice

[reino]

Hello,

We've had chickens for 3 months, up to now they have lived in an ark on a grass base, surrounded by more grass which they use as run.

 

The run area has become completely waterlogged in the last week and we are going to re-surface both the ark area and the run.

 

I read on a forum to use pea gravel instead, so I've put it on the floor of the ark and intended to cover the run in it too.

 

It doesn't look very 'comfortable' tho and I'm now concerned that we've done the wrong thing especially since I've just read that woodchippings and horse bedding is good.

 

Could some-one please advice us on the best surfaces for each, our chickens are due to lay their first eggs in a few weeks and I'd like to get this right by then if possible.

[Redwing]

Woodchip is very good (not bark) if you run is uncovered or covered

 

The horse beddings such as Auboise are very good but only if the run is covered

 

Pea gravel is ok I believe but make sure the ground underneath is well drained so you can house the gravel down as it wont absorb the poo like the woodchip or aubiose

[sjp]

wood chip works well i put about a 4inch deep bed down last about 3 months with my lot I think they were miners in another life the way they like to dig holes

[reino]

Hello again,

Thanks for the replies, we've taken the pea gravel out of the run and spread it over the area outside the run as drainage.

We've then covered the whole area with woodchip and added a bit of straw to the ark.

 

It looks much better than the peagravel, and the chickens seem much happier too, than they did when they came down this morning to be greeted by a hard bed of stones.

As we only had grass down before, I'll look forward to them 'digging' in, it all looked a bit too tidy before