Chicken picking at feet

[shelley8179]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, what do you have on the floor of your run and how do you look after it and how often do you change it? I have wood chip at the moment and was wondering if there is any thing better. I have looked at easibed and other stuff but can it be used outside?

[Space Chick]

Easibed, hemcore and auboise are horse beddings and are only really suitable for covered runs.

[shelley8179]

Thank you that's what I thought.

[dippy bird]

I have wood chip and the girls love it.I just rake it over every now and again to even it all out after they have dug their huge craters in it.

[markchooksharon]

I use Sharp sand the best one i have found is from Wickes £1.48 a bag rake it over every night never smells i would not use anything else

[shelley8179]

Do you change it regularly?

[greenfreek]

I have bark in the bottom.

I rake it over almost every night and if they're out free ranging i might go in and turn it over a bit. Ive got a spare bag of it in the shed too cos they seem to kick it out a bit. they seem happy enough with that

[Redwing]

I use Sharp sand the best one i have found is from Wickes £1.48 a bag rake it over every night never smells i would not use anything else

 

Welcome to the forum I think you might be the first person on the forum who uses sand though it often comes up in discussion on here, can you tell us how often you change it and if you need to poo pick?

 

I use a range of thing in my pens, the biggest pen is woodchip mixed with Bedmax wood shavings, t hasnt been changed since it went down in March/April time, I wouldnt mix in shavngs unless you have a roofed run though

[markchooksharon]

I rake the top surface every night about 2 dustpan full it never smells it absorbs the poo really well drys out quick i really can fault it

[Redwing]

I rake the top surface every night about 2 dustpan full it never smells it absorbs the poo really well drys out quick i really can fault it

 

Interesting, thanks for that

[markchooksharon]

Thanks for the welcome Redwing i did start with playsand but its a lot more expensive and seasonal in most shops i dig the waste sand in the garden so its very eco friendly

[Plum]

Welcome. Interesting, how long have you used it?

[beulah59]

My run isn't covered so we've gone with hardwood chips ... bit expensive but seem to be OK (could do with a lot more!). I know it won't rot down in the compost very fast, but I think we'll have it down for quite some time before changing it.

 

I've thrown a load of autumn leaves on top of it for now, which I know will go rather soggy if the weather forecast is right and we get a lot of rain the next day or two ... but they are enjoying it so much!

[markchooksharon]

Thanks Plum 8 weeks, it was hot when we got them in august i use to rake it then sieve it i know sounds a bit tight but all i used to be left with was the dry poo i used to keep chooks when i was a kid and we just had a soil run which we used to dig over so i did not want to go down that road i paid 19 shillings each for RIR more like 19 quid each now

[docsquid]

I'm interested in this thread too, as IF I am given permission to keep the chickens at the house (as opposed to at our wood), I will want to build a permanent base for the Cube run. I have a winter cover for the Cube run, as well as the regular one.

 

I was thinking of bark chippings, but am not really clear how often you need to change it altogether. I'd really like something that I can put straight on the garden to improve the soil, which kinda rules out sharp sand, really. However I don't want to have to manually remove all the poo every day. Is there something that I could put down on the floor of the run and maybe just change it every 6 to 8 weeks or so, rather than something I'd have to poo pick every day and change every week?

 

Wood chips are another possibility, particularly since we own a woodland, so could make our own.

 

Many thanks

[Redwing]

I use woodchips, one of my runs has a roof and the woodchip has been down since March

 

Another run does not ahve a roof and the woodchip is about 4 months old and needs changing so still not bad

[katieD]

i had mine on bedmax- but just done a full clean out and replaced with easi-bed. its kiind of inbetween shavings and chips- happy with it so far!

[chelsea]

Aubiose here - love the stuff.

 

Have tried Hemcore, Easybed, and elephant grass but we always go back to aubiose!

[docsquid]

Aubiose here - love the stuff.

 

Have tried Hemcore, Easybed, and elephant grass but we always go back to aubiose!

 

I thought Aubiose was only suitable for a covered run, not a Cube run with a partial cover (winter shade)? Can it be used for a Cube run, or would I be better with wood chips or bark chips?

[chelsea]

 

I thought Aubiose was only suitable for a covered run, not a Cube run with a partial cover (winter shade)?

 

 

Sorry, (speed reading ) yes it is better in a covered run.

 

Before our WIR we used corrugated plastic sheeting on our eglu run and still used aubiose.

[Gelbel]

How deep do you have your Auboise/Hemcore/Easibed? My chippings are looking well messy and I am thinking of changing as I think the horse bedding will be easier to manage and get hold of (my 'proper' run is covered). The run is on paving slabs if that helps decide on depth too.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Plum]

3-4" of hemcore on slabs