David

[leonie]

Hi Everyone

 

My chickens dont free range as we live in a area where there are loads of foxes, so my chickens stay in the run and the floor is soil with bark on top, it seems to get really muddy and i feel bad that they get dirty feet, Can anyone suggest anything else to put on the ground? Also they have pecked the ground inside the run so much that the fox proof skirt has little ground underneath it any sugestions what i could do, I was thinking about slabs but would this be kind to the chickens feet? Has anyone had the same problems.

 

Any advice anyone could give would be greatly recieved.

 

Many Thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I use Easibed on top of soil in my run. It stays nice and dry as long as you keep the rain off it. My run sits on slabs with soil in the middle so they still have something to scratch in .

[Redwing]

Try woodchips as opposed to bark, much cleaner

 

A good thick layer is best or they just get to the mud underneath

[Hen Watch]

My eglu is on patio slabs in winter (with Auboise horse bedding in run and plastic cover). Chickens don't mind the slabs as they still get let out to free range a bit and the auboise gets changed once a month.

 

My eglu skirt is weighed down with bricks.

 

 

In summer I move them back to the grass.

[docsquid]

I use Easibed on top of soil in my run. It stays nice and dry as long as you keep the rain off it. My run sits on slabs with soil in the middle so they still have something to scratch in .

 

ANH - how often do you change the Easibed. My cube is on soil with Hemcore. Despite being covered with a tarp, it has got a bit damp over the last few weeks as it has been exceptionally rainy. It doesn't smell, and feels dry, and it is hard to pick out the poos as you really can't see them, but they make a right mess of it digging all kinds of holes and having all kinds of dust baths. It has been down about 3 1/2 weeks, and I'm thinking I'd like to change it soon, but other folks says they change it less regularly. It might be that after the first change it will settle down a bit as they will have made most of the excavations they need to make! The edge of the cube is inside Link-a-Bord and has gravel weighing down the skirts. I dig out the area where they feed every few days, as they tend to make a mess, and replace it with fresh Hemcore.

 

The chooks are FR almost all day most days - just a few days they stay in when we are out or busy. Even then we give them an hour or so if we can. They are all healthy, and laying eggs every day.

 

Am I being a bit fussy wanting to change the bedding after maybe 4-5 weeks?

[docsquid]

Well, I changed it today anyway, and it does look a lot better. The soil is more compacted below the bedding now, as it was the first time I'd used it after building the base. I think the Hemcore drew out the residual moisture from the soil because it is quite dry underneath. The new Hemcore looks and smells a whole lot better - it didn't smell bad, just damp.

 

I think this lot will last a lot longer. Blodwyn wasn't amused though - she was laying an egg in the cube while I was digging it out, and complaining loudly!

[mini chick]

hi,

i have just moved my eglu&run this morning as i couldnt cope with the mud any longer.They are now on the patio with a good layer of cosy coop on the floor,im hoping this will make it easier to clean.

 

 

samantha

sage

onion

[docsquid]

hi,

i have just moved my eglu&run this morning as i couldnt cope with the mud any longer.They are now on the patio with a good layer of cosy coop on the floor,im hoping this will make it easier to clean.

 

I think that will be much easier to manage than mud!

[The Dogmother]

docsquid, I change the Aubiose in my run every 6-8 weeks depending on how dirty it gets. The run is covered and virtually waterproof, so it doesn't get too wet (which is when the health hazards start to breed ). Try sprinkling some Stalosan or BioDri on the run floor before you put the new litter in - it keeps any nasties at bay. I also mix in soem garden lime to sort out the 'poo acid' problem in the soil. It always smells fresh.

 

Leonie, try using some cable ties to attach that cheap plastic lawn edging to the bottom of the run, it stops the litter from being kicked out and also seems to stop them pecking/scratching under the skirting.

 

Bark does tend to get damp and smelly, so the bugs congregate underneath, which is why I think the chooks like to dig through it.

[docsquid]

docsquid, I change the Aubiose in my run every 6-8 weeks depending on how dirty it gets. The run is covered and virtually waterproof, so it doesn't get too wet (which is when the health hazards start to breed ). Try sprinkling some Stalosan or BioDri on the run floor before you put the new litter in - it keeps any nasties at bay. I also mix in soem garden lime to sort out the 'poo acid' problem in the soil. It always smells fresh.

 

Thank you Claret. It was about 5 weeks before I changed it, so that is about the same as you. The run is waterproof but the soil I put it on was not dry, unavoidable due to the weather, which is why I think the Hemcore got damp in the end. It didn't smell of poo, just of damp soil. The Hemcore has absorbed the moisture from the soil and it is all much dryer this time around.

 

I will get Stalosan before the next change - didn't have time to order it this time.

 

Mine like to dig through the Hemcore too, and make their own dust bath!

[The Dogmother]

I find that the Aubiose gets kicked from the front to the back of the run as they scratch around, so I go in and rake it back forward again.

[emchook]

Hen Watch your run is great . I am off to get some clear roofing today and bunjee cords!

My poor chickens are running around in the muddy chippings and it does look so dark in there !

The winter shade and the extension shade is just not up to this wet weather