2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[SleepyFairy]

Hi all,

 

Stinker of a problemo and not sure what to do.

 

Since the weather has turned, our free range area has been quite tricky to deal with. Its our first winter with them having this "Omlet fenced" area. The summer was lovely as i just raked up their poo and moved the fencing around now and again to avoid bare grass patches.

 

However, now its either wet or snow covered I can't rake up the poo and its becoming unbearably stinky and resembles the 5th day of glastonbury festival!!!! We've even had to put down stepping stones to get to the eglu as the mud/poo is so slippy.

Should I just resign myself to the fact that this is how it is for winter?!!?

 

We also use woodchip in their run which i was raking, topping up or changing every month but this is now compacted because of the wet and stinks badly too. I've looked into getting aubiose but have no where to store it so have to use woodchip. Or can I just leave it as mud? It seems to end up that way anyhoo Only option seems to be to dig it all out every month which is tiresome and stinky as hell. Am happy to do this but wondered if there was another way?

 

Help???

 

Jules x

[Plum]

If I was you I would put down a pathed path to the eglu, I think even in summer you will wear it down. I would also slab the eglu area so they only have bedding to soil not the earth underneath. I would cover their run with a clear shower curtain from Ikea 79p and bungees from B&Q £1, and put lawn edging up to the eglu to stop them kicking bedding out. I would use auboise in run and rake it regularly. Its not a big bale, I keep a bale of bedding in the garage. I would put stalosan down when doing a change in the run to dry it and kill bugs, smell etc.,

 

Their run area I would get a long stick so you don't walk on it and still flick the poo into the borders or out of the area even in this weather. I would try really hard not to walk on it because I think I would make more mud than the chooks do.

 

Hope this helps

[SleepyFairy]

Thanks for all of that. So you mean slab underneath the run area and then cover with aubiose? Do you then just rake it out?

 

[Plum]

I would do that regularly but it would need the cover on the run to keep it dry. Every 2 or 3 months or so you could lift the run off clean it all out and wash the slabs down. Should keep it sweet.

[wiganchooks]

I agree with Plum! My chicken set-up has evolved over the 4 months I've had them and is now pretty much as she describes - and so much more secure, dry, mud-free and easy to deal with.

 

In the end I went for slabs as the base, with pond liner on top and slightly up the sides of the run (means any water flowing across the surface of your garden/patio doesn't come into the run), with a corrugated plastic roof, and shower curtain sides that can be rolled up and down.

 

Very cheap and simple to do and it keeps the hemcore (like aubiose) base bone dry. It's then far easier to clean out and requires changing far less often.

[Plum]

Do you mean pond liner on top of the slabs. Don't they tear it up?

[Egluntyne]

.....with pond liner on top and slightly up the sides of the run (means any water flowing across the surface of your garden/patio doesn't come into the run), with a corrugated plastic roof, and shower curtain sides that can be rolled up and down.

 

Very cheap and simple to do and it keeps the hemcore (like aubiose) base bone dry. It's then far easier to clean out and requires changing far less often.

 

 

Am liking the sound of this.

[Patricia W]

I like the idea of this pond liner too.... but won't they scratch through it - or is it too tough for that?

 

Tricia

[prof]

my free range area is a little muddy too but mainly from me the OH & the 3 kids my chucks are on bark on grass, and this does not smell at all i do sprinkle it with stalosan every week and give it a rake over though and this seems to do the trick as for the free range area, i do the same there too, and the grass is finally attempting to grow back although i dont hold out much hope of that

[Blackrocksrock]

.....with pond liner on top and slightly up the sides of the run (means any water flowing across the surface of your garden/patio doesn't come into the run), with a corrugated plastic roof, and shower curtain sides that can be rolled up and down.

 

Very cheap and simple to do and it keeps the hemcore (like aubiose) base bone dry. It's then far easier to clean out and requires changing far less often.

 

 

Am liking the sound of this.

 

Like the sound of this too but think the pond liner would be trashed and wonder if we could put the slabs on top of it instead and then bring some up the sides of the run too.