3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[baublegirl]

Hi

I got an for Xmas (lucky me!) so I'm hoping to join you all as an Omleteer very soon

We're getting some ex-batts on Saturday (as long as they're not snowed in again) and I had a few quick questions...

Eventually I want a WIR, but in the meantime I had planned to just use the eglu and run on our grass and move it about. But, we don't have that many flat areas in the garden (is on quite a hill) and I'm concerned that the few flat bits will get churned up very quickly. Would it be better to make the eglu a permanent site near the house and put down some sort of ground covering?

If so, what is best? I had thought of bark chippings? Or could I use some sort of wood shavings if I had a shower curtain/roof type bit over the run? But then I'd have to keep the roof on and they owuldn't get so much fresh air.. hmm

Also - I'm going to put shredded paper and straw in the nest box, but do I need to put any bedding on the roosting bars?

And should I put newspaper in the pull out droppings tray?

I don't have regular access to a hose at the moment, so I thought newspaper might make it easier to clean out the droppings.

Thanks! and I'll post some pics when I get my new ladies

[docsquid]

Welcome, baublegirl. I'm a relative newbie too - only got my chooks in October. This forum has been extremely helpful to me, and I'm sure somebody better qualified to comment will come along soon to answer your questions. In the meantime, I'll have a go, as I've learned so much in these few weeks.

 

Would it be better to make the eglu a permanent site near the house and put down some sort of ground covering?

If so, what is best? I had thought of bark chippings? Or could I use some sort of wood shavings if I had a shower curtain/roof type bit over the run? But then I'd have to keep the roof on and they owuldn't get so much fresh air.. hmm

 

I aimed to move my cube around, but it pretty soon got too mucky, so I moved it to a permanent base. It is on soil, but I put down a disinfectant called Stalosan F onto the earth, and then I put down Hemcore bedding, which I buy from a local farm that does equestrian supplies. It is about £8 a 20kg bale. It does need to be kept covered, and I use a clear tarpaulin over the cube run. There is plenty of fresh air going in and out through the bit under the cube, and the door, so don't worry about that. I understand that bark chippings get rancid pretty quickly, and I cannot fault Hemcore - it smells nice, is easy to use, the poo dries up quickly and it is relatively easy to rake out and change when the time comes. Also it composts easily and I am using it as mulch on the veg bed.

 

Also - I'm going to put shredded paper and straw in the nest box, but do I need to put any bedding on the roosting bars?

And should I put newspaper in the pull out droppings tray?

I don't have regular access to a hose at the moment, so I thought newspaper might make it easier to clean out the droppings.

 

I would say use Hemcore in the nest box and also in the poo tray(s). It dries up the poo and makes it really easy to pick out, and you can put the whole lot on the compost heap when you clean the trays out properly.

 

There are alternatives to Hemcore - Easibed and Aubiose are the ones recommended. I simply use Hemcore because that is what this particular farm stocks, but I'd happily use any of the alternatives if I couldn't get my preferred stuff.

 

I put diatom in with the bedding to help protect against red mite.

[emchook]

Hi baublegirl .

I agree with everything that docsquid has said.

Stay away from barkchips - I have just had a massive cleanup and the run was a disgusting slimy smelly mess.

The chooks are now on easibed and the run is covered with some plastic pvc sheeting and a doubled over omlet cover.

The pvc sheeting is great for letting light in and there are plenty of gaps for air flow .

I will take the sheeting off when the weather warms up as we are a south facing garden and they may well cook in there ! But thats weeks away !

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum, Baublegirl . Can't add to the excellent advice given above but will just say that I put sheets of newspaper in the poo tray - it certainly helps keep the tray clean and cuts down cleaning time .

[Cranfield Kate]

i don't have an eglu so can't comment about poo trays...

 

but their bedroom has saw dust under the roosting bar, on top of cardboard and newspaper for insulation and to protect the wood from the acidity of the poo; the nesting box has cardboard, christmas wrapping paper and newspaper topped by straw. someone told me once that shredded paper wasn't great because of the chemicals in it and when it's shredded it's very dusty; and it gets sodden and compacted too easily and the chickens try to eat it. but try it! the same person also told me to put glycerine in the water in cold weather and now we know that's not right.

 

our run has bark chippings in it - bit worried now Emchook says it goes nasty! - so far so good but i'll keep an eye on it.

 

i'm new to all this too and couldn't survive without this forum and all the encouragment and advice.

[suebee]

Hi Baublegirl, and welcome. I've just recently joined too. What a great, friendly and informative forum! You'll be on a steep learning curve for the first few weeks with your new girls. There's a fair bit of trial and error as you find the methods and materials that work best for you and your particular set up. There's a lot of sound advice to be had on the forum from the experts, which I've found invaluable. Enjoy!

[sadietoo]

Hi Baublegirl and welcome to the forum..

 

I started off with my eglu and run on the grass but they churned it up in no time , so now it sits on a block base ( made with some old house bricks) and I put in a good layer of Aubiose (cos that's what my local farm shop stocks) so that they can still scratch about. ( I usually put some dried mealworms or mixed corn (not too much!!) in with the aubiose so they don't come up empty-beaked!!). I also use aubiose in the droppings tray and it makes it much easier to clean. I sprinkle diatom powder on the straw in the nest box (for lice) and also sprinkle red mite powder into the crevices inside the eglu ( although in fact with a plastic house red mite are less likely to be a problem).

 

Enjoy your girls and be prepared to be completely addicted!!!!

[baublegirl]

Thanks so much for all your replies everyone.

I have some things to add to my shopping list I feel! Aubiose or Easibed sound good - will check for a local supplier, and I'll definitely get a cover for the run for the remainder of the winter.

 

Am off to bed now (have baby who wakes a lot ) but i'll be back to take down all the details tomorrow.

 

Can't wait to get the girls now!

[beulah59]

re bark chip ... depends how long you want to leave it in there. I left mine a month or so and then used it to mulch the plants in the garden ... it was fine. Not sure I'd have wanted to leave it any longer or in really wet weather though.

[emchook]

dont panic about the bark chips . .Just to let you know that for the past year I have had the chooks on bark chips.. and they have been fine.

ITs just in the last 6 weeks with all the rain and snow .. not nice!

 

Just a personal choice.. the chooks werent fussed ! I like the aubiose..they dont care ..ungrateful bunch !

[henriette]

I put sheets of newspaper in the poo tray - it certainly helps keep the tray clean and cuts down cleaning time .

 

Welcome from me too! I also put sheets of newspaper in the poo trays (I've got a cube) and it makes so much difference.

[Valkyrie]

Hello newbie! I used to put sheets of newspaper in the poo trays but they don't do so well rotting down in the compost, so instead I use lots of shredded paper (with OH working from home there is quite a bit - and junk mail and such - and shreddings from mum too). It works just as well as the sheet and rots down quicker. I do put a sheet of newspaper in the nesting box though. Our cube was originally moved around and as we have a bit of a slope it got a bit too much - particularly when the extension was added. So they have a permanent site and as said before, Stalosan, Aubiose and Diatom. I have also put a dressing of garden lime down before refilling with the other bits - it keeps the soil sweet.

[chickencam]

We have had our Eglu chooks since May 2007 and they have been on a thick layer (6 inches minimum) of bark chips for the whole time. We change the top layer once a month or so and it has worked well for us. It breaks down and the poo disappears because the girls are always turning it over, which also keeps them busy, it is amzing how many earth worms they find in there. We do however have a cover over most of the run (corrugated clear plastic sheets) in the winter, which keeps everything nice and clean.

 

I am going to get some Auboise for my wooden house and younger choocks and will probably use it under the roosting bars in the Eglu too. We have got through so much newspaper this winter and my compost bins are groaning.

[baublegirl]

Thanks so much everyone.

Have just sourced a local Easibed/Aubiose supplier, so we're going to go for that I think.

We've also moved the eglu onto an area of soil and gravel (was originally a flower bed) and put edging round it.

It looks great already I think!

Now I just need to buy something to put over the top. Do people recommend getting shower curtains - is Tesco/similar cheapest for things like that? Or is the corrugated heavy plastic better?

 

Sorry for all the questions - just want to give my ex-batts a real haven!

[CluckyBucks]

Hi there

 

I cant add to the excellent advice above, but i just wanted to say welcome to the forum and the bestest of luck with getting your ex-batts.

 

xx xx

[emchook]

I cant comment on the shower curtains .. but I got my pvc sheets from Wickes for about £4 each.

I needed 3 to go all the way over [ and fixed with duct tape and a bunjee ]

[sadietoo]

I've put corrugated plastic along the run on both sides just to act as a windbreak and keep the aubiose inside. I'm useless at measurements but I suppose it's about 8 inches tall or thereabouts. I used cable ties to fix it to the sides of the run.

 

On the top I've got shower curtains but I am on my third now, because when the fox comes a-visiting he/she hasn't worked out that tearing up the shower curtain covering the run isn't the way into it, but as they are fairly cheap anyway it's not too bad to replace, just a bit of a nuisance on a wet day!!! I think I paid about £4 each for the first ones from Wilkos and £1.50 for the last one from Tescos, (and I keep one in reserve for the next time the fox comes round). I'm saving up for a Walk in Run at the moment so don't expect to be using my Eglu run for very much longer otherwise I would put some of the corrugated stuff on the top too for preference.

[Valkyrie]

We have a couple of corrugated sheets over the top of our run. We did try to protect the sides with a shower curtain but found it soon ripped in the wind and by the time winter came it disintegrated. So now have heavy duty green plastic in place at the back and sides with a couple of gaps, and the silly little summer cover that we had with the cube on the sunny side, but on dry days it is opened up. Yes it can be a bit dark, but they spend most of the day in the garden and in the greenhouse when it's wet (good job it's a big greenhouse) - and that is like an adventure assault course in there! If you can, go for heavy duty stuff - it might be a little more expensive, but you won't have to replace it as often.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi Baublegirl, congratulations on your new girlies.

 

Here are a few pointers which I picked up along the way.........you need to keep your batties as warm & draughtfree as possible as they have come out of a very warm barn & some of them do not "do" the cold well at all.........I'm thinking of my Hazel in particular, bless her, she was released almost ovenready last Jan 29th (?), they lived in a draughtproof & snug eglu & were ok when the snow arrived 2 days later. This year she's in a cube and a big WIR & has not been at all good with the snow & frost as their WIR is nothing like draughtproof & snug!! I thing she was also running on adrenaline last year........

I used an enormous tarpaulin which I folded to fit over the eglu run & positioned a windbreak to keep the doorway as protected as possible,, with hemcore on the ground.......maybe some think this is overkill, but the poor little s"Ooops, word censored!"s of chickenhood were in the worst state that our rescue coordinator had seen in a long time. We have since moved on to corrugated plastic as the roof material of choice.

I also use hemcore in the nestboxes & in the pootray without the bars in, much nicer to keep the girlies warm than the straw that was recommended by BHWT at the collection point, and I do line my cubes and eglus with newspaper under the hemcore & sprinkle some diatom or red mite powder so they can fluff it around their feathers as they settle down.

 

As you will no doubt have read on here they will seem to eat for England...and most of Europe too given half a chance, don't worry it will slow down once they realise that food and water are always available, and they are usually quite skinny so need building up anyway............mine had mash to start with, which I mixed with pellets after a week or so & gradually weaned them off the mash which can be very messy..make sure you have enough bowls/pots of food that they can all get their beaks into without one stopping the weaker ones from eating........warm mash porridge went down well too and not just as a foot warmer! I also had a cage cup of corn available all the time.

 

Don't be surprised if the poor little things lay an egg "on the run", one of mine barely even broke her stride and they insisted on laying their eggs in the run, just out of reach for the first few weeks........eventually they do work out what the nestbox is for...a ceramic egg may help to give them a clue. Some hens give up laying, others continue laying their little hearts out.....each one is different.

 

Please give your special girls a big {{hug}} from me and mine..........though they will stink to high heaven, sorry!

 

Good luck on Saturday,

 

Sha x