What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[veggiemad]

...... can the chikens still sctrach around enough?

 

We are just planning our 15x8ft WIR- yippe!! I have decided to slab the floor and use easibed(cant get aubiose round here!) but then thought- as they wont be FR as much - if at all, does it allow them enough scratching , or should i leave a bit of bare earth??

 

ideas welcomed.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I know lots of people do slab the floor entirely but mine is just slabbed where the run sits and it works really well for me. I do like the idea that they have soil to scratch about and dustbathe in too. I use Stalosan F and garden lime and it doesn't need cleaning out more than once every 3 months or so (with a bit of poo picking along the way obviously!)

[veggiemad]

woa!!!!

that was quick - and VERY helpful, thankyou. I have enough left over slabs in the garden for round the edge but would've had to arrange delivery of more, so that also makes that easier , and i'd be happier if they had more to scratch at.

thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Glad to help! I hadn't noticed how quickly I'd responded . I was just in the right place and the right time!

[Falkor]

Hello

 

My WIR is half slabbed and half earth (i got bored but if the girls ask it was for their digging benefit ). HOWEVER!!! The earth part of my run is SO dry and compacted due to its sheltered spot it is undiggable...even for my very determined CLB.

 

I have two large shallow tub trugs filled with dry earth and sand that they dust bathe and dig about in and they seem very happy with that!

Also means on clean out days I can sweep it up

 

My cube run which houses the bantams is always a little damp and the aubise/easibed gets dug into the earth so on clean out days i have to DIG it out and take away a lot of the soil with it.

[Plum]

I have my cube run with extension slabbed and easibed on top about most of a bale and they dig, dust bath and generally chuck it around without getting down to the slabs.

[Tutti Frutti]

We originally only slabbed around the outside - but we put membrane underneath to keep the mud out, as the rain turned our woodchip into a quagmire. The girls promptly dug up the membrane in the middle and completely trashed their lovely fresh Aubiose! So now it's completely slabbed, but I've put a huge underbed storage drawer full of soil/compost in the corner which they love

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I think keeping your WIR dry is the key if you have any amount of soil in it. Mine gets slightly damp at the edges but rarely gets damp in the middle.

[Space Chick]

My girls have a fully slabbed run, and they have 3 dustbaths.

 

The still dig around in the hemcore, even though its not very deep at all, I always scatter poultry grit in the run, as this gives them something to forage for

[Cooks]

My girls have a fully slabbed run, and they have 3 dustbaths.

 

The still dig around in the hemcore, even though its not very deep at all, I always scatter poultry grit in the run, as this gives them something to forage for

 

same here, I have a full concrete floor fopr my WIR and I scatter corn, grit etc etc around the bedding, and a dustbath, they are fine they do free range though and I love them outside, but they did use to have all the garden, however they pooped on the patio one too many times so they have their own section of garden now bless them!

[abwsco]

My run is only slabbed on the outside edge but I use bedmax dust extracted shavings. They're cheaper than easibed etc and last for ages if you use the deep litter method and they're kept dry.

 

Mine love dustbathing in it. There's 8 dustbathing in it -lol

 

Edited February 5, 2010 by Guest

[Tutti Frutti]

there's 8 dustbathing in it -lol

 

What a fantastic photo! I could only spot 7 at first but then saw the camoflage chicken

[abwsco]

there's 8 dustbathing in it -lol

 

What a fantastic photo! I could only spot 7 at first but then saw the camoflage chicken

 

 

Thanks there's 3 in this one They were all at it for over half an hour. Chicken bliss

 

Don't know why I can't get pics to show on here with flickr

[Lewis]

there's 8 dustbathing in it -lol

 

What a fantastic photo! I could only spot 7 at first but then saw the camoflage chicken

 

 

Thanks there's 3 in this one They were all at it for over half an hour. Chicken bliss http://www.flickr.com/photos/26086424@N02/3353359335/

 

Don't know why I can't get pics to show on here with flickr

You need to click the size above it and post the link, or is it just playing up recently?

 

[abwsco]

Lewis, you're a STAR It's so long since I've linked to flickr that things must have changed-lol

[Lewis]

Lewis, you're a STAR It's so long since I've linked to flickr that things must have changed-lol