Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[Discofairy]

Hello everyone.

 

Was hoping to get some advice as we are really stuck with our chicken site

 

We have 3 girls in a fenced in permanent sited (pink!) eglu with run who are "free ranged" most days in a penned section of the garden which is around 5 square metres.

 

The run area was on grass which is now mud but is topped with woodchip which I was changing every few weeks.

 

However, this winter has been horrid and the woodchip and the mud has been congealed together for a while and the free range area now resembles glastonbury festival on the last day! It also smells baaaaaaaad as its a big fat mixture of chicken poo and mud.

 

It was suggested by a friend who has chickens that we dig out the run area, pave it and cover it with woodchip which we can then sweep up or hose down. Is this a good idea?

 

Then as the weather gets warmer, I was thinking about moving the girls or keeping them in for a little while and re-seeding the free range area so that the grass grows back for the lovely (and totally more manageable) Summer.

 

Any thoughts, solutions, advice GREATLY appreciated.

 

Thanks so much

 

Jules x

PeeWee Fluff. Pecky nuisance at moment!

Nancy

Fudge

Peach RIP Aug 09

TigerPop the nearly 15 yr old jack russell

[Lewis]

I'd dig it out and put down some garden lime to help 'sweeten' the earth

 

Is the run covered? - might be an idea to keep it dry.

 

In the long term, slabs would be a good idea, maybe with Hemcore or Aubiose on top

[chick wiggle]

Hi there

I would recomend paving and using a horse bedding like easibed or hemcore if the run is covered, plus do you put garlic powder in their feed? It neutralises the smell like magic!

[Patricia W]

Cover the run as a first step. I don't have slabs but find that Aubiose on dry earth is magic. I've just dug out a cube run today that is filled with Aubiose. It's been down since Christmas and still smells sweet. I have simply swept it all out, put down some Stalosan F and new Aubiose. Simples!

 

I change the poo trays every week I hasten to add.

 

Tricia

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I use Stalosan F which is a powdered disinfectant. It keeps nasties and bay and reduces smells too - great stuff . I also use garden lime as Lewis suggests.

 

Horse bedding is great inside runs - Easibed, Hemcore or Aubiose are all great at absorbing the poos and keeping smells down. You do have to keep it dry though.

 

I recommend garlic powder too .

[Tutti Frutti]

garlic powder in their feed

 

Is that for horses or normal stuff from the supermarket spice aisle? I have a feeling that's a stupid question, now I've typed it out

[Lewis]

garlic powder in their feed

 

Is that for horses or normal stuff from the supermarket spice aisle? I have a feeling that's a stupid question, now I've typed it out

Horsey stuff

I get the NAF garlic granules, and they're good in the food.

It says you can try it in the water, but it floats so they just peck it out and spit it on the floor

[Redwing]

horsey shops sell garlic powder in tubs

 

Some good replies above, I'd sprinkle some Stalosan down and chuck a couple of buckets of Aubiose down to absorb the worst of the smells

 

Aubiose on its own is good for a covered run only as its gets so soggy but a sprinkling in your open run would be ok

 

When a run goes smelly a lot of the time this is due to rotting or soggy food on the ground, do your hens spill food at all? if so maybe a change of feeder would help

[Discofairy]

Wowsers! What a great response thank you all so much!

 

I looked into getting aubiose for the run before but don't have anywhere to store a bale of it as my other half refused to keep it in his huge man-cave garage! However, I think he could be persuaded as the smell is so bad!!!!

 

How would we cover the run to protect the aubiose if we put it down?

 

What is stalosan?

 

They do tend to spill food but i've stopped filling their grub thingy so full so it stops them spilling so much

 

I've got some garlic powder i could use. how much would i put in their grub if i filled the grub two third full?

 

Thanks

J x x x

[Tutti Frutti]

I get the NAF garlic granules, and they're good in the food.

 

Thanks Lewis. OK another dim question for you, does it stop the smell from those 'orrible mustardy poos or not, cos they're not from the instestinal tract but from the caecal tract (or whatever it's called ).

 

Thank you, oh wise head on young shoulders

 

Sorry to hijack the thread

[quickcluck]

I'd put in a teaspoon per grub load. It seems to do the trick for me, along with Bokashi bran

[Discofairy]

No worries about the hijack hon!!

 

Can anyone send me a link to get stalosan and aubiose type stuff from a trusted source?

 

You've all convinced me to pave, cover and use aubiose tyoe stuff with stalosan and feed them garlic powder too. Phew, the relief I feel having a solution!

 

J x

[Tutti Frutti]

I use Virkon S for a deep clean when I hoik everything out and replace it all (smells yummy, like strawberry bubblegum!). Costs me £2.05 for a 50g sachet at my local tack shop.

 

And I use Stalosan F to keep it fresh - sprinkle a handful once a week. I bought it from here but she also runs Regency Poulty.

 

Covering can be corrugates PVC sheets or clear shower curtains, held down with a chain of bungee cords.

 

Whereabouts are you DFairy? Your local horse tack shop will sell Aubiose/Hemcore/Easibed. I pay £8.80 a bale for Aubiose and it lasts me 3-4 months, changing it all once a month, for 4 chooks in a 2x3.5m walk in run (WIR). (just so you get an idea of the floor space and poo-coverage! )

 

I used to use woodchip but had the same problem as you I don't know how the girls didn't get trenchfoot I also tried dust-extracted shavings but they just don't compost down anywhere near as quickly as Aubiose...

 

And welcome, btw!

[Redwing]

trusted source of Stalosan

 

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Stalosan_F_Disinfectant.html

 

It will cost a bit in P&P so you may choose to get it locally, most agricultural merchants would have it

 

Aubiose weighs a ton so you would be best to find that locally, horsey shops will normally have it as would some agri merchants

 

Where are you based roughly? someone on here may be able to recommend somewhere local

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi Jules *waves*

 

This is the Stalosan F powder.....known as "pink fairy dust" in our house Weighs a tonne so is quite costly, but lasts well.

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Stalosan_F_Disinfectant.html

 

You can email/ring the Aubiose people & find out who sells it near you, which would cut the cost considerably as it's a 20kg bale & would cost a fortune in postage!! I think I pay just under £9 a bale.

http://www.aubiose.co.uk/contact.php

 

Hemcore is another variation on Aubiose here's there contact details http://www.hemcore.co.uk/distributors.php

 

I've just dug out my Pekin run so I can pave it etc..not a pleasant experience, especially as it was raining at the time most of it was ok, just the strip around the edge stank to high heaven

 

Sha x

[Discofairy]

I'm in Bristol. There's a horsey shop that I called before so will contact them again. Are they likely to see Stalosan too?

 

Bit concerned about the trenchfoot comment - EEEEEEEK!

 

Won't the shower curtain look a bit pants over the top of the run We've got a basic omlet run. Does it need to be completely covered? Or could I get another shade? So vain!!!!!!!!

 

J x x x

[Discofairy]

Oooooooooooooooos Sha I can imagine. Yuk!

 

 

I'm in Bristol. There's a horsey shop that I called before so will contact them again. Are they likely to do Stalosan too?

 

Bit concerned about the trenchfoot comment - EEEEEEEK!

 

Won't the shower curtain look a bit pants over the top of the run?!? We've got a basic omlet run. Does it need to be completely covered? Or could I get another shade? So vain!!!!!!!!

 

J x x x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I used two corrugated plastic sheets (about £6 each) and don't think they look toooo bad . You can take them off in the good weather (if we ever get any ).

 

[Discofairy]

OOOh that looks fancy I'm actually rather surprised at how nice it looks Thank you for posting x

[Discofairy]

Is it paved too? And have you got bits up the side?

[Discofairy]

And how do you keep your grass so....GRASS LIKE?? (outside of the run!)

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thank you! It's only paved up one side and the eglu sat on slabs too. I had tiny broken bits of slab for the other side to sit on. The "grass" was mainly weeds .

 

That's all history now though, as I have a walk in run . They don't get on my new lawn at all now .

[Discofairy]

Ooh very posh indeed!

[Discofairy]

Hi All,

 

Well, I have stalosan, aubiose and am about to pop to B&Q to get the paving and fencing!

 

Few quick questions...

 

- does the plastic corregated sheeting have to cover the entire run down each side in order to keep the aubiose dry?

 

- was thinking of putting sunshade back on somehow so its not too hot in summer?!?

 

- the whole site will be paved (so the run and eglu will sit on slabs) but do we need to put anything up the sides (like planks?or the plastic?) to keep the aubiose inside the run so they don't kick it all out?

 

- how much stalosan do we put down and does this go on top or underneath the aubiose?

 

Thanks for any tips/advice and wish us luck in the digging out of gross poop/woodchip/mud in the rain!!!!!

 

Jules x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

- does the plastic corregated sheeting have to cover the entire run down each side in order to keep the aubiose dry?

Mine wasn't and we had the occasional drips but nothing more.

- was thinking of putting sunshade back on somehow so its not too hot in summer?!?

I put that on as and when we needed it (not often last year )

 

- the whole site will be paved (so the run and eglu will sit on slabs) but do we need to put anything up the sides (like planks?or the plastic?) to keep the aubiose inside the run so they don't kick it all out?

Yes, definitely . You'll end up with no bedding in the run .

 

- how much stalosan do we put down and does this go on top or underneath the aubiose?

I sprinkle it around very generously (so the whole area is covered in a light dusting of pink!). If you're doing a clean out, you can put the Stalosan under the bedding but there's no harm putting it on top (although I'm not sure I like them pecking about on pure Stalosan ).

 

Thanks for any tips/advice and wish us luck in the digging out of gross poop/woodchip/mud in the rain!!!!!

Good luck .

 

Jules x