Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[migsy]

I am about to get an Eglu Go and was wondering if it is possible to line the dropping tray with newspaper to make for easy cleaning? What do other people do to clean the dropping tray and do you put anything in it? Thanks for any tips!

[Olly]

Yes, you can line it with newspaper, but bear in mind that once it gets wet it will smell, so I'd only do that if you're changing it every day. I put sawdust or aubiose, or sometimes shredded paper in my Eglu tray as it is just enough to stop the poo sticking to the plastic, and then it's easy to hose out. I only empty mine every few days.

[figarogir1]

I started off lining mine with news paper but it was more trouble than it was worth I dont line it now and just empty it and hose it down every morning (takes less than a minute). When we went away and my mother in law was looking after the girls I lined the trays with bokashi - to keep the smell down and she only had to change it every few days.

[ubereglu]

I line my eglu droppings tray with newspaper and replace it every day-it helps get the moisture balance in the compost heap too and rots down nicely.

[migsy]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

[migsy]

I lined the droppings tray with newspaper (2 sheet thick) last night and it was a breeze to empty it this morning - pristine underneath! Result.

[The Dogmother]

You may find that the newspaper gets a bit soggy in damp weather; it 'wicks' wetness towards it and gets quite damp.

[staceychristie]

We use a few sheets of newspaper too. Gives the girls something to read while they go to the loo. (although I did find one of them looking at farm houses)

I've also taken to removing the roosting bars of my cube and putting paper over the gap between the two trays, as the girls seem to aim for this gap.

Easy to lift out, even after 2 or 3 days

Stacey

[Lewis]

I personally don't bother with paper in the Go, I don't use the roosting bars (used for the ducks), just fill the tray with aubiose or wood shavings.

 

You can just pull the tray out and brush it into a compost heap, and wash it properly every few weeks.

[Plum]

We use a few sheets of newspaper too. Gives the girls something to read while they go to the loo. (although I did find one of them looking at farm houses)

I've also taken to removing the roosting bars of my cube and putting paper over the gap between the two trays, as the girls seem to aim for this gap.

Easy to lift out, even after 2 or 3 days

Stacey

 

What a good idea, mine always hit the gap

[docsquid]

I put hemcore in the droppings trays (and the nest box and the run too). The poo dries out and is easy to pick every day, and when I wash it all out, you just tip the hemcore and poo onto the compost heap. It also makes the nest box easy to clean if they roost there (which they do quite often, silly girls!).

 

They also have bokashi bran in their food, and that cuts down the bulk of the poo too.

[migsy]

My amber star roosts in the nest box - she likes to be all cosy! Does bokoshi bran make the poo smaller or more solid? My speckledy has quite runny droppings but I've only had her just over a week so maybe it is just the move.

[docsquid]

My amber star roosts in the nest box - she likes to be all cosy! Does bokoshi bran make the poo smaller or more solid? My speckledy has quite runny droppings but I've only had her just over a week so maybe it is just the move.

 

Bokashi bran seems to make poo smaller and less runny, at least with my chickens. Combined with the absorbtive power of Hemcore, it makes poo picking a doddle - just small lumps of dry stuff to pick out of the poo trays.

[Chucky Mama]

This is what I do:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64223&p=945729#p945729

[migsy]

Sounds good!

[Purplemaniacs]

I used to put a layer of newspaper in the poo tray in the eglu but now I just put a sprinkling of Easibed similar to Hemcore, its just as easy to clean without the newspaper and saves a job giving more chicken watching time

 

Chrissie

[Ailie]

I have a Go and it's really easy to clean out. I pop some sawdust in the tray and when it's pooed all over, I slide the whole lot off and into the compost bin to rot down. It's going to make smashing compost!