Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[Happily]

I have a cube and run. I poo pick in the cube daily. However should I do the same in the run? I am worried about the flies in this hot weather. Curently we have grass in the run, which I think will last a while as the pekins are only 12 weeks so not destroying it too rapidly at the mo. I am currently poo picking the run daily but it's quite difficult to get in and out of the run so wanted to check whether I need to do this. I have a fly trap up as well as I read about fly strike and it terrified me

[Guest]

Fly strike has terrified me as well even though I didn't have it last year because I only had 3 girls so not as much poo but poo pick the run as well.

Don't worry to much about the grass pekin's are reportedly not to destructive.

Mine are on wood chip and bark mix so they just scratch around.

[Happily]

Thanks, I will continue to poo pick but may have to invest in the bigger door to the run as we only have the original size door at the mo and it's hard work to get in and out - god knows what I look like doing it!!

[Plum]

Why not do the conversion. It is so easy to get in and out then.

 

Here was mine. Yeh I know the door should be on the end not the side but I needed the room.

 

[Happily]

Thanks Plum, I think that may just be the solution to my door problem.

[Bertrum]

Does anyone have any clever solutions for getting in to poo pick in a classic run? There is no way I'm crawling in!

[Mercedes55]

Does anyone have any clever solutions for getting in to poo pick in a classic run? There is no way I'm crawling in!

 

I have the same problem, I think I could get inside as I am small, but there is no way I am going to go crawling through chicken poo and all those flies.

 

I'm going to try and rake the run later on if I can get all the hens into the Eglu and then try and get some bits of poo out and put some Diatom down, not sure if that will help but it's supposed to be good for pretty much everything else

[honorandkit]

We put down woodchip in the run and then rake it out every week, before putting fresh chippings down.

As ours a FR for the majority of the day, there's not actually much poo in the run - and what there is seems dry and inoffensive

[Bertrum]

We have wood chip down and I must admit that when I raked it over after they went to bed last night, I could not actually see any poo anywhere. I assume it must have dried and got buried by the scratching about they did. I think we have just noticed the flies and got paranoid about poo because we are noticing everything because we are too sensitive. We need to relax.

 

I shall take a deep breath, then monitor the situation for bit.

 

Then get one of those SOCO suits to crawl around the run in

[Mercedes55]

We have wood chip down and I must admit that when I raked it over after they went to bed last night, I could not actually see any poo anywhere. I assume it must have dried and got buried by the scratching about they did. I think we have just noticed the flies and got paranoid about poo because we are noticing everything because we are too sensitive. We need to relax.

 

I shall take a deep breath, then monitor the situation for bit.

 

Then get one of those SOCO suits to crawl around the run in

 

Funny you should mention those SOCO suits, you can buy all that kind of thing on FlytesoFancy

 

I'm getting fly paranoia now after reading about flystrike, I have never even heard of that before and I'm worried one of mine might get that. I am going to get my OH to help me put some Diatom all over the hens tonight and then rake the run out. I can't actually see any poo in my run either and some of the flies are outside on the wood chips ouytside the run where the chickens haven't even been, so possibly there is something in the actual wood chips that is attracting them too I bought the softwood chips from B&Q as I couldn't get the hardwood ones anywhere, perhaps they aren't the best thing to use

[Bertrum]

Going a bit off topic here is suppose, but we got our wood chippings from the local Forestry Commission place. Much cheaper than B&Q and a mix of woods in there. My carpenter Dad would call it all soft wood as well, but it is much tighter grained than the stuff they sell as softwood chips in garden centres and the like.

 

I have just this moment come back in from chasing a van down the road. It was a tree felling bloke just finishing a job, he had loads of chippings. I didn't catch his van, but I did get his number. I'm going to try him as well, just give him half an hour to get home

[Happily]

I raked my run the other night which seemed pretty effective and didn't require me crawling commando stylie!! We have a red top fly trap which seems to be working as I am terrified after reading about flystrike - although I think in general I need to calm down and stop worrying so much!

 

Have been looking at walk in runs to make my life easier but need to save my pennies first so will continue with the raking and have ordered some essential oils (citronella, eucalyptus and lavender) to mix with water and spray in the run so it will smell nice even if it doesn't deter the flies

 

I though about borrowing my 3 year old nephew and training him to poo pick as a new 'game' but think that may be classed as child slavery!!