Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[mrswalton]

Hello!

 

I've just adopted 3 ex battery chickens who I'm keeping in an Eglu Classic. My plan was to just have it on my lawn and move it around but I hadn't anicipated how messy chickens are! They poo soo much .They will be free ranging whenever I'm at home - probably about 70% of the time, but will inevatably spend some time confined to the run.

 

I'm now considering having a designated area for the chicks and was wondering if anyone had followed Omlet's guide to creating a wood-chipped area? My garden is not big so I would stick to the dimensions they give - 4m x 1.8m

 

Would anyone recommend this?

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Zoe

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum, Zoe . I'm sure there are a few "Omlet" setups - I'll have a look for you . You'll find loads of people use horse bedding like Hemcore, Easibed or Aubiose to name a few - they are brilliant at absorbing the copious amounts of poo and compost really well too. You do need to keep the run covered though as they are really absorbant.

 

I'll get back to you if I find those setups!

 

Not been successful, I'm afraid - not easy to search for!

 

BUT, there is another option. If you put something along the outside edges of your run it stops the bedding being kicked out and you can just leave the outside area as soil or whatever. Are they confined within a certain area for freeranging?

 

This is the setup I used to have (I used old rotary clothes drier covers).

[migsy]

I had my Go on a woodchip base. You need to use hardwood chips as they don't go to mush. It worked well but I have now built a walk in run which I am going to cover. The other alternative, and probably cheaper, would be to cover the run with something waterproof and put it on a base of auboise. There is a thread here viewtopic.php?f=4&t=34765

[Bertrum]

Here is our set-up based on the 'Omlet' idea.

 

There is a concrete slab deep under the woodchip (and a covering of earth). We have had two hens on there for two weeks now and no issues with poo on the woodchip. We rake it smooth again each night when they go to bed and the poo seems to just 'blend in'.

We have not gone for the full Omlet size, our edging joins onto the place where the run and Eglu meet, with the Eglu outside the chip area, if you follow me. It certainly works for us, and still looks that pretty!

 

And, added interest, some pics of the hens in it:

[Bertrum]

Forgot to say, we got the wood chips from the local Forestry Commission. Take as much as we want for a donation of what ever we think it is worth. We have it very deep, a good 4 to 5 inches. That helps with drainage and is probably why the poo seems to vanish.

[mrswalton]

Thanks so much for the advice. Bertrum and Ain't "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here, your set-ups look great!

 

My brother in law is a forester so I'm sure he'd let me have a supply of chippings, only problem is he lives in the lakes.

 

Migsy, I see you're in Manchester - me too Where do you get your chips from?

 

I've just found my 3 new girls having a dust bath in a newly-dug patch of earth. They looked so happy, bald as coots the 3 of them and rolling and kicking and clucking contentedly!

 

zoe