What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[CatieB]

Having tried very unsuccessfully to source wood chip near me I need something for the run of my cube as it was decimated and we are aboout to go on holiday. I wanted the girls to have something reasonable to scratch around in whilst they are cooped up.

 

I was offered the off cuttings of wood - mainly like saw dust and some bigger bits in it. So I've put it in the run and now have a couple of concerns. Its probably going to get water logged as we are forecast hideous weather and then my son said what if they eat it. So now i'm in mild panic - leave it or rake it out?

 

I have seen bark chips locally (which I could put on top of it) but think I've read somewhere that the girls shouldn't have it although now I've done some surfing other people on here seem to use it. My run is not covered but the standard cube run with the shade on top.

 

Please help already stressed enough that we are going camping and its forecast to rain rain rain!!!

[Patricia W]

Cover the run. Some people use shower curtains - Ikea do some. Or a tarpaulin from somewhere like Tarpaflex. A lot of us use Aubiose - from horse or feed shops. Other run coverings are Easibed or Hemcore. All these need keeping dry.

 

Tricia

[CatieB]

Hi thanks for the quick reply.

 

However its a quick solution that I need for the short term as we go tomorrow morning and live really rurally.... no such luck as an Ikea anywhere near us, and very limited shops.

 

My choices are leave it, rake out or cover with bark. Does anyone know if it can harm the girls - does bark?

Thanks

[Patricia W]

They won't eat it, and will like digging in it but if the run is uncovered, it's going to get very manky and smelly.

 

If there's a Homebase or B&Q near by, they have some clear plastic - or you could use an ordinary shower curtain if you've got one.

 

To be honest, I use the cube winter shade on one of my cube runs, and as it doesn't cover it completely, there's enough light. It's also under a tree so the Aubiose stays dry that way as well.

 

Tricia

[grb944]

My books say only to use hardwood woodchips..which I have seen for sale a B&Q called "terracotta chips"

 

I'm planning to but that and put it in my run..just got soil at the moment..but the will become mud soon !