Part 0800.0005

[katieD]

hi all

 

just wondered how you guys go about cleaning out your runs etc?

 

ive got a large WIR (see signiture below) and tend to bed on bedmax. i tend to poo pick once/twice at most a week and then every 6-8 weeks when it is completely dirty and ready for a change- take all the bedding out and give it a full clean with new bedding.

 

the run always looks nice for the first couple of weeks then goes downhill till i full clean- was thinking how i muck out my horses , by poo picking etc daily and adding clean clean bedding when its looking a big grubby.

 

i only tend to put down 2 bales of bedmax at each cleanout as i know the more i put down the more ive got to shift on the big cleans!! but im starting to think this is making it get dirty quicker and is a false economy?

 

the reason im looking for an easier cleaning method- i.e. avoiding big cleans is that im 5 months pregnant and know that soon its going to be too much to do big cleans etc.

[abwsco]

I use bedmax and we've only ever done two full clean outs. One reason is the time and another is getting rid of it! However, I do throw Stalosan F in regularly.

[Mercedes55]

I've also got a big WIR and my daily routine is that I go down the garden with a nice scented nappy sack

 

I do a dog poo pick up first and then I go into the WIR and do a daily pick up of any poo I can see. I then go and pull the trays out of the back of the Cube and pick any poo out of that too. By the end of the day when they go to bed the run has quite a lot of poos on it again, I guess they poo a lot. If I didn't do it every day I think I'd be having to replace all the rapport on the floor too

[katieD]

so do you recon if i poo pick all the visable dirty bits daily and then top up bedding with a new bale every fews weeks i will avoid doing massive clearouts?

[The Dogmother]

Not really, it is essential that the run is cleared down to the soil. The soil will need treating with Stalosan, BioDri or another powder disinfectant to zap the worm eggs and other bacteria before you lay new bedding.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Guest

[Roobaloo]

I have a bad back so can't do a lot of bending/digging/lifting....I use Easibed...I don't use a lot otherwise it'd be too difficult for me...they've got enough to scratch around in....every couple of days I pick out the worst of the poo...then once a fortnight I sweep out the whole thing (it's a WIR with a concrete base), disinfect and leave to air before putting more bedding down....

 

I've no idea if it's the right thing but it works for me!

[Jools]

There are different methods, so it's a case of picking the one that suits you at the time.

 

The "horse" method you describe would work perfectly well and is similar to the deep litter method that used to be popular (except that I'm pretty sure that farmers didn't poo pick lol!)

 

Or a lighter covering, poo picked every day or so, then swept out after a week or two and replaced would also work.

 

It's whatever you're able to cope with really.

[Egluntyne]

I put less down nowadays and clean it out more often. I have to treat my back with respect these days.

[pipistrelle]

I think my girls must be unusual, since putting down auboise I was all set to poo pick but I rarely see a decent poo sitting on the top, I think they must dry quicly and break down as my run floor looks like a dry crumble mix it doesn't smell and the girls look clean so I'm hoping this is ok, but I think I'll need to do a complete change more regularly than some who use auboise seem to do.

[The Dogmother]

It all depends on how long they are in the run for - mine are hardly in it at all in the summer as they mostly free range, so it's clean for longer and I never see any poos to pick off.

 

In the winter, they are in the run for the afternoon, so it gets dirty quicker (plus they track mud in) so I change the litter more often. I just shift the litter out and onto the compost heap, dig the soil over, sprinkle it with BioDry or Ground Sanitising Powder, then bung more Aubiose in.

[katieD]

maybe i should make myself a compost heap then to save having to bag it up and lug it down to the farm in my car??

 

silly q but do compost heaps smell?? dont want neighbours having a fit!

 

then i could use a wheelbarrow instead- much easier!!

 

what bedding rots down quickest and best etc?

 

thanks x

[scarlettohara]

I use bedmax and compost it and haven't noticed any smell. Try and put in a shady area where it won't attract flies (I made a big square compost bin with willow screening, it doesn't have a lid but I don't put any food waste on it

[The Dogmother]

The trick re smells is NOT to put any food stuff on it.