HarrisonFamily Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Several Questions.....for a new chicken keeper One month ago we got the Go and run.......the girls really looked like they needed more room so we ... have just about built our WIR from Bay Animal...(I think it was 15ft x 6ft...covered with kick boards...)....it is on bare soil at present. Our chickens cannot free range as I am convinced our dog would eat them..(he has fed himself several times from the wildlife in the woods at the end of the garden !!). I was planning on putting Auboise down. Do I need to do it straight away ?? Any idea how many bags I would need ? Is it a case of lay it down once and clear up messy bits and leave the majority...I never realised how expensive chickens could be .... Also can anyone recommend a stockist in the Medway \ Maidstone area of Kent. I need the bedding, worming stuff and food and I do love going shopping rather than buying on the internet...Do you think I could take the chickens around Blue Water ???? Also just in case I need it one day a good vet with chicken knowledge ???? I have read that Flubenvet is the recommended wormer....is that right....do I have to treat the soil with anything ??? I have read so many things from the forum but now got myself very confused... Thank you for any help and sorry for so many questions on a Sunday morning ???? (Also just to let any other GO owners know my chickens will not eat out the GO feeder if the lid is on...they just refuse and then go crazy next time you walk by as they are so hungry....I have left them all day and refused to eat until the lid was removed..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi-Hi Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Morning! The only question I can answer is that Flubenvet is definately the best! I don't think you need to 'treat' as such the ground, but a sprinkle of Stalosan F or something similar is good to disinfect the soil. (I think...) There are fantastically knowledgeable people on this forum, and I have no doubt they will answer all your questions! Good luck with all your 'stuff'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zakjon-98 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 With the Go feeder my chickens refused to eat from it aswell, but I filled it till it was full so they could see the food and they have ate from it since. You could also put treats in there to tempt them and at first I think I put the feeder to low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 I have aubiose in my run, but it is down on top of bricks/slabs.... I think it could be quite difficult to deal with on top of soil, because I imagine the girls will just dig through it to the ground below, and mix it all up ...but no doubt someone with more knowledge than me will be along shortly.. I use stalosan F when I clean out the run (I only have two girls so only need cleaning out once every six weeks or so , and mix Flubenvet in their food about once every four months or so.. YOu have a lovely sized WIR, I'm very Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poached Egg Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) We use Broadfeed,Tonbridge wells(www.broadfeed.co.uk)for Aubiose and they usually have the other items you may need.You would probably need 2/3 bags. I agree with sadietoo that putting Aubiose direct on to soil may get a bit messy as Aubiose will absorb the moisture from the soil. I think others with a similar setup to you have used woodchip. Edited May 8, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna C Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Mine won't use grub from the go either,I tried filling it full but have only got two and seemed to waste a lot. I use an old marg pot, as wir is covered it stays dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henchanted Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Good morning love the sound of your run. You will no doubt be a risk of more-hens disease but at least you will have the space Re the feeders, don't worry too much they will work it out and settle. I have 4 hens in a classic with the classic feeders and mine had trouble at first . I have added 2 ikea pots which I hang like the other feeders so they have one each and it now works well. They wouldn't eat the organic pellets so I bought the feed they were used to and mixed it. I would suggest keeping treats to a minimum while they are adjusting as their digestive system can easily get overwhelmed initially. Grit is a must and I heartiily recommend bokashi bran added to the feed which is good bacteria for the gut. Good treats are short grass cuttings, spinach, cabbage (any greens), dried mealworms and corn. I buy Aubiose on=line from G J W TITMUSS LTD for about £9 and its delivered free if you buy a 12 bag of certain dog food, might be worth a look if your doggie eats this too. I have about half the size floor space to you and have not yet finished my first bag of Aubiose which I use in the coop mixed with a bit of bokashi bran (good bacteria) and DE (diatomous earth powder- mite killer). In the run which is protected from rain usually I mix it with kids play sand and hardwood bark chippings, bokashi bran and DE. It is probable best to cover the floor with perhaps half a bag and pick out the clumps (as with cat litter) and top up as necessary. Change the whole lot in 3 months or so depending on how its doing. Hope this helps, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 When I had my WIR I had auboise down with soil underneath but I also had wire mesh on the ground. When covered the run gets very dry so the ground becomes solid under the mesh. If you like going shopping look for equine suppliers in your area as they usually stock stuff like Auboise/Easy Bed/Rapport and other chicken related products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 I use bedmax straight onto soil in my WIRs and hardly ever see the earth. However in my new WIR I am going to use woodchip (not bark) as I use this in the Go run and it is brilliant on bare earth - never looks dirty and I keep it dry with corrugated plastic over the run I use the go feeder without the lid, flubenvet to worm. Your dog will not eat your chickens - one good peck will be enough to teach him they mean business. I have 2 border terriers that freerange with my girls (and boys), Ted thinks he is a chicken and lines up for treats He even herds the growers (10 week old cockerels) along by their bottoms which they don't seem to mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 .............. Your dog will not eat your chickens - one good peck will be enough to teach him they mean business...... Your dogs and poultry sound lovely, but some dogs definitely will attack chickens, so I'd suggest that Harrisonfamily go by instinct and never trust their dog with the hens. Ted sounds adorable, and other dogs may be fine too, but certainly not all dogs, I wouldn't risk it if I felt unsure. The large run sounds great, they'll be happy and safe in there. Whether or not to use Aubiose depends on whether it is roofed to be dry or not. Hope it goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Dogs can be trained to get along with chickens as mine were, it is not difficult just takes some time and patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 My dogs were trained to be around my chickens and were fine with them but one of my dogs still killed a chicken when my back was turned. They can never be trusted 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlegs Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Hi, I have a WIR run about your size, also on mud but with slabs around the edge to stop foxes digging their way in, as for the run floor I use soft woodchip (2 bags) from B&Q which I replace two or three times per year, when replacing I treat the soil to a dressing of garden lime to sweeten the soil and while the woodchip is in place I sprinkle bio dri every couple of weeks and give it a good rake, I don't ever poo pick the run, it just dries and disappears. Aubiose I use only for nest area and sprinkled in poo tray, with a little added Red mite powder cause I love the smell and a good dusting of diatom Regards Theresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisonFamily Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Thank you for all the replies, the run will be covered so I think I will try auboise if I only need a bag or 2 thats not so bad. With regards to the dog, he has been trained but he definately has a natural killer instinct and I saw the speed he killed a pheasant...so free ranging is not a good idea...he is very good at chasing the foxes away.... Now I just need to decide what perches etc should go in the WIR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaspersmum Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Hi HarrisonFamily - brand new to the forum but have been keeping chickens in Medway for a few years now. We go to Charity Farm Countrystore in Cranbrook for all our chook supplies; they usually have Aubiose or a range of alternatives available and we find them great value for food, corn and healthcare bits too. A bit of a trek for us from but we go once every 3 months or so and fill the car til it's bursting. Our run is also on a paving slab base which keeps the bedding fairly clean and dry so it lasts us a while. In terms of vets we go and see Kate the poultry specialist at the Sandhole practice in Snodland - all the staff/vets are very helpful and knowledgable and they don't treat you like a loon when you get upset about a poorly pet chicken! We've been so impressed with them that we've now registered all our cats there too. Happy chook keeping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my lil farm Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Hi there are a few stockists of poultry stuff not too sure exactly what they do do "chalk road in higham not too sure of the name ,5-6 Lake Road,AYLESFORD, ME20 7TQ there is also a farm shop on stoke road hoo and he does loads of animal feeds ect these may be worth a go there are quite a few may be worth trawling the net under poultry breeders these very often have links hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I've managed to locate some local stockists of some of the bedding/products etc by google-ing .co.uk - the manufacturer/main supplier usually has a search facility for you to input your post code and/or google will come up with lots of shops (high street/internet) for shopping around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
