Brea Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hi Everyone I have two chickens which I’ve had for about five months now. They have a covered run with a concrete base which I normally fill with the Aubiose sold here at Omlet. I use wood chippings in their coop, which I clean out every day. What I’ve also been doing is cleaning out the run every single day ie picking up after them etc. This tends to create a fair amount of waste which I can no longer put into the compost (because it’s full to bursting) so it means I have to throw out around 2-3 carry bags of bedding etc every week. After a couple of weeks of the bedding being in the run, it becomes increasingly difficult to pick up after them because basically they’ve kind of walked on it, scratched it about etc so it kind of takes on a life of it’s own. Curiously, it doesn’t have any odour at all but it means I have to keep replacing it every month which means I’m getting through a lot of aubiose! My question is this: do I have to replace it every month or am I being overly clean about this whole thing? Would every 6-8 weeks be better? It’s creating so much waste and sheer hard work – am I creating work for myself when there is no need? Any advice would be very gratefully received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfin Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Firstly welcome to the forum Brea. You don't say how big your run is. My run is about 18 square metres covered on a soil base. I use Rapport both in the run and in the coop. Rapport is similar to aubiose but cheaper (I like the smell BTW when it is fresh out of the bale). My run uses 2 to 3 bales. My run is a little overdue for ground cover replacement as I have been poorly recently but I must confess that it hasn't been changed since I set up the run in March of this year. I have 8 chickens in this run. To be honest there is very very little odour from the bedding even after all of this time. I do feed my birds bokashi and regularily pick up any obvious poop piles. My initial plan was to replace the Rapport after 3 months, but to be honest the main reason for me wanting to replace it now is mainly cosmetic as the soil does mix with the straw to give it a dirty look. I am sure that some people will consider my view to be wrong, even maybe accusing me of being cruel to my birds. I assure you that they are all happy and very healthy. So in conclusion, yes I think that you do not need to change the straw every month. May I suggest that you get another or larger compost bin. You will need it. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brea Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hi Ian, Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. My run, with two chickens, is nearly 9/10 feet in length and three feet in width. As I say, I've been picking up after them and then removing the entire "litter", washing/cleaning the floor etc and then replacing more material. I suspect perhaps I am being a little over the top with the cleaning. My garden isn't large enough for another compost bin unfortunately and I've already been trying to think of lots of ways of using the bedding from digging it in (which the fox enjoyed laying around in) to burning it! It's amazing just how much waste two chickens will supply! I've not heard of Rapport but I will investigate and see if perhaps that might be a better and cheaper solution. Thank you again for replying and hope you feel well soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 If it doesn't smell, I wouldn't worry about changing it so often. I couldn't honestly tell you the last time I dug my run out although I know it was some time earlier this year. Mine are on soil rather than slabs, which may make a difference. Can you offer it to local allotment holders for their composting, or even put it on Freecycle? Other forum members have done that and found they were overwhelmed with requests - it's a great 'starter' for compost heaps, and rots down really quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanTheDiver Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 My excess goes to a friend and a local Horticultural Society - they both bite my hand off for it and ring up often to see if I have any! Don't let it go to waste as it is really good for the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brea Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Thanks everyone for your replies! Freecycle is a great idea - think I might try that one. I live in East London and we don't have too many allotments within walking distance, but I know there are some a few miles away. I will certainly look into that one! I can't wait to see what the contents of my compost bin will look like in the spring time - I'm hoping for some really good compost! My husband will certainly be pleased with it at any rate - saves him having to lug bags of compost home. In the meantime, I will be a little more relaxed about the cleaning with regards to the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
