Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Stella14]

Those who have a perminantly placed run, what kind of surface do you have? I currantly have my hens on concrete (back yard). However, when I move (fingers crossed), I will have a garden (yay!), and I'm wondering if I can let them have the ground with wood chips on. If anyone uses the ground, do you need to dig it out periodically to keep it clean?

[quickcluck]

Ours are on the earth.

 

We cover it occasionally with a bale of eazibed or aubiose, they kick it about themselves to spread it, keeps them occupied!!!

 

We do dig it over everynow and then to turn the soil and we treat it with stalosan frequently.

 

I do provide a dust bath, but they prefer to dig a massive hole themselves...

 

If you do put them on earth, may sure that your run is properly secured and dug into the ground and paved as foxy loxy will dig a tunnel in the night

[heth1986]

Ah, you beat me to it!

 

Mine are currently on a 'was grass, now dirt' surface, it's fine for the summer but gets a bit slippy in the winter.

 

Are you planning on covering your run or having it open? This where my question came in, I'm thinking of putting lots of wood chips down (OH is a joiner and we have a friend who is a tree surgeon so lots going spare!). The only thing is, every post I read about it seems to be refering to a covered run

[Stella14]

Thanks.

 

We're thinking of using an Omlet run (with extensions), with there plastic top covers to give it some protection from the weather. The advantage there is that the covers can be removed when required.