Solitary chicken - need advice

[chateau eglu]

Hello all, I have my eglu on top of concrete slabs as it's not possible to move it around my garden. I remove the wood chippings twice a week and give the slabs a good clean at the week end. Has anyone got any tips they can offer that might make this job a little easier? At the moment I use a broom to drag the wood chips to the end of the run and then use a dust pan and brush to remove it. (I have to say that's the only downside to my eglu, it would be a lot easier if there was another opening at the other end of the run as well.) I have tried to struggle through the eglu it self to grab some of the wood chip that way but it's so awkward. At this rate I will end up like Quasimodo! I'm wondering if I should have invested in a Cube instead.

 

Any advice would be most welcome.

[kissinuk]

I have the run extension and built a new door in the side, there's pics on here somewhere, will post them later. It has made cleaning much much easier.

[Guest]

You seem to be making a meal out of this! Why are you emptying it all twice a week? that seems excessive! I use Aubiose/hemcore/whatever-I-can-get....in the run and top it up and add stalosan now and then and change it all completely once a month or so (sometimes longer if it's dry and not smelly).

I also unpeg the run and move it and clean it all out and scrub it down etc - much easier than trying to reach inside and do it!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You really don't need to clean it out as often as that . No wonder you're looking for an easier solution .

 

When I had an eglu run, I would rake out any poos I could see (and reach!) but the rest got left for at least a month, more in the summer. Yours is on concrete so would take even longer to get yucky! You could also try different beddings to see which one suits you the best (I swear by Easibed!).

 

I did the same as Louisewomble and moved the whole eglu plus run to the side and raked everything up for the compost bin.

 

Stalosan F is a good thing to sprinkle down if you want to keep everything hygenic. There are other types too (it's a powdered disinfectant).

[Egluntyne]

I agree, no need to do it so often. I dismantle everything approximately every six weeks and scrub it thoroughly.

[One_Box]

I have recently bought an Eglu Go and specified an extra door for the run which I placed adjacent to the coop. This makes all the usual jobs like poo picking and cleaning the front of the coop so much easier.

 

I have my set up on about 100mm wood chippings which the girls love to dig in to get to the earth below. I hose it down once a week and apply Stalosan-F to keep it sweet smelling.

 

I will top up as necessary and remove it after about 6 months to treat the ground below.

[Duncan08]

I had a 4 m run on my And it was awful to get into.

Moved the existing door to the side and got an extra door panel so that there was two along one side. It was still a pain but it definitely helped.

I too just used to give the run a rake over each week, with a move and big clean probably six weeks or so.

Depended a lot on the weather.

[chateau eglu]

Hello everyone and thank you for your replies. I have taken all your suggestions on board, and will change my cleaning routine. I think I'm a bit paranoid about it being smelly, my garden isn't very long and the run is fairly close to the house. My neighbour is one of those who closes her bedroom curtains when we go into the garden, so I didn't want to give her any reason to complain. I will look at getting another opening, one certainly isn't enough.

 

Thanks again.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I poo pick daily and more so in the summer as despite any efforts flys are a problem for me . I find that he long handles hoes are excellent for getting to the rear of a run, also use long handled childs beach shovel.

That all said we are 6/8 through making a run for ther Eglu and I am going to use the Eglu run as a stand alone run for on the grass. (easy to move minus an Eglu )

I do also find that in the winter it does get smelly as it gets so wet..??? even fully covered runs as it drips or dribbles in.

[chateau eglu]

Hello Sandyhas3chucks, thank you for your good advice. I'm going to invest in a long handled rake and shovel, that will make life a lot easier. I know what you mean about the run getting smelly when wet, I think the run rain cover for the Go should go further down the sides of the run, as you say water can drip inside. Iv'e only had my 3 ex-batts for a month and I'm still learning. I didn't realise that the hens would have such different personalities, I have one who won't go back into the run, even if you try and bribe her with meal worms. One who jumps up and takes the bag of meal worms out of my hand (I've resorted to a plastic box!) and another who is fairly placid but who is also top of the pecking order. The thing that makes me smile is when they come running across the garden when I shake the box of meal worms and how they take themselves off to bed. One also looks through the patio window and has been known to tap the glass. I did find their behaviour difficult to watch in the begining, but I'm glad I persevered, things have settled down now.

[sandyhas3chucks]

It is a huge learning curve for sure have you got a dust bath in there for them and something to perch on? It will help keep them amused and stop popping at each other. I used a childs Gazebo over mine. gave more cover, also corrugated plastic sheets held on with bungees give good cover AND wind break, and therefor protection from driving rain and or snow.!!!

[kissinuk]

Here's a picture of the new door I mentioned, it doesn't sound like you've got the extension but if you do ever get one this did make cleaning much easier. I can now reach the entire run with a rake if I need to. I bought the door & pin from Omlet and cut the hole myself.