Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Jenny Smedley]

Hi , I'm using wood chippings on my run at the moment , which is not covered and so is exposed to the elements. Would either Hemcore /Auboise be suitable for an outside run or will it just go "mushy" in the rain ? I use shredded paper ( all our bills etc) in the nest box & trays , with a few drops of citronella oil sprinkled on it & I'm quite happy with that but would like something for the run - it looks like the Somme at the moment with all the rain we've been having . Any advice appreciated.

[Jenny Smedley]

Also , what is the difference betwenn Hemcore & Aubiose ? On looking at the various websites they seem pretty much the same ???

[BeckyBoo]

Hi I don't know the difference but I use Aubiose in our outside run. We started off with bark chippings which look a bit dirty, I put some Aubiose on top and the girls love it. They scratch around in it and it seems to keep drier than the bark. It's in the poo trays and the nesting box and it's lovely and soft!

 

Mrs B

[xScrunchee]

I think that the difference is that Hemcore has citronella in it to keep the flies away but other than that they are both the same.

(I hope I got that right!)

[Laura & CTB]

Hemcore is also slightly chunkier than Aubiose.

[Jules.]

Aubiose is French!

Forgot to say that I use it in the run & it is fine. It cost me £7.50 from a horsey supplier. I first tried to get it from the local Robinson's which is right by Haydock Park racecourse, but they don't sell horse bedding

I searched www.aubiose.co.uk found my local supplier by telephoning the company, which turned out to be less than 2 miles from my home

I was expecting to travel miles to get somw aubiose, but no

[Jenny Smedley]

Many thanks for the advice - will try to get some today before the girls get trench foot!

[Jane and Martin]

I think I might try some Hemcore outside- -if i can locate some. Will do an interweb search next for suppliers in North West. We have the eglu and run which has a cover over it, and then the girls have been given a failrly large area of the garden - protected by electric fencing to do their stuff in. Looks like a bit of a lunar landscape when dry and a mini version of the lake district at the moment with all this rain. They don't seem to care but with my OCD I would like it to look a littel tidier

[Olly]

I am another fan of aubiose/hemcore (they are very similar I believe). My Eglu run is partly covered, but even when it was open, the aubiose didn't seem to spoil in the rain - it gets trodden down a bit quicker if it's wet, but it still works just as well.

 

I can't recommend it highly enough, much prefer it to woodchips. It does get kicked out of the run, but so did the woodchip.

[hillfamily]

I'm thinking of swapping over to aubiose......would chose aubiose over hemcore purely because SPR sell aubiose and that's where I get all my feed from.

 

I currently use wood chip but have found it's getting very muddy and looks a bit dull and grotty.

 

I have one run that freerange all the time and one run that only come out occasionally.......how often do you find you have to change it

[Jenny Smedley]

Hi , I contacted gjwtitmus.co.uk & this is the reply I got :

 

From :

Sent : 29 June 2007 08:23:33

To :

Subject : RE: Hemcore & Aubiose

 

| | | Inbox

 

 

Hi

We sell both Aubiose & Hemcore.They are both from the hemp plant,but one is French and the other is English.

I think personally that both would turn to mush if outside for a while. A better product for your job would be Easibed which is basically small pieces of wood so it would not decompose so readily.You can find more details on their website and we can supply to you mail order if you cannot find a local distributor.

Regards

John Titmuss

 

 

Anyone tried Easibed ?

[The Pearsons]

I use hemcore in the run and it is fine. I do move my cube and run every week though.

 

I just put a huge heap of the hemcore into the rum and the hens push it where they want it. It gets trampled in a bit faster in the wet....

 

Helen in Hume

[KTee]

Hi , I contacted gjwtitmus.co.uk & this is the reply I got :

 

From :

Sent : 29 June 2007 08:23:33

To :

Subject : RE: Hemcore & Aubiose

 

| | | Inbox

 

 

Hi

We sell both Aubiose & Hemcore.They are both from the hemp plant,but one is French and the other is English.

I think personally that both would turn to mush if outside for a while. A better product for your job would be Easibed which is basically small pieces of wood so it would not decompose so readily.You can find more details on their website and we can supply to you mail order if you cannot find a local distributor.

Regards

John Titmuss

 

 

Anyone tried Easibed ?

 

I have just got a bale of Easibed which incidentally cost £8.70 I tried to get Hemcore or Aubiose but it wasn't available at our nearest horsey type supplier. I am holding off using it because I am going to relocate the Eglu out of it's larger run and onto a paved area which will then open into the run which I intend roofing. The weather has stopped all work at present.

I am not sure about the Easibed but the supplier assured us that he sells a lot of it to poultry keepers and they prefer it to Hemcore etc ( but then he doesn't stock Hemcore!) It -Easibed, looks very "woody" - like a mass of splinters and I have a slight worry about the girls choking on splinters but I suppose the 'proof of the pudding etc' applies, and obviously others do use it. Newby worries.

 

I will report back in a couple of days unless anyone else has experience of it already. Currently we have co"Ooops, word censored!" bark down and yes it does resemble the Somme.

[chickenlass]

I am susing wood chips and Laysoft equine bedding together... it is like wood chips and the chickens love scratting in it. It seems to work fine for me.

[Olly]

Anyone tried Easibed ?

 

Isn't this what Rhapsody uses, as she keeps horses? I'm sure I've seen her refer to this - try searching for it.

 

That said, I don't agree with what GW Titmuss said - aubiose doesn't turn to mush, not so far, anyway!

[Rhapsody]

Gosh you do pay attention dont you? I used to use Bedmax which I loved for my ponies but ran out as my ponies are on matting now (so use an entirely differnt stuff you wet down) sooooooo I decided to try Aubiose (which I dont like as a horse bedding so was not keen) and I must say used dry in the run/tray/nest its fab!

Easibed is a flakey bedding similar to Bedmax I'm sure so would work inside or out. around the eglu I use free woodchips from the local tree surgeons.

[Lovemychooks]

I am using Hemcore at the moment, both in the run and the house (sadly not an Eglu but hopefully an Eglu Cube at some point) and since i've been using Hemcore one of my chickens hasn't stopped sneezing. Has anyone else had this problem.

 

I'm going to change to Easibed because she didn't sneeze when I used that.