Poo help please!

[nin-chicken]

Well I finally picked up my 2nd hand cube today (yay!) And the lady I bought it from had co"Ooops, word censored!" sand on the floor of her walk in run and she said the girls LOVED it and she found it better than wood chippings. She said river sand is the best if you can get hold of it, it has bits of grit in it too. I've googled it and found lots of recommendations but can't remember reading anything on this forum so wondered if any of you knowledgeable ladies have heard anything or used it yourselves. It sounds as if it is cheaper, easier to clean and loved by chickens, so what is the catch?!

Thanks

[Patricia W]

Won't it be soggy when wet, and be heavy when cleaning out? Or is the run covered? Also, how does it deal with the poo. I'm a fan of aubiose so can't see the benefit of sand.

[nin-chicken]

This is one of the sites which sings the praises of sand

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/using-sand-in-your-chicken-coop

But there are also people on uk sites such as thepoultrykeeper.co.uk and the omlet forum who use it and love it. It is cheap, drains well, is easy to 'poo pick' and keeps the chickens feet nice and soft!

Alice

[The Dogmother]

Unless you keep it dry and sanitise it weekly, I imagine that it will harbour bacteria and worm eggs

[nin-chicken]

People sprinkle stalistan on it weekly and use garden lime too I think. Why would it harbour bacteria & worms any more than other materials?

[The Dogmother]

Because it's not being cleared out periodically (from my understanding) and any dampness will encourage both of these.

 

I'll stick to Aubiose myself.

[nin-chicken]

Does aubiose only work in a covered run?

[The Dogmother]

Ideally your run should be completely or at least partially covered, a clear cover is best; chickens paddling around in wet conditions will be susceptible to fungal and bacterial foot problems, not to mention that the damp will be an ideal breeding ground for intestinal worm eggs and cocci bacteria.

[Patricia W]

I think covering the run is essential for the reasons DM gives, then choose your run material. A major advantage for me of aubiose is that it makes FANTASTIC garden compost afterwards and is so light and easy to remove when the time comes to change it.

[The Dogmother]

I agree regarding the ease of composting; when my composters are full, I bag up our chooks' manure and Aubiose and give it to friends who have an organic allotment. They say it produces the best compost they've ever had.

[nin-chicken]

I have a cube with run attached to a 4m x2m omlet walk in run. Would covers on the top keep the aubiose dry enough? And won't it be terribly expensive to cover an area that size? Do

You put it onto concrete slabs,or some kind of membrane?

Thanks

[The Dogmother]

You can base the run on bare earth or slabs, whatever you prefer, although slabs make it easier to clean. Just make sure to sprinkle with Ground Sanitising Powder weekly when you rake the litter over, and then sprinkle the base with some when you clear it all out every 6-8 weeks.

 

I have a glass clear market stall tarpaulin from Ebay over my run; it extends down the sides and keeps it dry and shelters it form the worst of the weather.

[Patricia W]

I've got a clear tarpaulin over my Omlet WIR. It covers the top and most of one side with a little over the other side and works a treat.

[nin-chicken]

How much aubiose will I need for a 2m x 4m walk in run, with a cube+run attached?

I've heard aubiose is quite light, will it blow about in the wind?!

[The Dogmother]

No, it doesn't blow about.

 

You'd probably be looking at 2 bales for that size.

[Patricia W]

My Omlet WIR plus cube and I metre run attachment takes one bale and a bit. I have 6 inch log roll around the outside to keep it in.

[nin-chicken]

That sounds fine. How often would I need to change it and is it better on concrete slabs or bare earth? I'm guessing it might get a but muddy on bare earth? Sorry for all the questions, you are very helpful!

[The Dogmother]

Mine was on plain earth for quite some time, with no problems at all, I slabbed under it when someone gave me some slabs; it's easier to clean out with slabs under the litter. Either way, so long as you sprinkle weekly and on cleaning out, with Ground Sanitising Powder or similar then it will be fine.

 

My run gets cleared out every 6-8 weeks depending on how much time they spend in the run and how manky it looks.

[Patricia W]

Mine is on bare earth and I treat it as DM says. The run is covered so it stays bone dry.