Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[knittingmama]

Have been convinced by the nice lady at my local supply shop to give Easibed a go for our small run. Wondering if anyone has any experience of using it in uncovered areas?

 

We have an Eglu Go (no extension) set in a border about 1.5m x 5m. The border is fenced off with moveable netting, so the girls spend most of the day going in and out of the run and poking around the border. I plonked the Eglu there on top of soil and some (existing) bark chip, but only a month and a half later it's a mud pit and I can only see it getting worse with the winter. Would let them have the run of the garden all day but it's not very practical with kids and dogs running about...

 

Plan on putting down heavy-duty woven weedproof fabric in the entire border area, with some chicken wire on top of the fabric to stop the soil getting churned up, then a layer of Easibed on top. Unfortunately the only cover we have for the area is the tarp on the end of the run that Omlet provides, and one of the big plastic PVC covers that I pop on when it rains.

 

So... wondering how the Easibed will hold up, especially outside of the run. I'd imagine inside the run it will be ok if I keep the plastic cover on for the winter. But of course the elements will get in anyway, and the girls like to hang out outside the run.

 

Thanks!

[Chickabee]

Read your other post too. Hello again. I would only use easibed under cover. I used to use it for my horse. It's great because it wicks away moisture, but I think outside it might just get full of water

[jacquiefrost]

I am very new to keeping chickens so can only says what i am doing at the moment, this will probably change with experience!

I have just put rapport in my run, which i think might be similar to easibed. I have a tarp over the top of the run and three sides are protected by fencing and the coop so hoping it stays fairly dry this winter. Not havd hardly any rain to can't say yet if good idea but it is now much easier to clean out as the poop doesn't get trodden in nearly as much. Only time will tell. I only had the run on soil for the first 3 weeks and soon realised how much of a pain it is trying to scoop poop from soil when it is trodden in.

 

I have been using stalosan f on the run floor, it says it absords moisture and works as a sanitiser etc. Smells ok, better than poop! again only been using it for 2 weeks so time will tell.

[Chickabee]

Have you read the thread about keeping them on sand. I thought that was ver interesting. Sounds like a good idea to me

[sjp]

I use a bedding that is more or less the same as easibed in all of my runs all are roofed but they still get wet but with the exception of 2 runs which are slabed and don't drain very well which is a work in progress to fix all the other runs dry out really well 2 slabed 2 soil one of which has wooden deck tiles over the soil the other has core gravel grid over the soil