Chicken bald back

[Tom1994]

So, i have now decided on what breed of chicken i will be getting, ive decided on the Gingernut Ranger and i shall be picking them up on Saturday form Durham Hens. They come in 16 and 20 weeks old so i'm still debating what age as i don't know when they start to lay.

 

I also am expecting my Eglu Go to be delivered on Thursday so i will be getting that ready when it arrives.

Would 3 be suited to just the standard run while i'm at work, unless i could just let them out to have free range of the garden all day and shut them in at dusk? I live in a terrace house surrounded by 7ft wall so would foxes and cats be a problem at all as i have heard foxes are bold as brass and will still wander during the day! Also i would like to ask what to have on the floor of the run (as grass isn't available) would bark be the best choice, if so how often should i change the bark?

 

I'm sorry for such a long read, or if this has previously been discussed (couldn't find it on the forum) you where all just so helpful last time!

 

Many Thanks!

[Purplemaniacs]

I don't think it matters which age you go for, if you go for the older ones you may only have a little time to wait for eggs.

The younger ones may need feeding growers pellets rather than layers pellets as they are still quite young.

 

Enjoy choosing your chooks.

 

One of my original Omlet girls was a Gingernut Ranger who we called Henny Penny, she was lovely, very friendly. I always say that she taught me all about keeping chickens

 

Chrissie

 

[gavclojak]

I think three girls would fit nicely.

I wouldn't let them free-range without supervision, I have seen foxes scale our next door's six foot fence like it wasn't even there and we live in a mid-terraced house...I have a secure 32 square foot enclosure but I am still putting up fence top electric fencing, I found the perfect one for about £130. foxes are as agile as cats but with the size and power of a medium size dog...

 

I poop pick daily and rake over the woodchip daily, find yourself a gardener who will supply you with chipped trees free of charge, they are usually happy to get rid of it!!

 

once a week I give it a light sprinkle of ground sanitizer. during the summer I do it every few days too...

every three months or so depending on how mucky it gets I replace the lot....give the clear ground a little rake over and an overnight dose of netex...then the next morning put the fresh stuff down

Edited October 29, 2013 by Guest

[Chortle Chook]

If you've got a tree surgeon in your area, give him a call (especially after this storm) and he might supply you with some free hard wood chips. They last better than bark which can get a fungus that produces spores that are not soo good for a chicken's breathing.

[Tom1994]

Brilliant! Thank you all for your replies! I just feel a little bad leaving them in the run all day until i get home!

Yes i have heard about the bark being bad for chickens if it gets mouldy so i guess thats a no go. I have read somewhere on this forum that some people use sand/sharp sand in the run as it is easier to clean. If you can use sand that would be brilliant as i only live a stones throw away from the beach. That way i can have flag stones 6ich below the run and have i thick layer of sand. Plus its limitless!

Or would this be somehow bad for the hens?

 

Tom

[PoachedPlease]

Hmm I buy sharp sand from the DIY stores then I can be sure what's in it. :vom. Not convinced just digging up beach sand is a good idea, you don't know what animals have peed in it! Besides you will need a lot more than you think. I get through bags of it as the chickens eat, dust bath and generally throw it around!

 

DIY sand is quite cheap at less than £2 a bag, and that weighs a lot.

[Tom1994]

like sharp sand?

how often would i need to change all of the sand as i understand you can poop pick and then rake it back over rather than change the full lot!

[PoachedPlease]

The secret to sand is that either...

 

1)its outside and gets wet from rain so washes the poop through into the soil below (thats what i do so i only need to poo pick) and over time the sand itself sinks into the soil and you top up with fresh sand.

 

2) or the above but put a weed membrane between soil and sand so you don't lose so much sand, but it has to be deep as the birds dig deep holes to sand bathe

 

3)or you have a non drain base such as concrete but then you mustn't get the sand wet, or the wet poop will just sit on the concrete and stink to high heaven.

 

You said that you only have concrete in your garden so I don't think sand will work.

 

Someone else might have a different sand story...

[Tom1994]

well its not concrete as such where i will be placing the run, there is a think layer of stones then like black felt and then sand...?

so really if i dig 1ft straight down there will be sand, so could i just take the stones out and replace with sand?

[Chortle Chook]

From what PoachedPlease says, that sounds as if it would be OK - basically you need to make it so that it can drain right down and out Regular poo picking would still, I think, be a good idea (think cat litter tray )

[PoachedPlease]

Yes a foot deep of sand sounds excellent. could I also suggest putting some logs or similar in and outside the run so the chickens can perch? I think when the sand gets wet or the concrete and sand gets hot they like to give their feet a rest as my girls spend the majority of their time perching in their run, which is a mixture of concrete and sand.

 

I think concrete and sand is excellent as its easy to keep clean, and my girls haven't had any lice/ mite etc so far which I wonder might be because there is no wood chipings etc for the mite to hide in or be brought in. But the downsde for you as you don't have grass to FR is that you would have to get them some greenery every now and then I think (cabbage etc?)

 

Let us know how it goes !

Xx

[Redwing]

Sand is ok (not builders sand for anyone else reading!) it needs to be free flowing like kiln dried sand

 

Many breeders use it in runs

 

Don't make it too deep as you will reduce head height in the run if you are setting it on deep sand the hens will dig and the run will end up crooked! Also if too deep something could easily dig in to the run

 

Personally I wouldn't have three hybrids in an eglu run but plenty of people do