Chicken bald back

[wez]

After months of procrastinating both last winter and approaching this one, today I moved the shed (don't ask!) and relocated the Cube and run onto a large expanse of wasted patio and the girls are now pottering about on hardwood chips.

 

I was heartily sick of trying to extract poo from wet and longer than would like it to be grass, given' it's winter and you can't cut it, plus the fact that we've spent the last year moving the whole ensemble every week to pastures new to try and save the grass but I was very keen to try it static for a while and see how they get on. Given there were 4 or 5 possible patches to wear out the odds weren't good ... !

 

After an initial wary inspection from all around, they've now gone in and having a merry old time kicking the stuff everywhere and searching for goodies hidden beneath. It's a relief to know it's all staying put for the next few months at least, I'll see how we get on with the cleaning regime and whether it stays fresh enough for my OCD tendencies (again, don't ask!) but for now, I've just spent a happy half hour at the kitchen window watching them and imagining what a Walk In Run would look like in the space they're now occupying ... !!!

 

[mollyripkim]

Well done, don't think you will regret it, I started off the same as you but now have a walk in run with wood chip, as you say the girls love digging around in it and its easy to poo pick. It does get quite wet and mucky around the edges where the rain gets in but it does dry out if we get some warm weather and I sprinkle stalostan once a week to keep it smelling nice and it kills worm eggs as well.

[wez]

Thanks Mollyripkim ... bedtime was fun, as Dolly the silver partridge completely lost her bearings and whilst the other 4 went straight up she spent several confused minutes tearing round the garden squawking in confusion as to where everyone had gone and where her bed was! She'd only been in there half an hour previously scoffing pellets so obviously not the best memory!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out and I firmly believe that I'll be looking towards a walk in at some point in the future but for now, we've got slightly drier cosier girls and a hopefully easier poo pick ... happy days!

 

[tara]

I've had mine on dirt then concreate with tubs of dirt now wood chip and tubs of dirty they seem to like looking for things crawling about ,,, as soon as one has something they all run over so jealous ,, like kids def wood chip is great

[mimi5]

I'm also of the feeling that you won't regret it I sited my cube and run 2 winters back and filled it with woodchip. It is on soil underneath, but has been brill through 2 winters I would make sure that your run is covered to keep the woodchip dry (especially as you have our feathered footed friends, pekins like me!) Stalosan F is very good.

 

I've got a project myself this summer to slightly move my setup.........to add another meter of run. It also needs all the covers washing down and new bungees for some and a complete change of woodchip! I've got eggs hatching at the mo and am being optimistic that I'll have some girls to add to my 3 current pekins They'll have 5 meters to play in.

 

Thinking ahead.......you can add the cube and run to a walk in run