Solitary chicken - need advice

[bokbok87]

Hello all,

 

I currently have woodchips down in an eglu classic. The grass had disappeared a while back and I had read on the forum that it was good material to use.

I only have 3 girls and I am changing the wood chippings once a month!! It doesn't last! Firstly I don't have a large WIR just the classic and with the wet weather is turns to mud quickly. Also my girls have a habit of attempting to dig to China so half the woodchips a are outside of the run.

They also prefer throwing their mash on the floor and then digging it into the woodchips!

 

Any suggestions?! The garden looks less than appealing!

 

Thanks guys, I know you'll give me your experiences on this

[JellyBean2605]

Try this http://www.newlandpoultry.co.uk/index.php/2014-01-31-22-04-44/chicken-run-mud-management

For idea. I have my run on paving slabs with woodchip on top, with a cover on top it stays nice and dry and I only have to change it every 6 months. Also if you look elsewhere on this forum you will find that many others have had this problem and come up with a variety of solutions if the above isn't possible

[Cat tails]

Sorry to hear you are having problems.

You might want to get a proper cover for your run, to keep the soil as dry as possible. I have my ladies on bare earth with some woodchips in the occasional muddy spot.

I think they have a nice new split cover for the classic run. (One side clear, one side closed)

I have my Go Up run covered with a heavy duty tarp for a cube run, but only when it is rainy weather. On dry days I only have the little sun shade.

 

I'm convinced that the skirting of the run is not to keep foxes out, but to keep my chickens in! They are well on their way to digging themselves out!

Edited January 4, 2015 by Guest

[wez]

On Friday we spent an hour or so attaching plastic lawn edging to the bottom edges of our run. It was cheap to buy from eBay, comes in varying heights from 10cm depth up to 20cm and we attached it with equally cheap small cable ties. Early days I know but already there is less outside the run than there was previously and I think that the quicker tidy up time compared to what I used to spend separating poo from wet grass (yuk!) will be worth it. I think experimenting with what works for you is the best way but so far, I'm pleased we changed from moveable on grass to stationery on concrete and chips so good luck with finding your set up

 

[mollyripkim]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with wood chip, I know it's difficult in th wet weather. We have tried all sorts but finally are happy with the results. My run is fixed with a weld mesh bottom to stop predators, this is topped with plastic pallets, then a porous membrane. Finally a deep layer of woodchip. Although it gets mucky around the edges and anywhere it gets wet it dries out surprisingly quickly as the worst of the water can drain through the membrane. Tried the cheaper woven membrane which didn't work as the girls shredded it. Got the pallets cheap and they are fairly easy to cut to size. It's been down since April and woodchip still looking good, I do use stalosan regularly.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[bokbok87]

Jellybean - loving the walkthrough guide! I have zero imagination so there were some great ideas from the link!!

I do have a cover but with the wind and the rain it still gets quite soggy unfortunately.

 

Thanks for the ideas, I had a good look at a lot of the posts on the forum and am in absolute amazement! Some people have the ability to make their coops beautiful!! (I am super jealous!!)

[bokbok87]

Just curious, do you use the grub feeder or a Floor hopper? I use a grub feeder and they seem to throw their food a lot on the floor! Obviously as they like a good scratch! Was wondering if it would be better!

[Cat tails]

I use a Grub and they used to chuck out all their food, but then I was feeding a pellet mix, including grain. This makes them dig for the yummy bits and throw out the pellets.

Maybe your Grub is too full? A less full Grub limits the chance to chuck things out too.

[jasperaliceuk]

Mollyripkim - am intrigued by your plastic pallets - didn't know they existed. Have you got a pic of the sort you use? Could they be put straight down on earth?

 

Thanks

Sue