dinkybluebug Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Hi everyone, Ok... so Im (well we're- including my partner) new to this.... only had our englu since wednesday.... Rose and Margot love their new home, but they seem to love chucking food everywhere (they've got pellets) and Im worried about smells and rats! I put the 'grub' bowl higher, so they would find it more difficult to scratch about, plus we've now put a plastic tray underneath so that I can scoop up the food easily. Anyone got any other ideas??? Also... Ive been reading on here about the best thing to pop on the floor in the run. At the moment we've got grass, but that won't last very long, as it already is turning a little muddy. The omlet guide says wood chippings, but a few people recommend Hemcore. Will this work, even if it gets wet with the rain??? any help would be greatly appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 In my opinion it's none of the above, it's infact Bark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinkybluebug Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Bark?? Well.... I did think about that as well, but I kept reading that it goes a bit mulchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I use bark, seems fine, but it does go mulchy, but, the girls LOVE it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UkButton Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I use Wood chipppings (bark) and it seems not to smell and is easy to rake out when required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Since I have had the bark it has never smelt and in fact it is keeps quite dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 In my opinion it's none of the above, it's infact Bark! Yep, I'll go with that. But, I actually put sweet nothing at all on the floor of my little ladies run. Bits fall off the trees and bushes in it, but its mainly soil. I did chuck a bale of straw in there once when I was feeling generous, and spread it about, but it didn't seem to do a lot. Nettles grow and I hack at them and stamp them down when they sting me. Apples fall off the tree and rot away. When its dry the girls dig bomb craters and have dust baths, when its wet they scratch like crazy for the worms and other creepies that come up in the wet. I really don't worry a lot about it, and everyone seems to be happy. Chill - I don't think it really matters one little bit what you put in there. And the chooks will be happy whatever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 As for the food that gets spread about - I've got a female blackbird with a withered leg, that can't perch on a branch properly, that feeds on the chucked about layers mash. There's also a multitude of other garden birds that pop in for a snack (including the pigeons that I don't like, but tolerate - what the hell, it's their world as well as mine). As for rats - Ok, they are just squirrels without attractive bushy tails and so long as they don't harm you why worry? I have to admit (to my shame) that I have a rat trap, with poison in it, in the food shed. Its not for me you have to understand but because the OH insisted. But I'm not too worried about rats really - so long as they are up there with the chooks and not in the house. there's room for a lot of us in this world (biodiversity I think the clever folk call it) - lets live with it, rats and all. But I'm not a cat person - supercilious, nose in the air, creatures. I do chase them out of the garden (Richard now hiding under sofa awaiting massive outcry from all the cat lovers on the forum!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Richard!! MIIIIAAAAAOOOWWWWW!!! and other indignant cat noises!! Frank the ferocious tabby tiger is sending you Paddington hard stares! I do agree tho about leaving the floor to itself, I used bark which was fine til I had to replace it - there was TONNES of it - filled all my compost bins! Then I used Aubiose which I'm still using up - it's great but again, you have to rake it and get rid after a while and then you have to find somewhere to put it. And at the end of the day the chooks don't really seem to mind either way, as long as there's something cosy in the nest box they'll dig up whatevers on the floor! BTW I just had to go out and check all our chooks were in cos we were a bit late locking them in and I found 5 of them crammed in to the nest box and two on the roosting bars! That accounts for all the poo in the nest every morning! Mrs B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinkybluebug Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Im liking your attitude re the rats, but I live in an urban city dwelling, and to be honest... its my neighbours I think would have the biggest problem with rats... so where possible... I think I might try and keep these at bay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 In my opinion it's none of the above, it's infact Bark! I agree. We have used bark since the day our girls arrived. It obviously gets wet in the rain but never goes mushy. We top it up every six weeks or so. It's also on offer in Wickes @ four bags for £10 Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Aubiose! I found bark smelly and very heavy to shift. I also understand that it can harbour a fungus which is harmful to chickens. Woodchippings which are not the same as bark are safer. Aubiose comes in a massive bale and costs about £7and is super absorbant. Plus...it composts easily. To get the same coverage with bark or chippings you would have have to have a van load. Much as I admire Richard I disagree with him on the topic of rats. They can be destructive nuisances, they harbour diseases and if there is one thing that will get your neighbours objecting to your having chickens, it is the sight of a rat, which they will blame on your girls.... so I'm afraid I put poison down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Aubiose! Much as I admire Richard I disagree with him on the topic of rats. They can be destructive nuisances, they harbour diseases and if there is one thing that will get your neighbours objecting to your having chickens, it is the sight of a rat, which they will blame on your girls.... so I'm afraid I put poison down. Wow, I'm getting well big headed now - I don't think I've ever been admired before - or do I detect a touch of sarcasm in your posting? Either way is good. You are of course right about neighbours and rats - I wish I had a pound for every time someone has said to me that chickens attract rats. I was maybe being a bit provocative (same with the cats comment - but I haven't had quite the torrent of abuse I expected - the people on this forum are just sooooo nice) and I'm not really that keen on them, but I do think you can get too paranoid. On reflection, maybe the solution is to get rid of the neihbours and keep the rats .... I live right on the coast, with marshes and creeks and stuff; rats are a fact of life here - you just have to be careful to take the hen's food inside at night and not leave stuff around to rot and attract them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I use Hemcore, which I like as it absorbs and disguises the poo really well and there is no smell BUT it does mean you have to get rid of it if doing a big clean out (as we did yesterday) and OH had to take 29 binbags to the tip . He was cursing me for putting way too much in, but I like it deep for them to scratch around (and dustbathe ) in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I would say hemcore for in the run - we bought 1 bale and still are no where near half way through it and have replaced the whole run full once already and the chooks love spreading it out for me, I dump it in a pile in the middle of the run and they rush in and spread it all out. You don't need much to cover the run and it doesn't blow away, absorbs the poop and doesn't go mushy in the rain. I only replaced it after 2 weeks because they'd kicked so much outside the run it was looking a bit thin! also composts really well and doesn't take up much room in the composter as not much needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 aubiose/hemcore - it soaks up poo, doesn't seem to get wet, and is really easy to compost. I only put in a thin layer, and I think it's brilliant - much better than bark chippings which I started with. A bale lasts me ages, you must have put a heck of a lot in, feemcg, to make 29 bin-bags worth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pearsons Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I dump it in a pile in the middle of the run and they rush in and spread it all out. Yes, hemcore is great. My chooks push it to where they want it as well - it is such fun to watch them. Helen in Hume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 it's about the only time I can get them in the run without hte lure of a treat - they love it when I top up the hemcore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 sorry to add another question, but if hemcore, or auboise can be composted, can it go in the compost bins that are picked up by the council (I live in Cambridge)? or does it need to get taken to the tip / recycling centre? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pearsons Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 sorry to add another question, but if hemcore, or auboise can be composted, can it go in the compost bins that are picked up by the council (I live in Cambridge)? or does it need to get taken to the tip / recycling centre? I think the council will pick it up with the rest of the garden waste to be composted as long as there is not too much all in one hit. As we are country we have several compost bins and the hemcore is great as it seems to make the rotting process go much faster. And it seems to be less smelly but that might be my imagination. Helen in Hume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 we have a compost bin in our garden as our council wont take garden waste, and it used to only get grass cuttings and veg peelings etc which really smelt bad in the warm weather and also wasn't really composting, but since adding chicken poo and hemcore the bin has ocmposted down very quickly and we've only had them a month or so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
