Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Roksteddie]

I'm carefully planning ahead for when we get started with our set up and chickens. We have settled on a Go Up with a 1m extension and intend to use wood chips in the bottom of the run. I've gone for this because we don't have any grass in our garden and want to give the chickens something to scratch around in. I've also read that the chips don't have to be fully replaced for up to a few months. I'm a bit of a clean freak and I wanted to ask specifically about poo picking. Is it just a case of picking out the bits of wood chip that have been soiled on a daily basis? Or is the poo solid enough to be removed individually without having to constantly remove chips. Also what to people use? Are there poo picking tools or is it a case of getting down on your hands and knees and using a pair of gloves (which fills me with a slight sense of dread!)? Alternatively, can you just use a rake to turn the chips over and get fresher chips to the surface?

[cx_caroline]

I have the exact same set-up (I used easichick on my run floor as when I eventually replace it the whole lot will be dug into my allotment so nothing goes to waste). Speaking with a whole 6 days experience behind me(!) (I got my chickens last weekend) on the daily I just pick out what I can reach from the run gate and through the base of the eglu up (with the trays removed) and then mid-week I used a rake to drag the wood chips from the middle section towards the end and then picked through those. Seems to be working fine so far, and I can imagine the chips last a good few months before they need replaced. So far I've just been wearing gloves to do it, but I think I might get a little garden sieve so I can just scoop up a bunch of chips and quickly sift for the poop. Pro-tip: I've been putting the poop into a compostable paper caddy bag inside a little bin so that there's no mess (and smell is contained) and the bag can then be dropped straight into my compost bin at the allotment when full.

[mullethunter]

Most bits of poo are solid enough that they can just be picked up on their own (my cleaning out tools are a child's plastic play spade and an old paint tray!), any at cant may require a piece or two of woodchip to come out, but not much. I do this most days, but when we're away it may not be done for a week, and then the chickens mostly just break it down with their scratching and you don't see it.

[Cat tails]

I have to say that the Go Up run isn't the easiests to get into... You won't be able to reach much beyond the ladder.

 

My run is on bare earth and I really don't poo pick ( just the patio... Which they invade when I'm home. )

I hose down the run floor once in a while and the rest sort of disappears.

[Chickabee]

Easi bed is the same as easi chick but comes in a bigger bag. It works out much cheaper