cluck and henry Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Hello, I have 2 young hens now starting to lay. They stay in the run because we have low fences and the neighbours have rather vicious dogs. Am I being cruel by not letting them out? We move them every so often so they get fresh grass. But with this hot weather, every so often there is a slight smell. We clean out the run every evening but the smell remains. Has anyone got any tips on how to change this? I am currently building them a bigger run but as this is permanent I have been told of "Hemcore", is this okay to use and wouldn't this smell after a while? Thanks if anyone can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 hemcore is fab! I couldnt live without it. We use it in the run all the time and it amazingly absorbs the poos and they seem to magically disappear and the chickens love to scurry around in it. It dries out very quickly and we have no smells, you should definitely try it - a bale lasts for ages. I also put some kitchen roll under the summer/winter shade with some drops of citronella on it, this also makes the run smell nice and helps keep away flies too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I completely agree about the magical qualities of hemcore and post about this everytime someone asks as I think it's amazing!! We had the same probs as you, we were picking poo up daily from the run due to the smell, the volume of it and the flies but have since put hemcore down and it barely needs raking once a week, the hens scratch around in it for bugs, and while doing this they rake up the hemcore which I don't know how absorbs the poo and it all seems to disappear - we get a slight wiff but I would say that's more likely to be coming from the eglu if it's been a few days since emptying the poo tray and that's easily sorted in about 2 mins! We bought a bale about a month ago for £6 from a local farmshop, and I did rake up all of it and put it down fresh again after about 2 weeks when there really was no need but the hens had kicked most of it out the run anyway and we're still not even a 1/3 of the way through the bale. I've heard others change it every 4-6 weeks or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Do you feed your chickens powdered garlic? I find that reduces the poo smell amazingly. Hemcore is brilliant at absorbing droppings. There is a slight but distinct aroma when the run needs cleaning out, but it isn't unpleasant (in my view ) However in my experience the garlic makes the biggest difference; smells rank when you open the tub, but they don't seem to mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 we add that to their water and they love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lera Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Are you folks using your hemcore in the open or under cover? My local horsey supplier thought that it'd only really work if protected from the rain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I'm trying it in an exposed run at the moment. They've kicked it around and dug through to the soil underneath so it's gone a muddy colour, but still very dry and loose, even after rain. So far so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Mine's uncovered too apart from the eglu run cover and a clear bit of sheeting up the other end of the run - when it rains it goes damp and muddy looking as the girls scratch it up but still easily raked and doesn't clump together or stay wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 my run is covered with the summer and winter shade. when it rains i also cover it with a tarpaulin as the shades seep in water. the hemcore stays lovely and dry and if it does get a little wet - it dries quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
