Snowy Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I think perhaps newspaper in the poo trays is not so good! I've been doing this lately and had started to wonder if my cube was leaking it was so wet! But it hasn't rained so I assume it's the poo on paper effect. Never had that problem with aubiose in the bottom so will be swapping back again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clash City Rocker Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Yikes! thats very expensive Clash. local dog kennels down the road charges £9 a night for my sisters cocker spaniel and that includes walking and food!! For £75 they are virtually doing nothing - just opening and closing a door and doing the food. blimey! That's what I thought, I'll see if one of my neighbours kids will do it. When she told me £75.00 I jokingly told her that "maybe I'd leave them out for the fox and buy 3 new ones when I got back for £30.00" don't think she knew whether I was joking or not!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I can vouch for Staloslan too, it is really good stuff. that with the Aubiose makes for a pretty formidable combination I think Emma, please don't think that I thought you were asking too much of your sitter. I didn't think that at all,& if that is what you asked of them & paid them for,then that is what you should get. I just had an inferioir moment when I realised I only do my poo tray twice a week & got all worried that I wasn't doing my bit as a good chicken mum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 No Cinnamon - I didn't think that at all. I just wanted everyone to see what I'd asked her to do & see whether they thought I was asking too much. No worries! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I recently left my 3 girls for 8 days in the care of 2 friends (female). They "couldn't face the poo tray" so got a husband to change it - bit pointless really, he did it the day before we came back . I put 3 or 4 layers of newspaper in the tray, then put in loads of shredded paper with a handful of bokashi bran. Finished off with a few drops of citronella, it lasts a week (with poos being flicked out into the compost bin every day or so) and doesn't smell at all. It's really only the bars that need a clean and that's only 'cos they look disgusting. I push major poos off the bars & into the tray every morning. I put shredded paper and hemcore in the nestbox. Sorry I've rambled on a bit but I like to share something if it works for me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I'm with others on here - I only empty the poo trays about once a week but I use aubiose in them. If I used newspaper, I think I'd have to do it every day because once it's got wet, it will just stink. I don't think you're being unreasonable, you were very clear about what you wanted the sitter to do - but maybe a compromise might be to use aubiose/hemcore, and make the job a bit easier. Usually a friend looks after mine, but of course as she's a good friend we sometimes go on holiday together! This summer I found a cat-sitter to feed the tabby monster, and asked her if she'd do the chickens as well. She was actually quite excited about feeding them and thrilled to have the eggs to take away. I can't quite remember, Clash, but I think it was about £7 a day to do the cat and chickens, although only one visit as I left the Eglu door open (and I only had two chooks then). I think £75 is exorbitant! Look in your local vet for pet-sitters, they will either have cards up or have a list, and then ring a few and ask how much they will charge. I'd expect to pay £5-6, but it's only a ten-minute job, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 does stalosan smell nice Clare? It smells a bit like Germolene to me. You're right, it almost does. I love the smell of Germolene, takes me right back to my childhood and scabby knees! I don't use newspaper in the poo tray for that very erason - it's a magnet for any dampness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 30, 2007 Author Share Posted October 30, 2007 How do you stop all the aubiose from falling down the ventilation hole in the nest box? Or do you just let a bit fall down and then no more can? Also is this Stalosan a liquid or powder & would I still need my red mite powder? Sorry for so many questions, but want to get things right. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Stalosan is a powder. I use the Redmite powder as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 30, 2007 Author Share Posted October 30, 2007 Oh right thanks, what does the Stalosan do again? Is it just a disinfectant then - you use it neat? Or add it to water? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 It kills germs and absorbs moisture. I just mix it in with the Aubiose I put in the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I'm going away in a few weeks and have been quoted £75.00 by my local "pet sitting company" (1 weeks work). Let them out in the morning, Lock them away in the evening, use my feed, water & keep any eggs!! seems expensive so I said "No thanks". Is £75.00 per week reasonable or not? I use the Local owner of a national pet-sitting franchise & he charges £9.50 per visit weekdays & £12.00 weekends. The price covers any number of animals that you have. He & his assistants are CRB checked & follow to the letter any instructions I leave. He has looked after my pets for several years now & I consider him worth his weight in gold for the peace of mind he gives in knowing that my 'babies' are being looked after as I would. In his time he has looked after for me, cats, hamsters, my previous elderly cat who needed daily medication until her death & my in-laws guinea pigs who stayed with us whilst they were house hunting. Pet cages are completely dismantled for cleaning and this week he will be coming over to see my new chooks before we go away in a couple of weeks. He also writes a daily log of his visits! Over the years I've probably spent a fortune with him. Are his charges unreasonable? I would say not considering the service he has provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiltyhen Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I also only clean the tray once a week but I am using the hint about buying a second set of bars. My girls seem to poo on the little ledge at the back which isn't fun to get at. Is this usual? I put newspaper in the tray first and then a layer of Aubiose. It seems to work fine and it's easier to tip into the dalek shaped compost bin. I just have to make sure the newspaper isn't showing at the door end of the narrow bit otherwise it gets pulled out into the run! I worried about chicken sitters before I got the girls, thank goodness the eglus are transportable (even if they are so heavy!). Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Oh right thanks, what does the Stalosan do again? Is it just a disinfectant then - you use it neat? Or add it to water? Emma.x Stalosan is a powder Emma - I dry the eglu off then sprinkle with it. I love the smell of Barrier red mite powder and use that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 My girls seem to poo on the little ledge at the back which isn't fun to get at. Is this usual? Snap! It's gross when you pull out the tray before realising it's pooey . I usually use an old plastic scoop to try to knock the poos through the bars & off the ledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 30, 2007 Author Share Posted October 30, 2007 I'm going to try all this out - I'll get a bag of aubiose at the weekend - Stalosan is ordered already! Thanks for all the tips! I also love the smell of the red mite powder - I'm very obsessed with the stuff, but touch wood, my ladies have never had any lice or mites - so I must be doing something right! I can't wait to move (our future plans) in a few years time, when we no longer have to work. Hubby is retiring then & says I'm retiring with him. He's a bit older than me! We have been looking at properties already in Wales - it's amazing what we could get for the price we have in mind. A good sized smallholding / small farm with some great outbuildings! We want to be able to have huge runs for our very close ' pet' chickens & also have a lot of free range chickens too - & take a chance that foxy loxy may get them. Perhaps then, we can have some ex batts. We have made a written plan - a bit sad aren't we?! We both want some outbuildings/ barns / stables - mainly for workshops / studios and accomodation purposes. Hubby needs his inventing / tinkering workshop, I need my art & craft studio. We'd like somewhere our relatives can stay separate to us on our land. I've gone way off topic here, but it's nice when dreams are able to become reality! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyMurray Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Sorry to hear you came back to messy chickens, I have a caravan at Great Yarmouth and I went there last week for the week, we go away for 5 weeks a year, I'm really lucky as I have a brill neighbour, he lets the chickens & guinea pigs out, food & water etc, and locks them in at night too. I also have a lady down the road come round after work, she's animal mad, she also feeds the cat and fish, then goes down the garden to share out the pasta or rice (that she's cooked specially) and have a chat with them all. I must admit they don't clean them out unless I'm away for 2 weeks. Although my chickens and guinea pigs aren't in an eglu, they live in sheds with runs so there is actually so much space it takes longer to mess up. If they were in an eglu I'm sure I would do them every other day. A man a few houses away has an eglu, there is a path at the back of our houses for the allotments, when I walk my dog I can see his chickens through the hedge, I don't see the man very often to talk to, next time I do though I'll ask him if he comes on the forum too. C ya, Dyan (RubyMurray) 1 x Cock 5 x hens 2 x hens 7 x 1 x white Boxer dog and 1 x Ginger Tom 3 x Kids 1 x Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I put 3 or 4 layers of newspaper in the tray, then put in loads of shredded paper with a handful of bokashi bran. I thought they were supposed to eat the bran?! I've been mixing it in with their pellets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 You can use it either way Jules.. don't worry! It's multi-purpose and serves to neutralise the acid in the poo and speed up the breakdown to compost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Well my compost bin looks very interesting these days! Having chickens definitely speeds up the composting process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 I could come over and clean them out for you if the chook sitter doesn't like that bit karen x There is an offer you can't refuse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
