MUD in the Run!

[dexterdoglancashire]

eight squids a bale Bernie it does go a good long way in the coop though - it is easy to pick the poop off it

Thanks for that Shirl. I'm currently using wood shavings as I can get a bale for £5.50 from a local saw mill. It does last me a long time though. I only use it inside the hutch and the greenhouse. May not need any for a while when my new aviary arrives .

PS Photos of your new shed when its up and running please

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks for that Shirl. I'm currently using wood shavings as I can get a bale for £5.50 from a local saw mill. It does last me a long time though. I only use it inside the hutch and the greenhouse. May not need any for a while when my new aviary arrives .

PS Photos of your new shed when its up and running please

I used wood shavings when I first got the hens but then got a bale of easibed from freecycle. It seems to rot down a bit quicker than the shavings and also forms a sort of crust with the chook poop which is easy to lift and leave fresh bed underneath it. I am interested to see how it works when the girls have more space - they have all been cuddled in a 3 and a half foot square coop so won't know themselves in the big shed!

We got all the walls up today and the roof on but need to felt and finish it tomorrow - not to mention deciding where to put the pop hole!

[MaureenHall]

I didn't bother with a pop hole on the last shed I put up Shirley, I just leave the big door open for them and nest boxes aren't facing the door so the girls still have privacy.

[Maddie106]

Thanks for the suggestions folks!
I talked to the bloke who runs the farm at Temple Newsam in Leeds and they use bark chippings in their chicken runs...sez it keeps their feet dry and allows them to scratch.

Now the run HAS at last dried out, I'll invest in a bag and see how my ladies like it!

[Hilary B]

Thanks for the suggestions folks!
I talked to the bloke who runs the farm at Temple Newsam in Leeds and they use bark chippings in their chicken runs...sez it keeps their feet dry and allows them to scratch.

Now the run HAS at last dried out, I'll invest in a bag and see how my ladies like it!

Bark MAY contain mould spores, which are unhealthy, on the other hand they may be fine.

[aud]

I suppose we are lucky being our chickens are in a half acre fenced field, when it gets muddy we just fence it off, and most of the time its only muddy because of certain ducks.
What we do do, is now and then with a spade scrap off a layer of the yucky mud and if you can put down some ash. Its a very messy job. Another thing you can do if your area is smaller than ours is to put down some wood, so they can still peck around but have some logs to play around on as well. even something like a plank of wood.

[Maddie106]

Bark MAY contain mould spores, which are unhealthy, on the other hand they may be fine.

I've risked a bag....hopefully, if they don't give small children respiratory problems in play areas, then the chooks will survive!

[Shellintons]

We used to be able to get free wood chip from a tree surgeon friend. He's no longer doing it though But they were about a foot deep in the run on top of some lime stone dug into the soil. This always worked well as we got fresh stuff with tons of insects and bugs in it. The hens always used to enjoy the new deliveries. We used to take a wheelbarrow from the truck and dump it in piles around the run and garden which the chooks would level out themselves (well pretty much level).
This last year we have been suplimenting the wood chip with straw which is breaking down nicely in the coop with the chip and poop. Where my lawn used to be BC (=Before Chickens) I have a straw bed. If I didn't I would just have a mud bath. What with me, Mr P, the children and dog, I find the straw easier to brush off the carpet than the mud.