Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Allschickbabes on February 14, 2017, 18:16
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Hi very pleased to be part of the group. I'm very interested in gardening but at the moment my primary concern is getting my new chicken coop ready for receiving my chickens once the avian flu worry is over. Being a newby I need to know what is the best ' underfoot' medium in the run for my girls and where to obtain it? Is it best to put down a membrane first then the medium? Also what do members recommend by way of feeders, is it best to go with the traditional aluminium or plastic? Thanks
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If you're keeping your hens on earth/grass then you don't need to put anything down as the hens will,scratch their way around. If you're going to keep them on a hard surface then I would you wood shavings and hardwood chips (they are expensive) but again no embrace.
You need to look at the DEFRA site to see if where you live is still going to be at risk after 28 Feb as then you'll need to cover their run area.
For feeders and drinkers I use plastic as I put several out so that the hens can feed without too much squabbling. The aluminium ones are priced and tend to be quite large, so depending on,how many hens you're planning on, they may not be practical.
Lots of advice on this site to help you, but be prepared for several different opinions on what's best!
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Hi very pleased to be part of the group. I'm very interested in gardening but at the moment my primary concern is getting my new chicken coop ready for receiving my chickens once the avian flu worry is over. Being a newby I need to know what is the best ' underfoot' medium in the run for my girls and where to obtain it? Is it best to put down a membrane first then the medium? Also what do members recommend by way of feeders, is it best to go with the traditional aluminium or plastic? Thanks
Hello & welcome :) I have ducks and chickens which share 2 connecting runs with a shed. (We have loads of foxes here) Ones on concrete and 1 is on what used to be grass... :wacko: I tend to buy wood chip at the local farm shop for £1.50 a bag which is great for chickens. Not for ducks. Ducks make everything very very wet and very compacted. I also but straw bales (£3.50) which last for a fair time then I scoop out and compost. Both runs are undercover atm I woudnt use straw without cover. I use easibed in the shed/coop for the floor and straw in the nest boxes. I use plastic feeders. I disinfect the ground with stalosan F and worm them with Flubenvet Hope that helps a bit x
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Hello and welcome to the chicken forums :)
I've got deep litter of wood chips in my big run and when there are no bird flu worries, I add leaves, green waste from veg growing and weeds from the garden for them to scratch about in. I've got an aluminium drinker, a plastic one and 2 plastic feeders - they all work so whichever you like there :)
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Hello!
I use Hempcore in the coop and nest boxes. Very absorbent and makes the daily poo pick very easy.
My run is a mix of different floor surfaces all under a corrugated plastic roof. The floor is part concrete and part earth, plus I have a timber walkway, also an area of hardwoodchips which I got from Flytseofancy. The girls love digging through the chips, and make dustbaths in the dry earth. They gather on the timber for sit downs and preening sessions.
I wouldn't use a membrane because they love to dig, and nothing is nicer than a big crater of a communal dustbath!
I opt for good quality plastic feeders and drinkers. The cheaper ones are not so good. Plastic is easy to clean and cheaper than aluminium. Again, I got mine from Flytes.
Be sure and study DEFRAs relevant order relating to your location. Bit of a minefield to be honest.
Hope you enjoy your chooks when you get them.
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Hello and welcome. Lovely hobby you have chosen. I love my three to bits, and I think they look kindly to me when I have some blueberries and/or grapes. Never been so popular :lol: :lol: