in the run

Evening all

At the moment I have been putting straw in their run because I can get it in large quanities from my farm. But after a couple of days it has turned to a bog and I have to add another layer of straw.

Is there anything else that I can use. I have seen on here a number of times the use of wood chippings, but how do these stay fresh for a long period of time or do you keep adding a layer like I do with the straw?

Many thanks

Alex

we use straw too  and rake it up every couple of weeks and put  it on our allotment  :)its cheap so works out best for us.we tried bark but it just sunk into the mud the amount we needed to cover the pen floor would have cost us a bomb

wood chips dont seem to get as bad as straw,(try the local tree surgeons from yellow pages and it probally free) so worth a go! Bonniebean rather than taking it to tip, i think any keen gardener or plot holder would be very happy to get it for compost heap. Try listing it on freecycle, i'm sure you will get shut in a greenway!!

I am really sorry to sound  like a spoilsport, but BARK can be a disaster for chickens. When it gets wet, it can grow a sort of mould that causes asperghilosis (sp), an often fatal respiratory disorder. Straw is best, so long as you rake it up often enough, and the girls just love it. Wood chips/shavings are great, but must not be hardwood (yes, chookies got splinters and bumblefoot), and must not be from chemically treated timber. So many potential probs, but hey ho.

PS. we all look after our chickens differently, and all chickens are themselves individuals, but when asked, i like to share my own experience, hoping that by doing so, itll save you from the same hard lessons some of us have learnt from.