[Pixiewish]

Hi

We are looking to keep a few chickens in our back garden and having being trying to research a bit before deciding on our set-up.

From what I have read a lot of people seem to keep permenant sited runs on a concrete/concrete slab base to prevent the formation of a mudbath in wet weather, with some sort of flooring...woodchip, horsebedding...down for comfort, and a tray with some sort of soil for a dustbath.

I was talking to a colleague at work today about it, she keeps chickens but has 1/4 acre of land to keep them on so they are pretty much free ranging all the time.

She said she thought it was  a bit cruel to keep them on a concrete base as they wouldn't be able to carry out their normal activities of scratching and digging etc.

What is the general consensus for backyards keepers??

[Dawnuss]

mine have concrete and i put sharp sand down. They dig and scratch around in the sand and seem happy enough. I also chuck some straw on top of the sand and change it daily i put it in a big pile and they soon scratch and spread it out.I bought virkons which i will then use to wash the concrete each month and put fresh sharp sand. Im aswell so maybe someone more experience will give you more advice on if its cruel or not. i hope not though 

[tosca100]

We have only had our girls a few weeks, but they are on or drive, which is concrete with six foot fencing, netted over to stop them flying out (we are in a semi in a residential area) and as you say, they have a large area of bark, a soil box, a coop and covered run to get out of the weather, and they go into the garden when we are home. They may be on concrete but they have a lot more space than some hens, and get greens and mealworms and a little corn on the bark in the mornings. Sure, they would rather be in the garden all day, but it is a small garden, which they have to share with us, two dogs and veggies. (The veg plot is already netted against black dog) The coop/run sit on a rubber stable mat, which was already there as it is surplus to requirements at the yard, covered in easybed and super easy to clean, as well as keeping the chill off.

[Skywise]

I keep mine on concrete slabs with a covering of bark which I change whenever necessary.  I find the slabs are very easy to keep clean - I gave them a good scrub this weekend with a scrubbing brush and some diluted poultry shield - it only takes half an hour or so to clean out the run and scrub it.

The girls have the run of the garden whilst we're at home and are kept in the run whilst we're at work.  They seem to be happy enough and I can't help feeling that, because space is limited with us and their run has to be on a permanent site, it's got to be more hygienic for them to be kept on clean slabs and bark than to keep them on bare earth which gets covered in poop which soaks into the earth and can't be cleaned properly.

I may be wrong, although I do hope not.

[Pixiewish]

Thanks everyone, seems a common set-up to have a concrete base so it can't be bad for the chicks.

I think it's a case of "in an ideal world....."

[tosca100]

Thanks everyone, seems a common set-up to have a concrete base so it can't be bad for the chicks.

I think it's a case of "in an ideal world....."

Indeed. In an ideal world I would have five acres in a remote spot away from traffic and people and surround myself with any animal who needed a home in paradise, and the sun would shine and the rain would only come at night and I wouldn't have to work..........................

Oooer, lack of sleep is addling me brain. Off to let the chooks out....without tramping across a muddy field!

[Craig69]

Mine, when kept at home were kept on slabs with an area in the middle that they could dig in.
They also had flooring of pea gravel & straw.

They are on the allotment now & their house is on slabs which I block off in the evening from the soil, so they can still go in & out of the house.

[Sassy]

I think it would only be really unsuitable if there were no covering on the concrete. It is the covering, sand, shavings, woodchip, etc that allow the chooks to behave 'normally'

[tosca100]

I've been watching our girls this morning....as you do....since I let them out around six, and they have actually chosen to be on the patio and on the half of the drive without bark, more than in the flower and veg beds.

[Dawnuss]

when i let mine out they enjoy digging weeds from between the crazy paving which is a great help to me and although its not mud ground they get hours of entertainment 

[shetan]

the main plus side to concrete is hygiene. there is less smell and no chance of soil turning into a mudbath. there is also no need to keep relocating the run.

it also stops mr. fox from making successful raids.

we put a thin layer of straw down for them but with feathered feet we found it better to leave it bare and just make other parts of the run more interesting for the birds.

[GrannieAnnie]

I think you will be a very good chicken Mummy Pixie!  You are putting a lot of thought into your research, and once you have those little girls running around enjoying life and making you laugh, you will wonder why you ever worried about them!   

[Pixiewish]

Thanks grannieannie

[300AJC]

Funnily enough I paved the floor of my chicken run a week ago as it was a complete mud bath in winter and would be today with all the recent rain. It seems much more hygienic. What I recall was the smell when I broke up the old soil to provide some purchase for the slabs. Months of rotted poo can not be good for them. Now it's paved I just chuck some handfuls of straw in and they scratch about. The door is often left open when we're at home and they hop in and out from the garden when they feel like it.

The best of both worlds really and more pleasant for me when cleaning out at weekends.