[samuria]

i tried the search but could not get a answer
what can i use to cover the ground before it turns into a muddy mess??
thanks

[joyfull]

some people use bark, others sand, or gravel I use arbouise which is what I also use in their coop.

[barley]

I use autumn leafs

completely free  and the chooks love to scratch in them , they mulch down well and can then be used as compost on a veg plot or flower beds

[samuria]

what is arbouise
is wood chip any good?

[Sassy]

Aubiose is hemp and is excellent bedding. It would be expensive to use outside to prevent mud because you would need so much of it. NEVER use bark it contains aspergillous spores which are very bad for chooks respiratory systems.

[samuria]

i got 4 large bags of wood chip, free from the tree surgeons working near me

[joyfull]

bark can be used but you do have to keep a close eye on it because it breaks down quicker than wood chips and that is when it becomes a problem.
I find a whole sack of arbouise is plenty for my run (21 feet x 8 feet) but my hens aren't in it all the time.
Better still is free which is what you have got Samuria

[Beekissed]

In these parts many are moving towards using deep litter in their runs and creating a habitat more like the forest floor than the usual barren runs.  Adding leaves, bark, twigs, wood shavings, pine needles, logs, stumps, etc.   Letting it build nice and deep, keeping the soils underneath soft and absorbent so that excess moisture is more easily dispersed into the soil and wicked away from the top layer of litter. 

No muddy feet, no flies in the summer, no smells, more entertainment for chickens, more food opportunities as bugs and worms rise to the manure in the litter.  Folks are liking it!  Have to place boards or other type of containment at the bottom of the wire to keep the DL in the fencing but it's worth it.   

[Willow_Warren]

I've been moving my chickens around every couple of weeks onto a fresh patch of grass, but as I have a much smaller garden than last year and a lawn that doesn't seem to recover as quickly, I'm starting to struggle to find a fresh patch to put them onto.

I only have 4 pekin bantams so it's not too bad scratching wise but I am thinking of permenantly siting them for next winter, but scratching my head as to where they could go without either completly distroying a patch of lawn or on the decking (of which I have plenty) which wouldn't be that practical either because of all the gaps in it!!)!

So I'm reading this with interest.

Thanks

Hannah

[grinling]

roofing the run and plastic sheeting for sides.

[joyfull]

later this year mine are going to be moved to the other end of our garden where we have more trees and lots of leaves on the floor, they already go down that end when they free range so I know they like being down there. It will also suit my 3 resident tree dwelling hens who never sleep in the coops. This section is going to be fenced off so they will all be able to free range all day and be safe from our dogs (2 of which take great delight on trying to chase them sadly).

[Asherweef]

We have sand in the floor to a depth of 1.5inches and those corrugated plastic sheets over the run to keep it dry, with frequent poo picking it never smells

[grinling]

also used straw before concreting floor and burnt it afterwards