[benson_moomoo]

Hi, I'm new to chickens and to the forum.  I recently acquired 4 hens and intended to move them around the garden.  Now I'm not sure about this.  I would like to put them in a fixed place, I have 2 young children under 5, and i'm worried about them playing near the muck.  I've read about gravel,bark and wood chips.  All seem great but which one?  I'm really confused with all the differant opinions.  I've looked for wood and it's hard to get hold of here (york), but some people say bark is no good for the hens.  Gravel seems perfect, but i'm just worried this is ok for them, it seems a bit hard, and I don't think they'll get much (if any) chance to free range.  I have a biggish garden so I can cordon off an area for them I just want to put down the best cover.  I've also read that the bark needs to be changed every month, this seems expensive.  Could anyone give some simple advice, I thought I'd read enough, but feel a bit stupid that this didn't occur to me.  I thought it would be fine moving them around.  Please help Thanks

[newChickenMummy]

Hi Benson 

I have a fixed run and use wood chips on the floor which I got from b&q for a fiver per bag, I wouldn't use gravel but bark chips would be fine, lots of people on here use them.

I poo pick my run daily and clean each week but only replace/top up the wood chips about every 6 weeks. It seems to stay pretty clean and never really smells. I tried using straw but found this started to smell, stuck to everything and got in their water

Its trial and error really, whatever works for you. 

Liz x

[benson_moomoo]

Thanks Liz

I'll have a look at b&q tomorrow.  How do you clean the run weekly?  Sorry I really am a novice!

rachel

[yorky]

I use woodchip in my run which I get delivered from a tree surgeon. It works out much cheaper than buying it in bags. I put it down about a foot thick and the hens love it. If you are able to poo pick a couple of times a day it never gets dirty or smells and lasts for a full 12 months.
I might add that I have a roof on my run, which I think makes a big differance to how long your choice of litter will stay fresh.

[benson_moomoo]

Thanks - now we are putting a roof on tomorrow too, it makes sense to keep it dry.  I thought this was meant to be easy

[beulah59]

Sadly, we're not able to roof our run ... so everything gets wet. Buying by the bag, chipped bark is much cheaper than wood chip, but bark does absorb the water whereas it runs off the woodchip.

But you need to think about disposal, too ... using straw and changing once a week is a lot of straw to compost. Bark composts slowly, wood very slowly.

[yorky]

I never bother disposing of the woodchip. After about a year it has greatly reduced of its own accord and I just spread another one foot layer on top.
This system works very well for me, but I agree that unless you are able to poo pick a couple of times a day it would soon get smelly and have to be disposed of.
As an aside, last year I bought too much wood chip so made a special compost heap for the surplus. I mixed one bag of fresh horse manure with each barrow load of woodchip. it is now some of the best compost I have ever made.
I would also add that the stuff you get from tree surgeons probably contains more soft green stuff than the bags from B&Q. This makes it a lot easier to break down.

[beulah59]

I've just found a tree surgeon with a job in the area who's happy to drop off a load of chippings when he's done, for the price of a drink ... good stuff

[pink-chicken]

I agree about the 'tree surgeon/natural' wood chippings as a lot of the DIY centre stuff has added colouring and smells awfully of chemicals which can't be good for the hens? We use natural wood chippings mixed with top soil. The hens will do all the mixing for you  To poo pick you just need a scoop and childs beach spade to scrape the poo onto the scoop. Ours is then placed in a small tub to be added to the compost bin each day. A product called Stalosan F is amazing for killing a multitude of bacteria/viruses etc. It's like a dark red chalky earthy substance that you sprinkle over the flooring from time to time. It also keeps the soil/chippings fresh smelling. If you do get some the large 25K bag is a much better buy.
I was also a novice this Summer but have learnt so much from the amazing people on this forum as they never tire of answering what seems to us newbies the most simple of questions 

Jan.x

[benson_moomoo]

Hi thanks for all the great advice, i think i'll be asking for lots of advice from now on.  I'll definately get some stalosan.  We've had to go for bark at the moment but I'm going to try and source a tree surgeon, for some wood.  I'll poo pick daily and just try and keep on top of things, I just really want to look after them well and don't want to let them down.  It's amazing how soon I've become attached to them.

Rachel

[grumpydad]

would agree with the wood chip, we had a transit load for free, took ages to distribute onto the borders, but the chucks love digging in it, i turn it over in the run every few days, and sprinkle a little stanoslanf on it weekly

[Sassy]

I went on a poultry course run by a specialist poultry vet who advised strongly against using bark chipping due to the quick build up of spores which can cause respiratory disease.

[AmandaH]

But Sassy, doesn't that whole build-up of spores thing only apply if you put bark chippings in the house?  Thought it was OK if it was in an open run...?

[yorky]

But Sassy, doesn't that whole build-up of spores thing only apply if you put bark chippings in the house?  Thought it was OK if it was in an open run...?

I agree completely. The spores are unable to build up outdoors.

[Sassy]

You may be right. I am only repeating what this vet advised, which was not to use them even in a run :blink: