[alisonwo]

My run like most is getting sludgy with the wet weather.  I visited Flytes of Fancy who are not far from here and they recommended playground chips, yes sounded great until he told me for my run I would need about 15 bags at a cost of some £120 er I don't think so!  I got a couple of bags of bark to try but not sure if I have done the right thing.  The girls seem happy enough digging around in it though.  I can't dig the run over with a bad back so I need some advice please what do you use?  BTW I looked on the net to see if I could get the 'chips'  any cheaper but no luck.  thanks alison

[chickadizzle]

im also having this trouble and i can not afford the ones of the flyte so fancy web my run is slanted too so i keep falling back down lol it is flat once you get in though

[Bonniebean]

Hi Alison - try and find a sensible tree surgeon in your area who can provide some free wood chip without any harmful plants in it. I have one who keeps chickens himself and he's only too glad to get rid of it as it saves them paying to tip it!

[skelly]

Hombase do playbark 120litre bags at £6.99 each with an offer if you buy 3 you get £2.00 off

[peeppeeps]

wood bark can harbor mold and bacteria.. we were told the same thing to use play ground bark for them. Our vet said no not to use it as it can cause infections if it gets moldy.

He said to use Hard wood Chips not bark as hard wood is to dense to penetrate with mold spores. and you can get them at B&Q.Hardwood Chips Natural 56L
Only £5.48 and you can buy on line.

[ehs284]

See earlier posts and use of gravel.

[alisonwo]

Will give Homebase a look thanks for the hint.  Not happy with gravel although it washes off easily etc, we live in a clay area and the soil just does not drain properly.  A later post mentions uses pallets as duck boards, now that sounds a good idea and worth thinking about, and I know locally where I can get some.  alison

[Jeanette]

I have just got some bark from B&Q it was £5.98 per bag if you buy 3 you get the 4th one free. I always use it. If you just tip it into the run in a pile the girls have a great time going through it all and at the end all i do is try and level it off as best as i can.

[Dickie73]

thanks peeppeeps for the tip re b&Q wood chips. only been able to find bark previously so my hens still have soil/mud in their run. if i go down the wood chips route how often do they need changing would you say?and you do need to scoop out the poop from the run regularly or can you just leave it?

[grumpydad]

i use easibed, a horse bedding, small softwood chippings, easier to compost down than bark, i have used bark and wood chippings in the past, but would not go back, i find the easibed easier to rack and poo pick as well, and it is sprayed once a fortnight with virkon s, a bacterial disinfectant to help with any spores and bugs

[jinty1911]

I use pea pebbles.  It keeps their feet dry and they love stratching about in it.
Jinty

[peeppeeps]

with the wood chips you only have to scoop out and poo pick then replace every three months depending on how many chickens you have. and if you want you can also add a bit of diatomaceous earth to it it helps with the brake down of the poo and smell and also is good for the girls (lice, tummy bugs etc..)

[chickadizzle]

i am going to buy their wood chips in a min do i need to cover the whole run??? it is 28 sqr meters that will cost me millions lol

[cammi]

Im really having problems finding wood chips around me B&Q has sold out everywhere and they dont deliver,  the garden centre does dyed/coloured wood chips but i presume thats not a good idea.  I have bought some bags of bark chips, but since read that you shouldnt use it as it goes mouldy,  but then have then posts where people do use it .......my head is spinning .  Would it be ok to use if it got sprinkled with stanolan f every week?

If i cant find some soon ill have to use 'pea shingle', i just worry its to hard to their poor feet.

[Dickie73]

Hello,
I have read this with interest. I've got a run which we have covered with bits of MDF boarding which semi keeps it dry. We decided to try the wood chips option which was great for two weeks then after a bout of serious rain and a lot of poo - I can't walk into my run and it's quite a job to crawl in on hands and knees to poo pick so I tend not to do it very often - the chips just congealed and there was a mass of mud and yuk. Hubby and I cleared it all out at the weekend and have put down two bags of (play) sand now and a few chips on top for the birds to rake around in. So far (one week in) so good. Am hoping the sand will help the run drain better as it was really waterlogged in parts after the rain and I had to put boards and bits of plank in the run for the girls to stand on to save them standing in two inches of water. Total nightmare!
Got our chips from B&Q too which was fine but if we end up having to change them every other month it's going to become expensive !