[Aunt Sally]

I am thinking of using this recycled rubber material for my chicken run:

http://www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/shop/64-mud-management.html

Has anyone any experience of it ?

This is another supplier and says it safe for children (even if they eat it  ) :

http://www.sitr.com/recycled_rubber.html

[Tinkers]

This is really interesting Aunt Sally......... especially as I currently have a topic running on lawn feed - would be interesting to know if anyone has any further knowledge of this product

[Hengist]

I'm having a few thoughts here - I'll lie down in a minute and they'll go away!  Tyres are made of a mixture of natural and synthetic rubbers (what's synthetic rubber made of?) and carbon and other chemical substances - just got all this off google.  I wonder what the other substances are - and what they do.  They might be quite inert but they weren't originally compounded to be pecked by chickens (or eaten by kids!)  I really don't think we have enough info.  Of course they SAY they are safe.  They want us to buy them.  Eternal cynic signing off!

[Tinkers]

Well I am all for us finding out!

I will have a scout about ......

[Foxy]

Auntie thats Alison at Hook farm, she uses a lot of it for her chooks, maybe just give her a call I am sure she wont mind!

[mrs.ploppy]

The only concern I would have is would they consume any if they were spuddling about as they do in dirt or grass.  It would be indigestable and may cause blockages in the gut maybe?  I have used rubber surfaces in an outdoor school with my horses and the chunks are quite small.

[karlooben]

i like that idea but theres a lot of ppl that could not affford that even if it does last a very long time . i perfer good old woodchip an theres places were u can get it for free plus it smells so much nicer .  wander if u would get a rubbery smell from it all the time ?? ummmmmm

[Celtic Eagle]

Hmmm

I can see the attraction but !!

I worked in the rubber industry fro many years as a chemist and if you saw the chemicals that went into the compound, well!!!! . There are a lot of petrochem derivatives especially in sysnthetic rubber. I would be worried about leaching into the soil .  Remember you aren't allowed to dump tyres in landfill anymore.   

[Big Jen]

Hmmm

I can see the attraction but !!

I worked in the rubber industry fro many years as a chemist and if you saw the chemicals that went into the compound, well!!!! . There are a lot of petrochem derivatives especially in sysnthetic rubber. I would be worried about leaching into the soil .  Remember you aren't allowed to dump tyres in landfill anymore.   

Cant remember exactly- but when we got planning permission to build our "all weather surface" for the horses, we needed special drains that would stop rainwater from the surface going into the water course- but only if we had the rubber surface. This was something to do with the chemicals in rubber killing fish.
We decided to have wood chip instead because these regulations didnt apply.
With this in mind I dont think I would use it for chickens.

BJ