[trinacooke]

Hi all,

In my Poultry mag I keep seeing adverts about rubber chippings for the run floor I have heard different opinons on it and wondered what you thought? I understand they are not eaten by the hens.

I was looking for a cleaner and more permanant covering to the run floor, we rent our property so cant go putting down concrete or anything.

I have been using weed repressing material attatched to the bottom then covered in hemcore, which has been ok for the summer months as we have had a rather dry summer here in sunny Essex.

But I am looking towards the winter, I want something I can just hose off really! has anybody got these rubber chippings or has anybody thought of using astro-terf (sounds silly I expect but I was wondering if this could work? I know expensive but it must pay after a while coz of all the hemcore and bark chips that have to be thrown away (they do come out and free range by the way).

suggestions gratefully received.

Trina 

[barron]

hi

i use these rubber chippings and have to say that they are very good, so much easier than all the other stuff that we tried

[AmandaH]

Hi Trina.

I toyed with the idea of rubber chippings too but then I read this:

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eflytesofancy%2eco%2euk%2fcgi%2dbin%2fss000001%2epl%3fpage%3dsearch%26SS%3drubber%26PR%3d%2d1%26TB%3dA&WD=rubber&PN=Rubber_Chippings%2ehtml%23aRC10#aRC10

Went with hardwood chips in the end, which are much more long lasting than bark chips.

[Flowerpower136]

When I was setting up, I'm sure I read a post on here from someone who had tried rubber chips, and had to get rid of them, but I can't remember why.  The smell?

I'm using soft wood chips over bare earth, and in places it is just bare earth, because the girls want to dig and make dust baths in the soil.  Soft wood a tiny bit cheaper than hardwood.  Run is now completely covered, so might just let it go to earth anyway as it doesn't get muddy anymore, and because it's dry it's really easy to poo pick.

Apart from the ability to clean,  floor needs to allow the girls to scratch, dig little hollows, hunt for crits, throw stuff about, etc, etc.  They don't stop from pop hole open to pop hole close

[hillfooter]

Rubber chips are great for horse arenas where we use them but I wouldn't use them for chx.  Chx like to scrtch about in the earth and find insects but rubber is sterile (you hope if they are laid on well drained sub base).  Rubber chips are made from shreded tyres with the steel and cord reinforcing removed (you hope).  If you aren't allowed to put down concrete, rubber chips are ecologically as bad if not worse as they are difficult to dispose of.  Better to use wood chips or well rotted Forest Mulch with no yew in it (tree shreddings) which is ultra cheap if not free and rots down to compost.
Regards