[nicnac]

Hi to all, I'm new to this group and new to chickens!  I have 4 chickens arriving on Saturday and I need some advice with the floor of my chicken run please!  The house/run will be on bare mud but am concerned about the hygiene of this.  Is there anything I can put down on the mud?  Could any of you knowledgable people help me please?  What can I use or not use?

Thank you in advance!

Nicnac

[Sassy]

A lot of people on this site use wood chips - this can be raked up and replaced as necessary and will rot down into compost. I'm sure someone else will be a long shortly

[Flowerpower136]

I started off using soft wood chips from B*Q, but things still got v muddy when it rained.  So we added an opaque roof to the run, and it so much better.  Dry bare earth is fine, the girls love to dig and make dust baths, and its easy to poo pick so the run never getts disgusting.
Occasionally if it gets compacted, I just turn it over rougly with a garden fork.  Leave it in big clods, and the girls will sort it out.  They love it when I pick up the fork cos they know its worm time

[beulah59]

If you can get hold of some Stalosan F or Bio-Dry it will help .. it's a powder disinfectant, sprinkle around liberally once a week. If they're on woodchip, rake it over, sprinkle on and rake again ...

[Roughlee Handled]

What is Bio-Dry? 

I keep getting carpet cleaner when I search for it.

[Bonniebean]

Bio Dry is a disinfectant similar to Stalosan, I had the same problem with google. It is a dry powder that you can sprinkle in your run/coop to absorb excess moisture and keep things fresh and hygenic. If you want more detail try SPR centre shop, that gives a write up on it.

[scrappydoo]

Bio Dry is a disinfectant similar to Stalosan, I had the same problem with google. It is a dry powder that you can sprinkle in your run/coop to absorb excess moisture and keep things fresh and hygenic. If you want more detail try SPR centre shop, that gives a write up on it.

Hi all,
absorb ecess moisture? hmmm, me thinks it's gonna need a mop n bucket in the packet today

Best Regards

Steve

[Bonniebean]

  Are we having a funny morning Steve?

[scrappydoo]

Are we having a funny morning Steve?

Unfortunately it's normal for me, but as long as I keep taking the tablets I'm ok he he he he he he he  

[chuckmum]

My girls are on wood chip in a covered run. I do rake it over every couple of weeks, but I find a couple of handfulls of corn thrown in once in a while and the chickens do it themselves and it keeps them busy!

[fastmonkey85]

Hi

I am new to keeping chickens too. I have had mine for about 4 months and I use straw in their run. It has a roof. Too. When the straw gets discoloured I add another layer to freshen it up. This in-turn cases it to become a deep litter run. Then when it gets to a height to muck out I take it to the allotment to rot down for the next year.

I find it the easiest way and the cheapest mostly due to the fact that I can gwet as much straw as I want from the farm at work

Hope it helps

Alex

[smiler43]

My run is fully covered but still gets wet from rain soaking up through the floor when it rains heavy, which it has!!  I always use wood chip on the run floor, poo pick everyday to keep it clean and use Stalosan when it's getting smelly.

[compostqueen]

I have the same prob as you Smiler and bought some large wood chips but these soon got wet through. Thinking of trying some Easibed or some such. Failing that, back to straw which at least is cheap

[beulah59]

If you can get hold of a tree surgeon, their chippings are much smaller than the commercial stuff ... it rots down faster and you can get a huge load for little outlay, so can keep it quite deep. My run isn't covered, and we've struggled a bit with the mud outside the run, but inside, with the woodchip is fine 

[smiler43]

That sounds a great idea Beulah59, do they charge for it?