gravel as flooring?

brownp · « **on:** May 30, 2010, 21:21 »

Hi
I am looking ahead to winter and can see my run being a mudbath. I have looked at the rubber chippings which I like the look of. Would it work to put hens on a layer of gravel or hardcore/pebbles?

Chookiechook · « **Reply #1 on:** May 30, 2010, 21:32 »

I tried this in the early days of chicken keeping and it was a nightmare.....

I thought that I would be able to hose it all down and 'it' would kind of disappear ...... No such luck..... 'It' all looked like it was gone for the first few weeks and then we realised that it was all building up ..... the smell when we had to dig it out was horrific

brownp · « **Reply #2 on:** May 30, 2010, 21:36 »

thanks for that...I wonder if the same thing would happen with rubber chippings then?

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2010, 22:39 »

It probably would. We did talk about those rubber chippings a year or so ago, but what if the chooks keep eating them?

Even if you use bark like a lot of people do, you'll still have to change it every so often.

Chookiechook · « **Reply #4 on:** May 30, 2010, 23:10 »

If your run has a roof on it then I find that a compost or similar type substance is good as it seems to encase the poo and doesnt get all yukky!

I dig out bags of really well rotted manure from the back of my stables.... Its the old muck heap that hasnt been used as one for around 10 years.... so its just like the best compost ever, complete with bugs and beasties galore.

Not sure that its everyones idea of a good substrate, but no worse than what they would find when free ranging

I only have to rake it up and remove it about 4 times a year and then it can go straight onto the garden.

In practice I do this more regularly, but over this last winter the job got put off so many times its unbelieveable.

The run didnt smell bad and the hens have good feet...... unlike my pampered silkies who live indoors all the time in a nice warm stable, and have now got scaly leg!!! Bum

wolverine · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2010, 06:03 »

Half of my garden is gravel and I've been hosing it down and had been assuming it was washing away

maybe I'm gonna end up with a right mess then hummmmmm rented property aswell......... woops

don't know what to do I have nowhere else to put them

gsc · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2010, 07:15 »

I had gravel in my garden for a long time - annoyed the hell out of me - dogs cra**ed all over it - nightmare stuff.

Now chucked it all out into the paddock entrance to keep the winter mud down.

Will have to think of something for the girls for winter though.

I have a bulk bag of bark doing nothing at the moment but not sure that will be a good idea either

.

Craig69 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 31, 2010, 09:47 »

I'm using gravel as run flooring at the moment.
I clean the slabs off everyday that their house is on which has a small (very small) run & pick up as much poo as i can see off the gravel.
The slabs & gravel get a wash down about once a fortnight.
Wanted to build a roof over the run, but as the house is on the market i didn't go too mad.
The gravel does smell a little bit at times, but maybe i will have to have a think about flooring later & maybe a roof if i haven't sold by the winter

grumpydad · « **Reply #8 on:** May 31, 2010, 10:04 »

we started off with bark, and washed it down, but had the same problem with them smell. as we had health problems, i now use easibed in the run, it is horse bedding, the poop sticks and it is very easy to pick out, as the level drops due to being picked out i end up raking it towards one end, and put fresh down at the other end, a sort of conveyor belt, apart from when they dig into it. i use virkon s weekly in the run, and stalosanf monthly.

it dries easily if it gets wet, although the run has a roof on, one of the most vital parts to garden hen keeping i would suggest.

jhub · « **Reply #9 on:** May 31, 2010, 20:24 »

Hiya,
I use untreated hardwood chips, they do appear to be more water resistant than bark although the chooks scratch around so well half of it ends up outside the run!
JaNe

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gravel as flooring?

brownp

gravel as flooring?

Chookiechook

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brownp

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GrannieAnnie

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Chookiechook

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wolverine

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gsc

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Craig69

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grumpydad

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jhub

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