The Poultry Keeper

buzz123 · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Posts: 16

Hi All

Well my 3 girls have been with us since saturday,and now i must decide what to do!.

I keep them in an outside run at the moment and they have now turned my grass into a bit of a waste land but they seem to like scratching about in it,i want to keep them in the same spot for now but do i .......

1 leave it as it is just soil.

2 Put wood chips down.

3 Put straw down.

4 Any other ideas.

Any ideas or thoughts most welcome not just on this subject but anything that might be of interest and help to a first timer .

By the way what is AVC i keep seeing it mentioned a lot - And what is it good for?.

Thanks Again

Buzz123

Knobby · Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 7:15 pm Post subject:

How big is the space they are in.....one of my Pens is just soil at the moment....but...............Im pretty confident within the next few weeks, grass should start growing quicker than they can ruin it !!!

buzz123 · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Posts: 16

Hi

The run is 6ft by 4ft then i have the coop attached to one end,i am thinking of letting them have full run of the garden sometime in the future but only when i am about

Cheers

Buzz123

CP · Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 7:55 pm Post subject:

There are probably loads of references to ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) on the forum.

Read this thread to give you an idea.

http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=4480

And I think there is something in the Poultry Wiki about it too (link at the top of the page)

richard · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 258 Location: somerset

Hi Buzz,
You can do any of your first 3 suggestions. If the run is covered, the soil will stay dry and you will find that they take a dust bath in it, which they enjoy and it's good for them. Keeps pests away. Very Happy

Richard.

buzz123 · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Posts: 16

Cheers Richard

The run is not covered as such, if it rains the ground does get wet the chickens have a small area to shelter or they go into the coop.

Thanks

buzz123

Diane · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 276 Location: Dorset

My run is similar to yours - and I have covered it over now - stays dry and not so smelly. The area where the hen house is (attached to the run) is on paving slabs.

fenwoman · Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 10:17 pm Post subject:

mojo · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 9:10 am Post subject:

the grade i use for gravel is 10/20 and i try to get granite when i renew it yearly,dont accept limestone its too soft.................mojo

richard · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 258 Location: somerset

Actually, after reading Fenwomans advice on another thread, I now have a layer of straw in my run, but, they can't have a dustbath in straw so even though your run is fairly small, you only have 3 chooks so it won't get too messy, especially if they've got the run of the garden too, and if you have a covered area that stays dry, they can roll around there. I put a separate dust bath in the run, filled with fine sand, the rest is straw. Very Happy