The Poultry Keeper The Independent Forum for Poultry Keepers    FAQ   Search     Register   Log in  First of many questions... Goto page Previous  1, 2          The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Feeding and Housing Author Message Dusty Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 919 Location: St. Asaph Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:17 pm    Post subject: Hi and welcome to the forum. I have Black Rocks (my first chooks) and a couple of Barbu D'uccles. The BR are so friendly and easy to look after they are brill for first birds. I have a large pen for when we're away overnight but the rest of the time mine usually free range. The pen soon became like a mud bath and the girls were not happy. A friend of mine who has had chickens for years suggested I put builders sharp sand down in the pen. It's been brilliant, they take themselves into the pen about an hour before bed time and have fun scratching around. It's solved the problem of having mud underfoot even through torrential rain. If they are in the pen for a couple of days I just chuck some corn and other seeds in for them to scratch around. and give the surface a rake over once a week and they rush in to check for bugs Enjoy your BR they are chatty and socialble Back to top milomims Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 33 Location: suffolk Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 8:53 am    Post subject: crazypianolady wrote: A wire hanging basket to put fresh greens in for them to peck at. I hang mine from a clothes line prop put into the soil at an angle, so it hangs free. Keeps them busy for ages! I never thought of using a hanging basket, great idea! We are so close now. we just have to put the door in and finish the nest boxes, im so excited and im hoping i will be able to post pics at the weekend Cath Back to top nigel Moderator Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 2473 Location: Skåne, Sweden Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:02 pm    Post subject: If it gets too muddy add some woodchip [not bark*] for them to scratch. Like the stuff they have in adventure playgrounds, sometimes available at DIY stores or from a friendly neighbourhood tree surgeon. If this gets too messy it can either go on the compost heap or in bags to go to the tip * I don't like bark because it's softer and breaks down much more quickly. Back to top milomims Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 33 Location: suffolk Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:47 am    Post subject: Dusty wrote: Hi and welcome to the forum. The pen soon became like a mud bath and the girls were not happy. A friend of mine who has had chickens for years suggested I put builders sharp sand down in the pen. Enjoy your BR they are chatty and socialble Hi Dusty and thanks for your welcome, i must have missed this post in all my excitement Thats a great idea, i would never have imagined that the birds would like it, although i suppose it wouldnt be gritty to them? Do you have plants in your pen? Is there anything to plant which they wouldnt wreck but enjoy nibbling? Or is that a daft question? Cath Back to top milomims Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 33 Location: suffolk Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:50 am    Post subject: nigel wrote: If it gets too muddy add some woodchip [not bark*] for them to scratch. Like the stuff they have in adventure playgrounds, sometimes available at DIY stores or from a friendly neighbourhood tree surgeon. If this gets too messy it can either go on the compost heap or in bags to go to the tip Thanks Nigel, we have had way too much rain here lately, but the ground still seems to be be solid at the moment, i suppose it wont take long fro them to tear it up.Im hoping they will make it nice and fertile, its useless ground for anything else. Cath Back to top crazypianolady Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 756 Location: Nottinghamshire Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:09 am    Post subject: Glad you like the idea of the hanging basket, I can't take the credit for it though - the suggestion came from Bhindi originally! Back to top Kitsune Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1402 Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:07 am    Post subject: just another note on woodchip vs bark - bark chippings are much more likely to harbour harmful fungi if they get damp and mouldy than woodchip. Back to top milomims Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 33 Location: suffolk Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:18 pm    Post subject: Kitsune wrote: just another note on woodchip vs bark - bark chippings are much more likely to harbour harmful fungi if they get damp and mouldy than woodchip. Hi, im so so glad i found this site, im learning so much. You are right, i have bark in some areas of my garden and it does go rotten and smelly.I just never thought of it. When you say woodchippings, how big should the chippings be? Thanks Cath Back to top nigel Moderator Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 2473 Location: Skåne, Sweden Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:05 pm    Post subject: milomims wrote: When you say woodchippings, how big should the chippings be? Thanks Cath I like the chunky stuff so it last a long time,I've never really measured it but something around 2-3 inches long and around an inch across. Back to top milomims Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 33 Location: suffolk Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:05 am    Post subject: [quote="nigel I like the chunky stuff so it last a long time,I've never really measured it but something around 2-3 inches long and around an inch across.[/quote] Thanks Nigel Cath Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First         The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Feeding and Housing All times are GMT + 1 Hour Goto page Previous  1, 2 Page 2 of 2 Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group