Keeping the run clean

[JoanneB]

Hi, I have recently gone back to keeping hens and have a run in which I am using Auboise as the floor covering. I see lots of people on here talk about poo picking so I was wondering those people who use Auboise in their runs, how do you go about keeping it clean? How often do you poo pick and what do you use to do it and how often do you change the Auboise in the run?
Thanks in advance

 

[Icemaiden]

Hi Joanne.
I have aubiose in the coop & I put a little on the earth floor when it gets a bit muddy.

Every day I pick up the poo from inside the coop & off the floor of the run. I have a bucket & trowel that I keep for the purpose & wear a plastic glove on one hand. The contents of the bucket go onto the compost heap - aubiose & chicken poo make fantastic compost!

When I clean out the coop, I poo pick first & then use the remaining fairly clean aubiose out of the coop to put on the floor of the run in the winter. (I tend not to in the summer in case of red mite.) It breaks down on it's own on the run floor, so it doesn't need removing, as there's not that much of it.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tweetypie]

Hi Joanne

I have rubber sheeting on the floor of the coop and on top of that I use dust extracted Raviera rape straw (horse bedding) on the floor. Its easy to pick up the poop when wearing gloves, or use a small trowel like Icemaiden mentioned. Once in a while, I remove the rubber sheet and hose it down.

My run is predominantly slabs, so I scoop up the poop every day with shovel and scraper and hose it down. Easy peasy They have a very large dustbath, which I rake across and scoop it out with a trowel.

Got the rubber matting off ebay:

 

[Marigold]

That rubber sheeting looks lovely but you could also use permeable weed proof membrane, pegged down round the edges, which is much cheaper and lasts a very long time.