chicken run floor

[finleyfreyaseth]

hi ive completed the run for my chickens and we all digging etc puttin in fencing its all very muddy i was hoping to have a delivery of wood chippins to put on floor which im gonna leave down and change frequently on my allotment but i got none at mo(its a case of gettin them when my mate can drop some off) but i got a very large amount of grass cuttings still green and fresh ,i was wondering if i can cover floor we these for time being or would it be a problem for hens? sorry if long winded

 

[Margaid]

Hi, I seem to remember Chuck posting that gras cuttings should only be given to hens if they were short and very fresh. They might be OK for 24 hours, then they will no longer be fresh so apparently not good for the hens to eat. I know you're not intending the cuttings as food but the hens may well eat them.

I don't know whether it may be better to just put up with the mud.

You might get more response if you move the post, or re-post under General Chickens.

 

[Marigold]

Good idea, Mrgaid, I've moved it as you suggest.

 

[finleyfreyaseth]

cheers

 

[karminski]

unless your run is completely covered with a solid roof so nothing gets wet then i would suggest you leave it as open soil its very very annoying when its muddy but its better then the constant changing of wood bark or chippings , i done the chippings an bark from a friend whos a tree surgeon and it was great for the first few months but it soon buries down and it time it will go mouldy which is not at all good for the birds. at the mo i am sweeping my run out as itsso dry but when its wet i really dread going in there but i try my hardest to stick to the paving slabs path but i have to admit its normally dry within 2 -3 days anyway .
also tried the membrane with wood chips on top but that made things worse and the soil went mouldy underneath when it got wet and the smell was unbearable which being on a allotment with other people wasnt a good thing .

forgot to add the grass cuttings would not be there in a few hours for you to worry about anyway :lol: :lol: they will be in the birds stomach if i even have one shred of cut grass on my boots when i go in my run i get hammered by all the birds :lol:

 

[Marigold]

I've never liked to give my hens more than a small handful or two of grass.cuttings-as an occasional treat, because I've read that more than this may cause them to gorge themselves and get impacted crops. Don't know if this is so, but it seemed possible so I've never risked it.