I'm an Aubiose convert!!!

[Poppy7]

The girls love it!!! I bought a bale yesterday and today put it on the floor inside their coop when I cleaned it out. With all of the rain their run has got a bit wet in places. I was planning on lining it with wood chippings in the future but the Aubiose works wonders! They love scratching around in it and my Serama girl has been sleeping on it in the outside run for ages today!

Their run door is open so they can free range the garden but they are choosing to scratch and lay in the Aubiose instead I've barely touched a bag either. A bale is going to go a long way and it smells lovely.

I would recommend it to any of you guys. It was only £9 ish for a large bale which is great value.

 

[Marigold]

Yes it's super stuff, isn't it? I also find it doesn't go mouldy when wet like wood chippings do. My run is covered but there is one corner where the rain sometimes blows in and the bedding gets wet, but it dries out again. And the poos which I miss because they got scratched under, just seem to dry out and then surface eventually as desiccated and harmless crispy bits!

 

[karlooben]

i tried aubriose as i used it for the horses but for me i didnt like it , i have also tried one thats the same as aubriose { minus the dust found aubriose to be to dusty } just a different name and about £3.00 cheaper per bale but i have gone of that as well so i back to using paper again well until i change my mind :lol: :lol: paper drys the dropping out really quickly as well .
i'm still in 2 minds wether to put deep litter down in the runs for the girls its ok adding one bag in but to clear it out you end up with about 6 bags 05 and although i am on the allotments every few people want the manure so i end up with bags of it laying around which annoys me .

 

[Poppy7]

I can't believe how well the Aubiose is dealing with the wet. We've had torrential rain in Devon and the girls are enjoying a break from the mud. I'm not deep littering with the Aubiose, jut using it as a base layer on the mud that I will clean out and top up weekly. The girls are back snuggled up on it again now 17

I used to use cut cardboard for my horse karloobean. It was very small squares of cardboard and totally dust free and was perfect for my horse who had COPD. I tried loads of different bedding options for him, some of which were very costly 11 but cardboard came out on top. My livery owner who was a farmer wasn't overly impressed with the cardboard on the muck heap but it really did rot down just as well as the straw (and much faster than shavings).

For now though I'm hooked on Aubiose for my three chooks. They're happy which means I am too

 

[Marigold]

As you say your run has an earth base, it would be well worth your while to cover it with permeable landscape fabric, well pegged down round the edges. This will be soft and warm underfoot and will prevent them from scratching earth up into the Aubiose and making it muddy. Mine has been down for nearly 4 years now and it never seems to wear out, so long as its covered in whatever you use for bedding.
Any sort of bedding will also last longer if the run is roofed and therefore dry. After several years of just having a mesh roof, last summer I gave in and got it covered in corrugated plastic panels. The difference is incredible - not only is the floor dry and comfortable, but it's just so nice to go in there when the winter weather is horrible, and find dry, fluffy, contented hens, and not have rain dripping down my neck when I see to them. When I started on Aubiose I put in a really deep layer, mainly because I had accidentally ordered twice as much as I needed, not knowing how big the bales would be, and had no room to store all the spares. But I've come to the conclusion that actually it lasts longer if its deep, I just pick up quite a small amount each day, mainly coated poo rather than bedding, and very seldom need to actually crack open another bale.

 

[Poppy7]

Thanks Marigold. We are in the process of renovating our back garden so I didn't want to do anything too permanent to the run. When we do I will definitely put a layer between the Aubiose and earth.

One end of the run is covered but the other end is open.....corrugated plastic sheets sounds like a great idea. Thanks 17