thoramay
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suitable flooringstarting to keep chicken. The run will be fixed. What is the best type of flooring...earth...straw..gravel..sharp sand...or can you advise. Concerned that an earth run would quickly be messy in wet weather.
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ksia
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Mum and dad used to have an earth run which worked fine. I guess it depends how many chicks you've got for the area of run.
Ours run free so the flooring is anything they can get on!
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welsh veg grower
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lots of people use bark
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Gervase
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We use bark - about a fiver for a trailer-full from the local sawmill.
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LynneA
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I thought bark was not advisable because of the risk of fungal spores.
I was planning to keep myself busy reseeding a rough lawn in rotatio, but as we get tree shreddings delivered to the allotment for free I may consider that.
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goosey
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Mine have a large pen on the ground. (3 chooks on 18ftx15ft)
When we had a lot of rain last winter, they were a bit fed up with the wet, so I put straw down. I changed it for fresh stuff every week, and they liked scratching about in it. When the ground dried up I took it out.
I change to a new area sometimes.
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thoramay
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thanks for your comments, please keep them coming. The area to be used is underlying rubble which would give very good drainage. I had thought of using half soil and half sharp sand or builders ballast. My concern is the welfare of the birds and so I need to get it right from the start. Regards Thoramay.
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Bebo
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Earth or grass is fine. Grass won't last long if you have a lot of birds and mud is bad. Bark is OK, as is gravel. We also use straw on concrete in a deep bed system.
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