Testimonials
17th Mar 2011
Hello Alison,
Many thanks for such an enjoyable course on Sunday we both had a marvelous time & learnt so much - it was great having the 'hands on' plus delicious refreshments.
Both looking forward to having our own chickens !
Once again - many thanks,
Marian & Andy
Chicken Keeper Course
Home > Mud Managemet > Looking after rubber chippings
Looking after rubber chippings
Here are some tips for keeping your pen fresh and the rubber chippings as good as new. The rubber is solid, which makes it hygienic as it does not absorb any element of the chicken poo that lands on it, but they do absorb heat, making them dry off quickly and very pleasant for the chickens to walk on and bathe in.
However, the rubber chippings do need looking after regularly as chickens produce a huge amount of poo! Poo is water soluble and regular hosing down will keep the rubber chippings free moving and clean. An ordinary hose is best as pressure washers tend to spray the chippings everywhere and splash the poo all around as well.
When you lay the mesh and the rubber chippings down, provide ahead for a drain to allow the poo dissolved water out of the pen. If the water cannot drain out it will slowly drain down through the mesh and leave the poo behind, much where it was in the first place. Water runs naturally downhill, so if there is any slope on the pen at all, use it to help the hose water drain away. If not, then scrape a section of rubber chippings away from a corner before you start using the hosepipe and push them back afterwards. Or it might just be the case of propping the corner of the run on a brick to let the water run out and then taking the brick away again.
If poo is allowed to build up there will be two different consequences, depending on the weather.
With long dry spells the poo can harden in the sun and the chippings can become matted together. All is not lost if this happens as the rubber chippings are solid and so have not absorbed any of the poo. Although the chippings appear to be matted together, one good hosing down should loosen the hard bits and started to soften them. A second go with the hose should produce better results. If not, the matted area will just be a top layer and should lift off in lumps, leaving clean chippings underneath. Break the matted lumps up and soak them in a bucket and the poo will eventually soften up enough to release its hold on the chippings. Once the chippings are free, pour the poo water in the bucket on any area of the garden that need fertilising!
In wet weather a build up of poo can start to smell. If you get a Miracle Grow attachment for the hose and fill the bottle with Jeyes fluid or Barrier V1 instead of Miracle Grow you can dial up the concentration of disinfectant as you hose the chippings down and that will stop any unpleasant smell dead.
However, prevention is much better than cure. Regular hosing down will keep the run clean and fresh.
Chicken Keeper Book
Chicken Keeping is a joy. You will have a constant supply of the most yummy eggs you have ever had and the fun of watching your hen’s personalities develop as they go about their day, chatting to each other whilst looking for tasty morsels in the ground. I want to encourage every one who is considering keeping a few chickens in the garden to take the plunge and go for it. You will be amazed at how friendly and tame the chickens become and how much fun they are to have around.
I originally wrote this book to accompany the Chicken Keeper courses I run, but it has now grown to a point where it has become a book in its own right and I hope it will both inspire you to order your hen house now and reassure you that you will be able to cope with all eventualities in this most rewarding of hobbies.
The book is £9.50 with free P&P or collect from Hook Farm for Alison to personalise it to you. If ordering for postage, please send a cheque, payable to Hook Farm, to Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ.