what bedding do you use in the hen house and in the run?

[amummyinwaiting]

I'm missing out on something!
Have tried newspaper, saw dust, hay and straw. Whats best. Ideally would like to clean out once a week but we're having to do there house every day at the mo.
Whats auboise like?Is it expensive?
How often do you clean them out?

I use hemcore/auboise and shredded paper in the nestbox. The hemp means it keeps clean and smell free a lot longer

I use newspaper covered with wood shavings. Apparently you shouldn't use hay as it releases dust which can lead to lung problems.

I think we just have very mucky chickens! What do you both use in your run?

Mine are on grass as they are only in the run on very rare occasions. Before we moved they were ina covered walk in run and we used hemcore.auboise

Ours are in a run, due to main road, precious veg patch and foxes. At least half the run is made up of compost heaps. There is access to the outside though which we throw all the garden waste/kitchen scraps and the chickens love scratcging through this and eating much of it. The rest is bare earth which I dig over when it gets too compacted.

Henhouse - aubiose or hemp, depending what i can get. We do clean it out daily, ie. poo-pick and do a full clear everything out clean once a month or so. Our run is on grass (aaargh!) but they don't get locked in it as they have a large f/r area ... run itself still gets mucky with them going back and forth to henhouse so we just keep moving it around to different areas.

Aubiose/hemcore is expensive but my God, once you have used it - you never go back! We try wood shavings for our first bedding - yuck - it got slimy and damp - the worst things for chickens as it produces damp spores. Straw is OK but you do have to be careful - some chickens eat it. Hay may attract rats. But more importantly - straw can harbour red mites. Once damp - it's pretty horrible too.

Aubiose is miraculous - it's very very absorbent..the poo will conveniently clump so that you can poo-pick....plus you don't have to change it very often...

I would sleep on it - it's so good!

Where do you buy Aubiose from? What kind of places? I was using hardwood chips in the coop, but have just gone onto plain concrete now and rinse it down each night, then sprinkle to Stalosan F.

The run is made up of concrete slabs and earth spread with woodchips.

I use newspaper and straw in their sleeping quarters.

I use woodshavings in the nest box (changed weekly), a layer of newspaper under the perch (changed every other day) and equestrian bedding in the slabbed run (changed every 6-8 weeks).

I put newspaper down in the bottom of the house, and have straw or hay stuff in the nest box.
I change the newspaper every 4/5 days with 2 hens, although only had 1 for a month and been doing it once a week, now got 3 so will see how often that needs doing.

House lined with newspaper, woodshavings in nest box, wood chip in run, I clean oout once a week and rake run over, chuck manky wood chip oout about oince a month.

Aubiose is used for horses....so try tack shops....

I use Easibed, which is very like Aubiose (slimilar price although slightly cheaper). It's also for horses and it's marvellous stuff.

House - wood shavings. Nest boxes - barley straw. Run - was lawn, but has been scratched and pecked to bare earth.

11 girls, clean out once a week with poo removal from nest boxes every other day or so. My kids love cleaning days :)

we use straw in the nest box, newspaper under the perches (taken out every day and replaced) and in the run, it's just bare soil.

We do poo pick every day, though - jsut an old fire shovel and a stick.

The ground gets turned over completely every 6 motnhs or so, and there's a plastic roof over part of the run, because rain and poo is not a nice mix!