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 Post subject: Dirt floors in pens
PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:29 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:12 am
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I have some new pens that aren't yet cemented & after the rain they are muddy & yuk. I had some course sand down but that just seems to have disappeared. What is the best way to surface them & keep them reasonably clean & have them not turn into a smelly mess in the mean time? I have litter in the shed section but the rest only has a wire roof, each pen is about 3m x 8m. Any ideas would be appreciated :)


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:01 pm 
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Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:33 pm
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Location: North Maclean 1/2 between Brisbane and Beaudesert
Lou, I have horses and use on the floors of my chook pens especially the outside the old sawdust out of the stables when I put in the new sawdust. But I know not everyone has that option but it works really well for me. If you have a horsey friend with stables you maybe able to cut a deal with them like "I will empty your stable if I can have the sawdust" I wouls certainly work for me. I find it very good to absorb the moisture and mixes down well with the mud giving a much better consistancy instead of sticky mud.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:45 pm 
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:23 pm
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Location: About mid-way between Ipswich and Toowoomba
Based on CLs suggestion, maybe grab a bale or two of the Hysorb (or whatever it's called) wood shavings from your local produce store and sprinkle that about. If it mixes with the mud and makes it even a little better, it's something. I guess deeper would be better if you can afford it.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:04 am 
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Thanks for that, I'll put in a bit more sand & then put the other on top I have a friend with a couple of horses, I think she just buys the wood shaving bales. Do you ever put down lime like in stables? I also have some bales of hay in the shed section for them to nest behind but the mice think all their Christmases have come at once, nice warm beds & laid on food, now they have started on the tail feathers.

I want to get some hay for the horses so went looking on the net to see what the best for paddock horses would be & found a site that said to store hay with salt sprinkled on & between the bales that it will keep the mice out of them, & that horses don't like hay that the mice have been around, so I'll try that in the shed section.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:25 am 
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Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:21 pm
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Location: Darlington, Western Australia
Lou - just reading your post that is a great tip about the salt on the hay! I am going to try that as I had noticed a couple of mice the other day when I was cleaning out my nesting boxes.
I also too have the same problem with dirt floors. Gets very wet and stinky in this weather! So it was with great interest I read your post.
Thanks!


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:27 am 
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Location: North Maclean 1/2 between Brisbane and Beaudesert
Yes I do use lime in the stables on the wet patches as it disinfects and deoderises. But I also use lime in the chooks pens as well when I clean them for the same reason and prinkle it on the floor before putting in new sawdust (or recycled from the horses). I don't use the wet sawdust from the stable as it is far too strong in amonia from the horses pee so that goes in the compost bin for a few months before going out as mulch.

Be careful if you use hay on the wet floor as it can go mouldy and that is then a real problem for the chooks. Better not to use hay if there is too much moisture around.

I bait my hay shed to keep the mice, rat and snakes down in numbers.

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County Lodge
Slave to 3 dogs, 4 horses, 1 foal, and of course, hubby. Keeper of Light Sussex, Cuckoo pekins, Lavender pekins, multicoloured pekins and silkies and now at long last Gold Partridge Brahmas


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:43 am 
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I only have the hay in the shed section, but have pulled some out that the chooks scatched out into the weather, it does'nt handle the wet.

With the baiting what do you use & is it anywhere near your chooks? I have been trapping & the other day the sussex roo had a dead mouse & the guineas where chasing him everywhere to steal it, so I would have to be careful with baits.

Also how much lime do you put down in your chook run & is it what they call brickies lime, I think it is garden lime that burns???? not sure which. :-?


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:50 am 
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Location: North Maclean 1/2 between Brisbane and Beaudesert
I only sprinkle it around. I use hydrated lime but I think you will find all lime will burn if too much gets on your skin as it is so alkaline. As the chooks scratch it around really quickly it never does any damage.

I use talon or rat sack. Then I use tin cans or drainage pipe to put my bait in so the dogs and the chooks can't get it and dispose of any dead creatures as soon as I see them before I let the chooks out. I do have baits set up along the back of my pen in pipes and tins set up under bricks with little ally ways for the rats and mice to get to the bait. I have not had a problem to date but I don't think I would like them to eat one.

My grain feeders in my pens are hung from the ceiling so up off the ground so mice and hopefully rats can't get to it and only what the chooks spill.

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County Lodge
Slave to 3 dogs, 4 horses, 1 foal, and of course, hubby. Keeper of Light Sussex, Cuckoo pekins, Lavender pekins, multicoloured pekins and silkies and now at long last Gold Partridge Brahmas


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 3:29 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:01 am
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I don't use lime anymore since I found the great benefits of Stalisan it's got a different name now I think it's sure clean? Might be wrong..will have to go have a look at it. Kills bugs and dries out bedding etc for calves and horses etc.
I use wood shavings very thickly in my pens as I found hay or straw allows the lice to live in it.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:10 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:13 pm
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I use wood chips and change them every 2 weeks and I haven't had any trouble :-D


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