Weed suppressant fabric?

[aart]

Curious about your keeping rabbits in there.....do they not dig out?

 

[blackdog043]

I am getting more wood chip delivered on Wednesday so may go some way towards the 'deep litter method' at least. I'm not sure it will reach quite the depth mentioned but we'll see how it goes. I can always add more later.

Your on the right track. Deep litter doesn't smell if it's done right and won't be an eyesore for you hubby, but you should add a 1 x 6 or 8 to contain it. The chickens will break everything down to smaller pieces as you throw it in there. Like mentioned in another post, just start adding yard waste and other stuff that works in the DL method as needed or becomes available.
Also for your coop I would recommend a poop board with 1/2 - 3/4's inch of sweet PDZ, because they poop a lot at night, while roosting. Then daily, scoop the poop with a cat litter scoop. I don't know if you used one, with your other chickens, but this will keep your coop from smelling bad and you should only have to clean the coop out once a year. You can add a little fresh bedding as needed to freshen it up. Are you building your own coop?

 

[happyhens1972]

Curious about your keeping rabbits in there.....do they not dig out?

The pens were purpose built for the rabbits so underneath the weed suppressant, there is a layer of mesh wire which would prevent them digging out if they tried but actually, they never have. It is generally only females that really dig (as they do all the digging in nature) but mine is a great, big, lazy dollop of a French Lop who can barely be bothered to hop to her bowl some days, never mind dig out! The mesh wire completely covers the floor area and is then 'tied in' to a 45 cm 'skirt' that goes outside of the perimeter of the pen and is buried under the turf, to equally prevent foxes or badgers from digging IN! Add the six inch kick board which goes all the way around the perimeter, on top of the 'join' between the floor wire and the skirt wire and we are pretty secure! Just to make it clear, the pen is split in half down the middle and the rabbits will live in one half and the chickens in the other....they will not be living together. I can't imagine the rabbits' giant fluffy feet would stay very clean if sharing space with the poopy chickens so the rabbits would be constantly ingesting poop as they washed....ewwww!

Your on the right track. Deep litter doesn't smell if it's done right and won't be an eyesore for you hubby, but you should add a 1 x 6 or 8 to contain it. The chickens will break everything down to smaller pieces as you throw it in there. Like mentioned in another post, just start adding yard waste and other stuff that works in the DL method as needed or becomes available.
Also for your coop I would recommend a poop board with 1/2 - 3/4's inch of sweet PDZ, because they poop a lot at night, while roosting. Then daily, scoop the poop with a cat litter scoop. I don't know if you used one, with your other chickens, but this will keep your coop from smelling bad and you should only have to clean the coop out once a year. You can add a little fresh bedding as needed to freshen it up. Are you building your own coop?

Sadly, I am in the UK and can't get Sweet PDZ...it sounds like fantastic stuff and I'd be peachy keen to get it but we can, in fact, only import it from the States at ridiculous expense. I have looked around for something similar to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm listening!

This is my coop (in my previous chicken pen)..


It's a very well built, solid little house but is a bit of a pain to clean. Back then, I used to used shredded paper as bedding and clean it out every three or four days...we had the paper in abundance so it was no biggy. The coop has a poop board that has to slide out of the side of the house but I had considered making a sand tray, if only I can find a suitable freshener for it as sand on it's own would soon smell.

 

[aart]

The pens were purpose built for the rabbits so underneath the weed suppressant, there is a layer of mesh wire

Great, sounds nice and predator proof for the birds!
What size mesh and how deep is it buried?

Sadly, I am in the UK and can't get Sweet PDZ

Search for 'zeolite'....I know someone over there found some, can't remember what market it was sold in EI: animal care, or gardening minerals or.....?

 

[lazy gardener]

Personally, I'd pull that landscaping fabric out before putting more wood chips down. That stuff is nasty, and your chooks will eat it. It could easily cause a blockage. I would pull it, and be sure to remove all the landscaping staples. THEN, add more wood chips, and other yard debris including grass clippings, leaves, garden debris, coop litter, hay... with the aim to make the litter 6" deep in that area.

 

[happyhens1972]

Great, sounds nice and predator proof for the birds!
What size mesh and how deep is it buried?

The mesh inside the pen, is 16 guage, is not buried, it lays directly on top of the soil, underneath the weed suppressant. The mesh on the outside of the pen is tied into the floor mesh, is pinned down by the kickboards and is buried under the turf, about 3 inches down and travels outwards for 45cm. It isn't chciken mesh though, it's actually 50mm stock fencing....not a fox on the planet could dig or chew through that, besides, foxes will naturally dig at the base of a fence, rather than move 18 inches back from it to dig a hole. Thankfully though, I don't get foxes anymore as we have alpacas and they keep the foxes away.

I know people will say that the mesh should be buried down 18 inches or whatever, before turning outwards and that a fox could easily get past the alpacas but we have kept rabbits in these pens for the past two years, an equally inviting meal for Mr Reynard, and yet not had a scratch, a dig, a chew, never seen scat, nor hide nor hair of a fox in all that time. Before the 'pacas, we used to see foxes at least once or twice a week. Since their arrival...not a one!

Search for 'zeolite'....I know someone over there found some, can't remember what market it was sold in EI: animal care, or gardening minerals or.....?

Thank you so much for this tip....just bought some zeolite and I'll see how it goes. Do you use it on its own or mix it with sand or what? xxx

 

[aart]

The mesh inside the pen, is 16 guage, is not buried, it lays directly on top of the soil, underneath the weed suppressant. The mesh on the outside of the pen is tied into the floor mesh, is pinned down by the kickboards and is buried under the turf, about 3 inches down and travels outwards for 45cm. It isn't chciken mesh though, it's actually 50mm stock fencing....not a fox on the planet could dig or chew through that, besides, foxes will naturally dig at the base of a fence, rather than move 18 inches back from it to dig a hole. Thankfully though, I don't get foxes anymore as we have alpacas and they keep the foxes away.

I know people will say that the mesh should be buried down 18 inches or whatever, before turning outwards and that a fox could easily get past the alpacas but we have kept rabbits in these pens for the past two years, an equally inviting meal for Mr Reynard, and yet not had a scratch, a dig, a chew, never seen scat, nor hide nor hair of a fox in all that time. Before the 'pacas, we used to see foxes at least once or twice a week. Since their arrival...not a one!

Thank you so much for this tip....just bought some zeolite and I'll see how it goes. Do you use it on its own or mix it with sand or what? xxx

I used to mix it with sand, until I couldn't find decent sand anymore, long story. I just use the PDZ now.

Kind of agree with LG on removing the fabric...am torn about it, as your fabric might become. The mesh should be buried at least 6" or more, chickens can dig pretty deep and that mesh might hurt their feet.

Apron mesh(outside of enclosure) is fine(better I think) close to surface.

 

[Chickassan]

I'd go ahead and pull up the fabric, the chickens are going to do it for you anyway...ask my strawberry garden how i know.

 

[OzarkF&G]

I don't see anywhere that you are not going to free range in addition to the run. Are you planning to leave them full time in the run? If so, the remove the block and fill with stuff is going to be necessary.

If not, then pull it and don't waste your money or time on refilling. The chickens will have it to bare dirt in two months being confined. No weed will grow. You could make grow boxes that have hardware cloth tops so the grass grows through and the chickens can mow down to the wire, but you would have to fertilize that box and use a weed killer to prevent hemlock. Or plant a heavy grass like zozia that blocks weeds.

I'd strip it and free range. best of both that way. and yeah, easy 30 chicks in there.
Really nice frame work you guys did as well.