[doganjo]

My hens are in half of my brick garage, with a concrete floor, with redundant galvanised dog run panels for their runs inside and out with a pop hole between, one side for hens, the other side hoping to have more ducks this year.  Netting over the top inside and out to deter Foxy. 

I lay pieces (about a square metre) of old tarp on the floor, overlapping it, and cover it with a light layer of chopped straw.  Pull the bits of tarp out(lighter weight than Lino which I used to use), shovel the chicken poo and straw mix into a wheel barrow ready for composting, hose down tarps, mop the floor with poultry disinfectant, remove wooden perches and spray with mitekill.  Seems to work.

[chrismahon]

The original creoSote is great, but word is it will soon be banned as it is so toxic. The DIY stuff is called creoCote and isn't much good for red mite I am told.


Anything that harbours red mite and can be inspected is good -early warning system. Staw is bad as they hide in the stems. Lino sounds good as it is easily lifted. Put potash (wood fire ash) or diatom/ diatomaceous earth (crushed sea shells) underneath to discourage red mite. The diatom cuts them up and the potash suffocates them. Well that's the theory anyway!

[doganjo]

Thanks for the tip about wood ash, Chris - got loads of that and was just going to use it for plants 

[happygolucky]

Oh, I often tip the wood ash in their bit of the garden but not in thier house......thanks for that..and yes!! I suppose it is the same stuff!!

[harry]

CRESOTE BANNED SOON better go and get a 20ltr drum soon it lasts years......wish i had got some sodium cholrite before they banned that (because it makes bombs) dam good ground clearence weed killer.   

[Brijjy]

Just ordered me 25ltrs of Traditional Creosote  for the new hen house when it's built.