Kitchen Areas?

PixieStix

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:08 pm


So, I'm soon going to be redesigning my pigs' cage. I'm planning on making it a single level, but the bottom level being larger than the cage they're in now (2x4 L shaped bottom with a loft). I'm debating making part of it a kitchen area with disposable bedding most likely, where they can have a hayrack and hay on the ground, as well as water and pellets. I know many of you have kitchen areas, what do you prefer about them? How big do you suggest for the kitchen? For the size you have, how often do you do a full cleanout of it? What's the entrance to the area (a doorway in the coro, a 'scoop' out of it, a fiddle stix bridge?) so that the hay/bedding doesn't get tracked all over the fleece? And any other thoughts.

I think it would be a great idea to have a kitchen to help control mess. Right now I'm using a litter box with a hay rack over it, and the whole front part of the cage gets covered in hay as they like to play in it and pull it down. My concern is however- if the kitchen is a seperate box of coroplast, does that not take away from lap running space and room for hideys, etc? Or is this not that big a deal. Like I said, I'm hoping the bottom will be pretty large, so they'll still have space, but I'm just trying to decide if I want a kitchen or not.

One quick, off topic question- the new cage will be open topped, as the dogs aren't allowed in the room it's going in. They've always been in closed cages, though I haven't noticed any climbing or anything on grids. But they do like to shuffle the pigloo around all the time, and have climbed up on it in the past (they go through 'phases' where they do stuff like that). I can keep their other hidey's away from the edges, but has anyone ever had a pigloo-escape problem? Any solution other than to make the edges higher or take away the pigloo?

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Jasmaya

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:19 pm


I attempted a kitchen area on the bottom floor a few months ago using cloroplast with a little doorway cut out. I also left about an inch height for them to jump over as I was hoping the carefresh/aspen would scrape off of their bottoms and only a minimal amount would end up on the fleece. Unfortunately a LOT ended up ALL over the fleece! hehe. So that is why I moved into the second level hayloft kitchen area, so now the disposable bedding is mostly left down the removable carpeted ramp rather than on the fleece... much, much better in my opinion :)

Either way, I have always had a positive experience with a kitchen area. It does help with some of their elimination but you know piggies, they still go potty everywhere!

Oh and in relation the question about the space: If it is a closed off area, it technically does remove from the running space but considering you are expanding that should be just fine. My kitchen area for 2 girls is a 1x2 space and works out just fine although bigger is always better I'm sure!

Best of luck with the interior decorating!!!

natrat65

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:29 pm


I have a 1x2 kitchen area with a fiddle stick bridge. I put carefresh in it , the rest of the cage is fleece. Works very well for me.

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:35 pm


I use a second level as the hayloft - a 1x2. I fill that with disposable bedding, and leave the lower level in fleece.

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Feylin

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:51 pm


I know there are several people here who have kitchen areas. JennG and WEAVER are the first to come to mind.

I fail at them, though. Carefresh and hay EVERYWHERE. It got rediculous and nothing I did stopped it. I tried the following things, maybe you'll be better at it.

-Really high sides with a brick step on the outside.
-Little rag rugs around the kitchen area to catch extra.
- Less carefresh
-hay in racks.

I had to put up a second level hay loft. It's the only thing that works and I still get carefresh and hay tracked all down the ramp.

cutemomomi
Obey My Authority

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:15 pm


Feylin, funny, I am experiencing the exact opposite now with our kitchen.
I never understood the "concept" of a "kitchen", we only had haybins before and never had a kitchen - kitchen.

This is our first try at a kitchen, and I find it makes such a difference with the mess around the cage.

For example, their veggie/pellet bowls are also int he kitchen, so right after they eat, the potty in the kitchen area and not in the "living" area.

I find myself almost can go a whole day without spot cleaning their poops because they toilet mostly after they eat.
Okok, I better stop now, before I jinx it and Mitzy start clanging the hayrack again.

This is our current set up - kitchen, left 2*2, Living, right, 2*4
Fleecey living.
Image
Carefresh kitchen
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Last edited by cutemomomi on Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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camende
Supporter 08-09 & 11-13

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:16 pm


I have used all carefresh and then switched to all fleece. Since I got back from vacation in June, I have been doing a combination of fleece and carefresh.

I am using fleece/mattress pad strips that I can change out really fast and the "kitchen area" has carefresh. So far, I am loving the combination of the two. I now find that the hay stays in the kitchen area. With 100% fleece bedding, the girls would drag the hay all over. The hay was really hard to get off the fleece.

Anyway, now, even though the carefresh gets on the fleece, it is soooooo much easier to get the carefresh off the fleece then it was to get the hay off....I do have a plastic brush that works well.

By using a combination of both carefresh and fleece, you get the advantages of both and elimination most of the disadvantages...

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Feylin

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:09 pm


Momo, that kitchen bin would not stop mine from dragging the carefresh and hay all the way to the other end of the cage. Really, I dont know why we can't do that nicely like everyone else's pigs! I just keep the hay and veggies up in the hay loft with the carefresh and clean the ramp frequently.

Also, how'd you train the pigs to only potty after eating? Mine do not stop the poop for anything!

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Maria1986

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:26 pm


Mine lay under the hayrack to eat but they also poop and pee lots so I put a litter tray of aspen underneath and change at least once a day. It is easier to spot clean like that then straight off the fleece. They poop everywhere else too, but there just seems to be a higher concentration of poop per square inch right by the hayrack!

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WEAVER
one pig at a time.

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:31 pm


Mine do go poop anywhere and everywhere, but they seem to mainly use the kitchen areas to pee, or their beds so their fleece in their cages stay more dry. I think the kitchen areas make a HUGE difference and keeps the smell down.

My larger cages have kitchen areas...
Image

The smaller cages have coroplast pans that I made...
Image

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WEAVER
one pig at a time.

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:41 pm


Momo, slightly off topic, but where did you get the flower mirror? I have just round ones, but I LOVE the flower. That is just too cute!

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JennG
In Memory of Mama

Post   » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:49 pm


I've had several different kitchen areas over the years. This is my current set up for my herds.

It's pretty much a kitty litter box w/ a layer of puppy pad, newspaper, aspen & carefresh.
Image

Here's an older kitchen area that I used coroplast walls to keep everything in but I pretty much used the same layers-puppy pads, newspaper, aspen & carefresh.
Image

Here's another kitchen area:
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