Floor covering for chicken run.

[allycart]

Hi, i,m currently (my hubby) is currently building me a large run for my 3 girls but i,m stuck as to what to lay on the ground as it is slabbed , ive heard rubber chippings is a great idea as its kind to their feet , soft , warm , easy to clean and keep fresh . It is quite expensive apparently but once its down its there for a long time. Does anyone already use these rubber chippings who could advise me on this ? would be much appreciated

 

[Folly's place]

If the concrete is in good shape, just use deep shavings on top. I had issues with a broken-up concrete floor in my coop, and covered it with stall mats and then deep litter. I wouldn't use chopped rubber! Mary

 

[MySweetChickens]

i just use wood shavings and clean it out in the spring and at the end of fall

 

[yyz0yyz0]

I agree with the statement to stay away from the rubber, you probably want something that is disposable. That way when it's cleaning time you can just shovel it all out and start fresh.

Pine shavings will work well and hold up for a long time. Things like leaves or straw could also be used but they won't last long, the chickens will shred them to dust in a short time compared to the pine shavings. I use pine shavinges in my coop and my run is dirt. The pine in my coop is over 1 year old and it's still in really good shape. This was my first spring with the run and I found it kind of messy as the snow melted so I had several bales of straw laying around and I took half a bale and threw it in the run. The girls spread it all out and it helped with the mess but it was pretty chopped up after a couple weeks. So now I throw a 1/4 bale in there once a week and let them play with it then rake it up for the compost pile before adding more. Doing it that way helps keep the run odor down as most of the poop gets removed with the straw.

If you want to try straw and you have a way to transport it, keep your eyes open this fall. Many businesses use bales of straw around halloween time as decorations. Last fall I stopped and asked at a few places and they were more than happy to have me haul it away when they were done with it as a decoration. I ended up with 26bales free, kept it covered from the weather and I'm still using it.

Whatever you choose you may find you need to build a border around the run to keep the material from being kicked out through the fence. Even with chicken wire around the bottom of my run I get straw outside the run all the time, pine shavings would be the same I assume.

 

[RonP]

Run floor - wood chips, used pine shavings, dried leaves, yard waste, and basically anything biodegradable - free - 8 - 24 inches deep - composted black gardeners gold gets kicked out of 1/2 hardware fencing and disappears. Level seems to remain constant. Chickens love to dig craters and distribute it for me. I just routinely dump a garbage can full of "browns" into the run. Haven't cleaned it, ever. No mud, bugs, or smell.

 

[aart]

Hi, i,m currently (my hubby) is currently building me a large run for my 3 girls but i,m stuck as to what to lay on the ground as it is slabbed , ive heard rubber chippings is a great idea as its kind to their feet , soft , warm , easy to clean and keep fresh . It is quite expensive apparently but once its down its there for a long time. Does anyone already use these rubber chippings who could advise me on this ? would be much appreciated

So the run 'floor' is a concrete slab?

What is your location? You can put it in your profile as it helps folks give better advice.
Will your run be covered with a solid roof?

 

[allycart]

Hi, thanks for taking an interest in my dilemma, I still am enquiring in rubber chippings as its a new thing here at the moment and people are bragging it up as the next best thing , anyway , yes my run will be covered over with a solid roof , the area is completely slabbed and in good condition with a gutter which will be running along side of the run , great drainage for hosing down the run, i,m still not sure what to cover the run with , any idea?

 

[aart]

I'd be afraid they might eat the rubber chippings, whether it would hurt them I'm not sure but I wouldn't want my chickens eating it in case it might cause an impaction of crop, gizzard or intestine. Just because it's the newest big thing, doesn't mean it's always a good idea in every application. Rubber chippings are a great recycling idea, used on playgrounds and garden mulch here. Haven't really read up on them to know the pros and cons tho.

The biggest con to concrete(haha) is that chickens naturally scratch in the ground for bugs.
No matter what you put in there, unless it's a foot deep, they will scratch thru it down to the concrete.....you won't have a problem with long toenails tho...lol.

You need to think about the poop that will accumulate and how you will manage that.
A biodegradable material would probably work best if you don't plan on picking up poops.

Or sand might be an option if you have good drainage off the slab, you'd have to build up the sides of the run to hold a good 3-4 inches of clean, coarse sand.
Sand works pretty good to sift poops out of if you have the right tool too do so.

You might have to try one and be ready for plan B if the first doesn't work out.
JMO

 

[scootchick]

My run was originally a mixture of sand, dirt and wood chips. As my pullets have been out there for a month I decided to give the run a cleaning. So I raked it up and added 1/8 of a bag of Koop Clean from Lucerne Farms: mixture of chopped hay, straw and Sweet PDZ. It looks and smells great plus the girls love scratching in it.

 

[RonP]

My 14x14 run with 14 birds, hasn't been cleaned in over 5 years.
It backs up to a dense wooded area.
It smells the same as the dense wooded area, always

.