dirt floor in chicken run.

c2chicks said:

You might consider sand. Sand drains really well. Our run is uncovered but with 4"of sand in there, it will get damp but not puddly. I shovel the snow off the sand and they go out there scratching around even in the snow. The sand is easy to clean (well, mostly because I don't really clean it). I'll sometimes scoop up some obvious poops, but once every week or two I sprinkle in some Sweet PDZ (stall refresher) to neutralize any ammonia smell.

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Puddin Fluff said:

You may find it is cheeper than mulch depending on where you are. do a price check. Good luck.

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yinepu said:

Actually.. mulch CAN be cheaper in the long run since the shavings will get packed down and rot faster if the area gets muddy a lot.
So what you would have to do is weigh the costs with the weather in your area.. then decide if you only need something "short term" or something that will last longer before it needs to be replaced.

We went through a rainy season a few years back (before I got all the mulch) .. I loaded the runs down with bales of shavings.. they lasted about a week then they were trampled down into the mud... it was a mess... lol
After I got the mulch I found that I only need to add more every so often if it's been really rainy.. If we have a "dry year" it lasts me a good year before I have to dig it out and replace it.


Once I run out of my supply that I have now.. (assuming the power company isn't chipping trees at the time) I'll watch for sales and then buy extra so I can stock up

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Roy Rooster said:

Ok, I have noticed that the pine shaving kind of became one with the mud too. It worked for a few weeks
then they just seemed to disolve into the mud making the problem worse.

I will look into the mulch. What kind is best? I have heard that chickens can get sick if exposed to certain kinds of wood.
like the cedar.

Just asking, thanks.

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yinepu said:

the cedar shouldn't bother them if it's an open run.. i wouldn't want to use it in an enclosed area with little ventilation. lol.. when my chickens were free ranging they would roost in the cedar trees!

Just check and see what's available.. i'm not sure who even has it in stock right now ..but with Christmas over the stores should be stocking it soon


For sand or gravel (should you decide to go that way).. getting a "truckload" would be cheaper than buying by the bag.. most places have free or fairly cheap delivery. I checked around last summer and found that a truck load of sand would run me $ 35. .. but it was running about $ 6. a bag if I went the individual bag route. .. so buying by the truck load was a whole lot cheaper

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c2chicks said:

You might consider sand. Sand drains really well. Our run is uncovered but with 4"of sand in there, it will get damp but not puddly. I shovel the snow off the sand and they go out there scratching around even in the snow. The sand is easy to clean (well, mostly because I don't really clean it). I'll sometimes scoop up some obvious poops, but once every week or two I sprinkle in some Sweet PDZ (stall refresher) to neutralize any ammonia smell.

Click to expand...