Grass clippings are wonderful in the run, especially if your flock can't get out to free range in your yard. IMO, any time a run, or even a garden for that matter has bare soil, it is an unhealthy situation for the soil, and certainly for the plants in the garden as well as the chickens in the run. My goal is to keep both areas well covered. Look in the forest. How much bare ground do you see? For that matter, how much bare ground do you see any where where man hasn't left his mark? IMO God intends the soil to be covered. Instead of raking those clippings up to put in a compost pile, why not just leave them, and add to them? You can add leaves, garden debris, wood chips, used litter from your coop... or even stable litter if you have access to some. That deep litter will attract all kinds of beneficial organisms to the area, including insects, worms, beneficial bacteria and fungi (all work together to decrease pathogens, including internal/external parasites) All that good stuff will give your chickens a healthier digestive system, cut down on your food bill and give them hours and hours of purposeful entertainment. Don't bother taking any of that litter out, until you need some compost. Your chickens will make yards of compost for you, and you will work far less than you would by removing it so you can add a fresh layer.I was going to post a similar question and ran across your thread.
We too have used grass clippings for about 2 months now (in the run, not the coop) and it does seem to work out very well. Like others have said I dump it in a pile or 2 and before you know it the hens (5 here) have turned the piles into a 2" shag carpet in the run. The grass absorbs the poop great and after about a week I'll rake it up and add it to the compost piles and replace with fresh clippings. Grass clippings are high in moisture so 2" deep is good enough for it to dry out quickly and not get clumpy/moldy. Since it is so moist and green I do not use it inside the coop but rather use dryer pine shavings for coop floor and nesting boxes. Good to know too about the shorter the clippings the better for digesting. Our "lawn" is just a mix of wild grasses and weeds with clover, no fert or other treatments involved, just rain. When I mow I try to concentrate on the clover areas to bag up mostly for the run. My 2 cents.
One thing you should give them to make a good situation even better, especially if they are confined to a run is some grit. If we have to keep our chickens in a confined situation, we need to supply all of the things they would seek out if they were able to free range.
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