Chicken run floor material

[Danedad]

Getting chickens for the first time.Making my first coop and run. Curious about best material for chicken run. I live in Pacific Northwest, plenty of rain in the winter. My run will be on grass in the back yard. Should I put sand or pine shavings directly on the grass? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

I prefer the deep litter method in chicken runs. That’s where you put plenty of organic material like straw, dried leaves, pine shavings, wood chips, etc. The bonus is that you get really nice compost for the garden and you don’t have to clean it out. All you do is add more browns to the run floor. The chickens really like it because it mimics a forest floor and they enjoy the bugs that hide in it. My run has absolutely no smell when it’s wet and the poop disappears within a day in the litter.

 

[Tonyroo]

You just need pine flakes in there coop only. Having grass in the run is a bonus for the chickens. They can eat it and tear it up.

You can build a semi open air coop since your winters are just rain. Have your roof over hang 12 or more inch out. To keep the coop dry.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Once they finish off the grass put down wood chips. I’m in PNW too and it works great! I’d also suggest a good overhang (12”) on the roof so the rain/snow doesn’t come in the sides.

 

[NatJ]

My run will be on grass in the back yard. Should I put sand or pine shavings directly on the grass?

Let the chickens have fun eating & scratching the grass. After they kill it, put wood chips on the ground in the run. Exception, if the run gets all soggy & muddy before the grass is gone, put wood chips on top of the grass.

By "wood chips," I mean the kind that are produced when companies cut brush & chip it up, or sold for mulch. They are bigger and much thicker than the pine shavings that are sold for chicken bedding. The bigger size pieces work much better in chicken runs.

You can also add dry leaves in the fall, and various other things that might otherwise go in a compost pile at any season. But having plenty of wood chips in the mix can really help with keeping mud and smells under control.

 

[Danedad]

Thank you all for the advice. Definitely not doing sand. Going with the wood chips after grass is gone

 

[ChickinProblems]

I am also in pacific nw. I like using shavings , leaves, left over straw/hay. I throw treats of sunflower seeds in it so they have to dig around and keeps them busy.

 

[gtaus]

Thank you all for the advice. Definitely not doing sand. Going with the wood chips after grass is gone

After the chickens rip up all the grass, and you put down wood chips, you should be set.

If you are into gardening, then I suggest continuing to add as much organic material to the chicken run and turning it into a chicken run composting system. I bag all my grass clippings and toss them into the run. The chickens love to eat some fresh greens, and the rest gets composted along with the wood chips, leaves, etc... All my yard leaves get composted in the chicken run. Nothing leaves my property.

I use paper shreds as deep bedding in the chicken run, and the paper shreds compost down in less than 3 months out in the chicken run. Almost any organic coop bedding could be used to make compost.

The chickens love to scratch and peck in my chicken run compost because it is full of bugs and worms. They could not be happier. In return, they continually mix the chicken run compost and help it break down even faster.

I tell people I have composting chickens and gets eggs as a bonus. In fact, I "save" more money on the compost from the chicken run than we get from selling eggs. In the past, I used to buy big store compost at about $6.00 per bag. Now I harvest the equivalent of hundreds of dollars of compost every year from my chicken run that I use in my gardens to grow people food. It's a pretty good system.

A good chicken run setup should not smell. If you put down a good layer of wood chips or go all out and make a chicken run composting system with grass clipping, leaves, etc..., the run should smell like a forest floor.

 

[boomercd]

After the chickens rip up all the grass, and you put down wood chips, you should be set.

If you are into gardening, then I suggest continuing to add as much organic material to the chicken run and turning it into a chicken run composting system. I bag all my grass clippings and toss them into the run. The chickens love to eat some fresh greens, and the rest gets composted along with the wood chips, leaves, etc... All my yard leaves get composted in the chicken run. Nothing leaves my property.

I use paper shreds as deep bedding in the chicken run, and the paper shreds compost down in less than 3 months out in the chicken run. Almost any organic coop bedding could be used to make compost.

The chickens love to scratch and peck in my chicken run compost because it is full of bugs and worms. They could not be happier. In return, they continually mix the chicken run compost and help it break down even faster.

I tell people I have composting chickens and gets eggs as a bonus. In fact, I "save" more money on the compost from the chicken run than we get from selling eggs. In the past, I used to buy big store compost at about $6.00 per bag. Now I harvest the equivalent of hundreds of dollars of compost every year from my chicken run that I use in my gardens to grow people food. It's a pretty good system.

A good chicken run setup should not smell. If you put down a good layer of wood chips or go all out and make a chicken run composting system with grass clipping, leaves, etc..., the run sho

After the chickens rip up all the grass, and you put down wood chips, you should be set.

If you are into gardening, then I suggest continuing to add as much organic material to the chicken run and turning it into a chicken run composting system. I bag all my grass clippings and toss them into the run. The chickens love to eat some fresh greens, and the rest gets composted along with the wood chips, leaves, etc... All my yard leaves get composted in the chicken run. Nothing leaves my property.

I use paper shreds as deep bedding in the chicken run, and the paper shreds compost down in less than 3 months out in the chicken run. Almost any organic coop bedding could be used to make compost.

The chickens love to scratch and peck in my chicken run compost because it is full of bugs and worms. They could not be happier. In return, they continually mix the chicken run compost and help it break down even faster.

I tell people I have composting chickens and gets eggs as a bonus. In fact, I "save" more money on the compost from the chicken run than we get from selling eggs. In the past, I used to buy big store compost at about $6.00 per bag. Now I harvest the equivalent of hundreds of dollars of compost every year from my chicken run that I use in my gardens to grow people food. It's a pretty good system.

A good chicken run setup should not smell. If you put down a good layer of wood chips or go all out and make a chicken run composting system with grass clipping, leaves, etc..., the run should smell like a forest floor.

We have a base of pea gravel covered with mulch works great for us here in Ohio

 

[gtaus]

We have a base of pea gravel covered with mulch works great for us here in Ohio

I'm sure pea gravel would be great as drainage. In my case, I wanted to create compost for my gardens. I only use organic material in my run because I have an end goal in mind.