chicken run flooring?

[aersland]

Wondering what to use for the "flooring" of my chicken run? It's currently dirt, but I am worried about the upcoming winter in northern MN. More dirt? Hay? Sand? Leaves? I will soon have access to a ton of leaves... not sure if that's a great option or a slippery messy one. The run is covered but snow melt is sure to make things sloppy if I just leave it dirt.

 

[Spartan22]

Wondering what to use for the "flooring" of my chicken run? It's currently dirt, but I am worried about the upcoming winter in northern MN. More dirt? Hay? Sand? Leaves? I will soon have access to a ton of leaves... not sure if that's a great option or a slippery messy one. The run is covered but snow melt is sure to make things sloppy if I just leave it dirt.

Since it’s covered, combination of sand, leaves, dirt and pine shavings or hay will suffice. It keep my run dry and clean all year long therefore clean eggs too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Save up those leaves and go with deep litter. Leaves are a fantastic component for that, along with aged chunky wood chips and whatever weeds or garden trimmings you have. Great for drainage and once the leaves break down they'll be great for compost.

 

[aersland]

Save up those leaves and go with deep litter. Leaves are a fantastic component for that, along with aged chunky wood chips and whatever weeds or garden trimmings you have. Great for drainage and once the leaves break down they'll be great for compost.

can you do deep litter in a run? I know for the coop it’s a great option, but i hadn’t thought about it for the run...

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's a better option for run than coop, as there's generally moisture involved which is bad for coop floors since most people don't have their coop standing directly on the ground.

 

[blackdog043]

Deep bedding (dry) works good inside the coop. Deep litter works good for a run. Use a combination of different materials and sizes. Wood chips (tree company stuff) or plain mulch, leaves, pine cones, some straw, yard waste, some grass clippings (dried out), pine needles. A good combination of different sizes lets moisture and chicken poop get mixed in and filter down where it will become a nice black compost that you can use in a garden or flower beds.
Here is a pic of mine after I added yard/garden waste, before the chickens got to it.

 

[cwelte]

I have 6 hens in an 8' x 7' slopped run that's open to the elements. They can go under their coop where the sand also helps keep it dry. I had been considering putting a cover on the run but it's nice that the rain cleans off the ramp & swing and washes away the poop from time to time.

We've just had SO much rain all year that nothing is really drying out and the area is getting really smelly and mucky. Sand is helping, but it just gets trampled down. I like what @blackdog043 is showing, but we don't have such a variety of material in my yard. I do have a ton of sticks and leaves but was concerned about loading it up with too much leaf litter because that holds in so much moisture (in VA then can mold/mildew). I made the mistake of trying hay and it just held in the moisture and smell. That got mucked out fast. I'm using shavings for inside the coop, but that's also not a good alternative for run flooring.

Any other suggestions on what I can do to prevent it from turning into a muck pit?

I was thinking about getting some cheap mulch at the garden center? or is that just going to hold in the muck/moisture underneath and not help the smell?

Thanks for any suggestions-

Here's a photo from Midsummer, before the rains really started. (The "dusting box" was a failed experiment and has since been thrown out.)