Coop Run flooring suggestions

[TropicalBabies]

Do you have a picture of your run, is it a walk in run?

I would use tree trimming chips. If you can't get those, use untreated mulch. You can also add yard and garden waste, pieces of tree branches (thick and thin) dried leaves. Think of a nice mulched flower bed, where the water drains down into the ground, through the mulch. The poop will filter down through the chips and break down. As long as your run drains fine and doesn't have standing water, this will work well for you. Others on here use deep or semi deep litter and don't have covered runs and it works well for them and doesn't smell. If it would start to give off odors, that's an indication that more stuff should be added to your run.

My run is covered, but here is a picture after I just added yard and garden waste in the fall.
View attachment 1756314

That looks great. Bet your chickens will have some fun with that!

 

[ChickNanny13]

I live in HI where it's wet, humid & warm ... I thought of sand but then read about DLM (deep litter method), a member who had lived here recommended going DLM due to our weather. Glad I did, however I kind of modified it.

I have dirt floor & added shavings about 4" thick. I toss in grass clippings when I mow, have thought of some mulch haven't gone that route yet. I just keep adding shavings as I need, shovel out dirt/shavings about 1 - 2x year to spread where I need filling in the yard. 4BO are confined in a 8x12x7 open air Chicken House.

Poop board (PDZ in it) under their "sleep" roost & ferment their Flock Raiser. Haven't had any complaints about smell (Hubby would let me know) nor issue with flies. I do scoop out the poop board daily & pick up any big stuff I see around.

It's completely roofed & I have shower curtains hung completely around to close off any rains. When we do get days/weeks of rain where the ground becomes saturated, yes it gets wet due to wicking & shavings get wet. In the past I'd rake it up & dry it out in the patio on tarps, adding more shavings. This year I tried the pellets used for horses urine, it breaks down to sawdust when wet. Absorbed the puddles that formed in the holes the girls dug, I just left it and covered it up & added shavings. Everything does dry out, eventually. This year wasn't too bad but we're heading into Summer ...

 

[Ebony Rose]

They grow a lot of rice in Southwest Florida; have you considered using the husks from rice? You can probably get a pickup truck full (bagged or not) for next to nothing. Moisture drains well, doesn't get slick or snotty, can do deep litter method with it, compost it when it gets deeper than you like it. VERY light weight, and the chickens like to turn it regularly.

 

[ChickNanny13]

The most important thing is drainage but knowing FL is similar to HI with it's wet weather, even with the best drainage, pouring buckets of rain will puddle/flood Thinking DLM is the best, sand gets "hard" when wet and that was the deterrent for me.

 

[Bar B]

I have a chicken run that is 8' x 8' and currently there is just dirt on the floor. I will have 6 chickens and live in SWFL where it gets very hot, humid and rainy in the summer months. I've been living with the dirt prior to this new flock of hens, but wanted to do something new to the flooring so that the girls will not have wet feet during summer, and reduce the smell too. I've thought about both contractor sand vs mulch chips and it looks like each have their own benefits. I've never done mulch chips so wouldn't even know what kind to get. Any suggestions on either way for areas that are more wet during 1/2 of the year?

We use sand on run floor and pine shavings in coop . The sand allows them more comfort when it rains. It's a softer landing for them when they jump/ fly from roost. They also have a dust bath available all the time. In the winter we add gay to part of the run and the coop for warmth. I love my chickies

 

[baby-blue]

They grow a lot of rice in Southwest Florida; have you considered using the husks from rice? You can probably get a pickup truck full (bagged or not) for next to nothing. Moisture drains well, doesn't get slick or snotty, can do deep litter method with it, compost it when it gets deeper than you like it. VERY light weight, and the chickens like to turn it regularly.

I don’t mean to sound dumb, but how would one likely go about getting the rice husks? I’m in the same boat as OP, but I don’t have a run set up yet. I’m dreading the summer rains - our pastures all turned to 2ft-4ft deep lakes last year thanks to poor drainage. Would trenches around the run/coop help prevent the water from gathering inside of where it doesn’t belong? No matter how sheltered things are, the water usually finds a way in. The easiest way I’ve found to keep things dry is redirecting the water and I’m wondering if the same could work for the chooks.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I don’t mean to sound dumb, but how would one likely go about getting the rice husks? I’m in the same boat as OP, but I don’t have a run set up yet. I’m dreading the summer rains - our pastures all turned to 2ft-4ft deep lakes last year thanks to poor drainage. Would trenches around the run/coop help prevent the water from gathering inside of where it doesn’t belong? No matter how sheltered things are, the water usually finds a way in. The easiest way I’ve found to keep things dry is redirecting the water and I’m wondering if the same could work for the chooks.

Absolutely. Try french drains if you don't want to see it.

 

[flrn]

They grow a lot of rice in Southwest Florida; have you considered using the husks from rice? You can probably get a pickup truck full (bagged or not) for next to nothing. Moisture drains well, doesn't get slick or snotty, can do deep litter method with it, compost it when it gets deeper than you like it. VERY light weight, and the chickens like to turn it regularly.

Where would you get that from? Never heard of it before.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Where would you get that from? Never heard of it before.

Essentially "a French drain or weeping tile is a trench filled with gravel or rock or containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from an area. A French drain can have perforated hollow pipes along the bottom to quickly vent water that seeps down through the upper gravel or rock." Wikipedia
You can get everything you need from Home Depot or any hardware store, just tell them what you want to do. Best to have some linear footage for them and they should direct you to what you need. It is not terribly expensive. The digging of your trench or schlepping rocks will be the hardest part. I'd go with a perforated pipe, rock then bury.

 

[Chullicken]

I use All Purpose Sand, finer and screened to remove bigger rocks. Great stuff and affordable as well as provides a nice somewhat spongy landing surface for when they come off perches (Couple $$ for an 80 Lb Bag) during warmer months and chopped straw (Again, couple $$ a Bag) during the winter time. Works fantastic and is easy to compost. When the sand gets waterlogged, get yourself a spade shovel and just overturn it little by little. Brings the less saturated material to the surface. The issue with wood chips is they are often pine and you'll have heaps of the stuff for years. I'm positive someone on here will counter me on that, but as I write this I'm looking out the window at my two-year-old wood chip pile in the woods.

Drainage is really key here as extensive moisture and wee lil' chicken feet are not a good combo. I would consider covering your run completely, perhaps some PVC clear roof panels (About $14 THD 4 X 8 sheet). Also, sloping your run can aid in getting that moisture out and free.