It's me again.....

[chickenmamakimberly]

I have my 5 chicks in a 12 foot run with a coop attached. The run has grass but it is slowly turning into mud. I live in Tennessee. Super hot humid summers and cold winters. I have read through so much information about what to put in the bottom of my run that my brain in mush. So, please help a chicken mama out. I cannot get into my run easily enough to use sand. I don't have the time or the access to scoop poop everyday. I would like to use the DLM but I'm still unsure of how to do it. I went Lowes last night and bought pine bark, I have DM, and I put a tarp over the coop.
1.) Should I what until all the grass is dead before putting in the pine bark?
2.) Should I use something other than pine bark? It is the mini bark.
3.) I want something I can scoop out once a year. Do I need to keep the run covered all the time or just when it rains?
4.) How deep do I need to make whatever I put in?

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

I have my 5 chicks in a 12 foot run with a coop attached. The run has grass but it is slowly turning into mud. I live in Tennessee. Super hot humid summers and cold winters. I have read through so much information about what to put in the bottom of my run that my brain in mush. So, please help a chicken mama out. I cannot get into my run easily enough to use sand. I don't have the time or the access to scoop poop everyday. I would like to use the DLM but I'm still unsure of how to do it. I went Lowes last night and bought pine bark, I have DM, and I put a tarp over the coop.
1.) Should I what until all the grass is dead before putting in the pine bark?
2.) Should I use something other than pine bark? It is the mini bark.
3.) I want something I can scoop out once a year. Do I need to keep the run covered all the time or just when it rains?
4.) How deep do I need to make whatever I put in?

No matter what you use, you’ll have to turn the mulch twice a week to prevent them from covering it in feces.
Cover it in pine bark now before the mud gets worse.

 

[PetesChicks]

The mini nuggets will be a good start, just make sure they are natural and not dyed. What you want is a mix of different sized pieces. Wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, stuff like that. Think of what the ground in the forest looks like, that’s what you are going for.

My run is mainly pine shavings from the coop being cleaned out, grass clippings from mowing (as long as there are no pesticides on your lawn) and leaves from the trees in my yard. I don’t mix it up myself, the girls handle that. I just dump the wheelbarrow loads in a few spots, and throw some scratch or BOSS in and let them spread it out & mix it up. My 170 sq ft run for 8 girls has no mud or odor.

 

[aart]

No matter what you use, you’ll have to turn the mulch twice a week to prevent them from covering it in feces.

The birds will keep it mixed up..especially if you toss some scratch in there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

1) As long as it's not dyed bark product, I would just put it in now, over any grass that's left.

2) As others have noted DLM uses a mix of materials - aged wood chips, dry leaves, dry grass, weeds, garden trimmings, pine needles, whatever you have access to as long as it's not toxic to birds or treated with anything that might be toxic.

3) I don't keep my run covered (it's netted, not roofed). DLM is great for dealing with rain provided that the spot has sufficient drainage. Realistically you might need to clean it out or maintain it more than once a year, depending on how many birds you have in how much space (12' x ?? run) and the materials used, your climate, precipitation, etc.

4) Deep as you want. Ideally 4 to 6" at least but I can't say I ever go out and measure it. When the litter starts breaking down enough that it's no longer providing good drainage I scoop out some for the garden if I want it, and then add more litter.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Ditto to the others. I have an abundance of dead tree leaves, and about every two weeks (as long as they are not wet), I rake up some leaves from the yard or woods and throw them in the run. I also throw in some dried evergreen needles. When we mow, I let the clippings dry on the ground for a day or two, then throw them in as well. It is super humid here, and tons of dew in the morning, so I always have to wait until afternoon to collect anything. We were moving some dirt around in the yard, so I dumped some of that in a few times as well. It controls the mess and odor very well.

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

The birds will keep it mixed up..especially if you toss some scratch in there.

It Utterly Depends on how many birds you have and how big the run is.

 

[chickenmamakimberly]

It Utterly Depends on how many birds you have and how big the run is.

5 chickens and a 12x5 feet

 

[PetesChicks]

With 5 girls in a 60 sq ft run, you’ll probably never have to turn over the DL. Just toss in some scratch or BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seed) whenever you add to your DL, and the girls will have fun mixing it all up.