Need help with concrete chicken run!

[Deliaelena]

Hi there. I need help deciding if I should extend my chicken run onto this giant concrete patio that’s just taking up space in my back yard. It’s uncovered. They will have a 72 sq uncovered run that will be dirt with some grass/weeds, but I feel like that’s not big enough for 4 chickens and they’ll just turn it into a dirt patch. I want them to be able to catch bugs and not just live in dirt/mud. First time chicken owner!

My biggest question is, if I do use the concrete patio for an extension of the chicken run, should I use wood shavings or chips as a base? Will the rain just ruin it since the base is concrete(no drainage) and it will be uncovered? I wanted to do a rotational run so split the dirt area in 2 and have them switch between so when they ruin one side, they can have the other side to switch to while the other regrows back. That would be a 36 sq area for the chickens. Too small? Any advice would be welcomed!

Here’s a photo of the concrete area I’m talking about. The garden box will be trashed and their coop & run will go there. You can see my temptation to want to extend it onto the concrete that we never use.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have a concrete poop pad lol. Its covered by their coop and I did that for predator reasons. Their actual run is dirt. I use wood shavings on the concrete and scrape the mess up a few times a year and repeat.

 

[David61]

How would you turn over bottom or drain off? Are you saying that would be impossible on concrete? Sorry, new to all of this. Thanks

Deep litter with wood chips (its what you use in wet uncoved runs) is a bio generator that digests the poop. (pine shaving get wet its just a wet mat.) The chickens turn it for you and it drains quick. with a concrete bottom it will not act right unless you go with 12"-16" deep.

 

[Ted Brown]

...
If the water runs off the concrete, doesn't channel across it, and doesn't pool, then it should be OK with a really deep layer of litter.

Coarse wood chips, the kind you get from a tree-trimming service, are probably the best base material for such a purpose.

x2

You can make this work.

I would raise the coop ON the concrete pad (great basis for predator proof!); put a really deep layer of course wood chip then layers of organic material (leaves, cuttings, cooking scraps, etc.) on top annually.

Is the space under the sand box concrete or dirt? If dirt, incorporate into the run giving a place for the chickens to dirt bathe.

 

[Deliaelena]

Photos?

Does water run off the concrete or sit on top of it?

You'd absolutely have to put a DEEP layer of bedding on top of it.

I’m not sure if the water runs off. This is the slab. The garden box is getting trashed and their run & coop will go there.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Is the concrete that you put wood shavings on uncovered? I wasn’t sure if I would have to have it covered. They’d have a 72 square foot dirt run, I just wanted to give them more space to wander. I could potentially triple that 72 sq feet

No it is covered by their coop. I wanted to be able to leave the pop door open and not worry about rats or raccoons getting in so the coop is actually raised and the concrete is beneath it. It has hardware cloth all the way round so they hang out there when its raining or snowing and it gives me a place to put their food and water if the weather is really bad. So the poop and wood chips eventually form a nice crusty mat I can scrape off and use for compost. Uncovered that process would actually be easier but you would probably have to do it more often

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

covered, thats different, uncovered with no way to turn over bottom or drain off?

It would be easier to turn over because mine is too short to actually fit under but you would have to do it regularly. I'm not saying I think its a good idea but with some planning it could work.

 

[Deliaelena]

I also really love the idea of putting the coop on the concrete. Partly for predator protection, but---I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, and I'd be very worried that putting a deep layer of wood chips butting up to that wood fence would cause the fence to rot sooner than it might without the wood chips and chicken-related moisture.

But really, that looks like a great site, in general for your birds!

Thank you! I was thinking maybe not have it go up to the fence, but leave a couple inches of space? Maybe build a short, tiny frame to keep the wood chips in and fence up from there…

 

[Deliaelena]

Great! and, it depends on whose fence the property is on--is it on the property line? what if the fence needs worked on or if it belongs to the neighbors and they decide to alter it. Paranoid, maybe, just something to think about while your plans are still somewhat flexible.

All good points… if it means anything, we won’t be here for more than 3 more years, so at that point it’ll all be taken down when we move. Thank you!

 

[raingarden]

I wanted to do a rotational run so split the dirt area in 2 and have them switch between so when they ruin one side, they can have the other side to switch to while the other regrows back. That would be a 36 sq area for the chickens. Too small? Any advice would be welcomed!

I think you underestimate how quickly the chickens will turn it into bare dirt. You could give them 100 square feet per bird and they'd still desroy it long before the other paddock could grow back.