Straw chicken run

[KimKat33]

Hello again! First off, im on mobile so sorry for any weird formatting that may happen.

So this last winter was my first winter having chickens. I put down straw in their uncovered run so they had something dry to step on instead of constantly walking through snow.

I thought it would all decompose. I was wrong.

Today while i was out in the chicken run, I noticed some of the ground was still squishy. I previously had dismissed it because it had been raining lately.

But the past few days have been rather warm. So i got curious and took a shovel to it. It turns out i have a layer of dirt, then the straw, then more dirt.

The smell was horrible. Not horrible like the hippos at the zoo, but it definitely was unpleasant.

So now my question is, how do i solve this? Should i turn all the dirt so the straw is up? Should i try to aerate? Should i leave it be? Should i dig up the straw and bag it all? Should i just add more dirt on top??

I wanna eventually put like bagged mulch store sell in the garden area as the run floor, but will that do the same thing?

 

[3KillerBs]

Straw has an unfortunate tendency to pack, mat, and develop anaerobic pockets.

I use it, but I use it mixed with other things like pine straw or shavings. (I can't use wood chips in the current location because it has to go back to grass once the new coop is built and the chickens are moved).

Your best option right now is probably to fluff it up well with your pitchfork and mix in some wood chips to help keep it aerated and prevent packing.

Scratch can be used as a motivator to get the chickens to turn the straw and keep it fluffy after you've busted up the worst of the mats.

Once you get some air in there it should start composting instead of just rotting.