What to put on ground of chicken run?

[chickbliss7]

I have a new run and have added play sand (washed and sifted) for the ground. It is working out great! We don't have snow in northern California, but plenty of rain, which gets in the sides of the coop, even though the run has a tall roof. The sand dries fast, it's easy to clean out the poop, and the girls seem to like scratching in it. All they need are a few beach buckets and some shovels--voila! A day at the beach...

 

[Keri78]

I used wood shavings this month for the first time in my runs and it was great until we got alot of rain and now it is messy! Next month I want to try mulch(I'll have to find non-dyed..natural) but I was thinking the same thing that it drains really well and looks much nicer than dirty coops in my side yard! Plus they get out a few days a week to free range anyway. I use hay in the hutch where they roost...they love it and eat it up whenever I add fresh hay! Blessings, Keri

 

[goldenchic]

it has to be sand it seems to absorb the poo, and doesn't smell, and chickens love to scrat around in it

 

[danab]

I don't put anything on the ground in the run. Inside the coop I use sand from Home Deopt. It works great for drying everything up, and some of it ends up in the compost pile when I clean out he coop. So it is a great addition to my clay soil in the garden.

 

[OverEZ]

a layer of sand/peat then pine park nuggets on top. Also consider adding a tarp or awing if you get copious amounts of precipitation. Generally you would want rain to wash away the droppings whenever possible but during snowy months it beats shoveling out the snow. The pine bark nuggets are large enough to elevate the birds above their droppings and as the droppings dry they crumble and fall down beneath the nuggets

 

[Nyrial]

I put in sand.. so far it's holding up to the rainy Pac. NW, and very easy to clean.

 

[elmo]

Sand! Loooooove it.

 

[gsim]

Coarse sand like that found in cement. Bonus is it has tons of just the right size pebbles for grit for the chook's gizzards. Drains well and is never slippery to walk on.

To grow grass that will stay, buy a roll of 6 ft chicken wire. Then make 2x2x6 ft square frames of pr treated lumber. lIquid nails and 3" screws to join pieces to make frames. Stretch chicken wire over frames and tack down with small chicken wire horseshoe-staples. Cultivate and seed, mulch with grass clippings or chopped leaves, then set completed frames over that. Voila! Live green grass for the chooks to feast on, but they can never rip it up or destroy the roots. They can only eat it, and they will do just that and will keep it to the exact height of the chicken wire. Downside is they can never get to the bugs in there. But you do not have to do the entire run that way either. Still, bugs would be scarce to find on open bare ground. They like cover. As in all solutions, a down side for an up side. Chooks need live or very fresh greens year round if possible, so the up side wins in my book. Am going to do my run this winter with many of them, but not entire run. Maybe half. They should last over ten years easily lying on top of ground. Pen will look great with all of that grass manicured by the chooks.

 

[bufforp89]

I have a dirt run and have been using leaves

I just leave them in there and they break down pretty quickly and then I just rake it and the poo out and use it on the garden. I really like using it and the chickens seem to really enjoy hunting for bugs in it and their scratch. I think in the spring Im going to switch over to wood chips/mulch so I dont have to rake it out so often. Its a pretty big run at 30X45 feet.

 

[Sissy]

I have been using stall dry its inexpensive and top it
with Const. gravel its a bit of sand and pebbled mix
also use 2lb. can garden dust for their dusting boxes,
but the 2lbs.can is for 100 chix so 1 can last a very
long time.as I only have 34 of mixed breeds.
its safe for chx, vegtable gardens and dogs,
to get rid of fleas and mites.bugs etc...