Yes, I firmly believe the run not having a cover/roof is the problem...so if I'm starting out with a basic dirt surface, just start by throwing a good 5ish inches of wood chips, leaves, and such and that should be a good start?
Reading through these 200+ pages, trying to figure out some ideas for my run...my chickens free range each day and have a coop and large run. I'm reworking a nice coop/run that was left on my property...currently there is a mud/water issue in the run...we are putting a roof on the coop to help...