3/4 inch stone for the run floor seemed like a good idea at the time . . .

[Toetwo]

Hi,
We have an 8 x 16 foot bus stop for a run that we put onto a "flooring" of 3/4 inch stone to stop critters (rats, voles) from moving in, and drainage. (Photo below is rough and still a LOT of work to be done but you get the idea.) We live in New Hampshire so it is cold and snow in the winter, hot in the summer. Our coop is 8 x 12 feet with a wood floor. My question is what can I put on the 3/4 inch stone? We blithely thought we'd continue with lots of wood chips and pony poop (and chicken litter from the coop) but now I'm thinking that would be a mess as there wouldn't be dirt and worms below to turn it into compost. Sand, I have heard, gets rather cold in the winter. Suggestions?

 

[Boise-girls]

Wow, cool idea for a coop! How deep is your rock layer?

 

[Toetwo]

12 inches of stone— we really don’t want to have anyone but chickens in the run! We are thinking we will put 8 inches of wood chips and pony Poo. Hard Ware clothe the outside of bus stop down and out to stop diggers. Then figure out the roof!

 

[Boise-girls]

12 inches of stone— we really don’t want to have anyone but chickens in the run! We are thinking we will put 8 inches of wood chips and pony Poo. Hard Ware clothe the outside of bus stop down and out to stop diggers. Then figure out the roof!

Yeah, 12" might be a little much for worms to get through!

 

[Toetwo]

We tend towards overdoing.

 

[Iluveggers]

Where did you get a bus stop? That is awesome!

 

[aart]

Problem with stone/gravel/etc is that poop will migrate down into it and reek.
If you had to dig a pit to fill with stone, there's only so much 'drainage' it will provide once the pit fills.

 

[mowin]

12 inches of stone— we really don’t want to have anyone but chickens in the run! We are thinking we will put 8 inches of wood chips and pony Poo. Hard Ware clothe the outside of bus stop down and out to stop diggers. Then figure out the roof!

12" of stone is a little overkill. Is there a way that stone pit can drain? It's eventually going to fill in with water during heavy rains.

 

[Toetwo]

We were thinking about creating a gray water system for our home using plants to clean the water. The person we were working said the most expensive part of the project would be the greenhouse. My husband went on eBay. Someone was selling the bus stop. He had acquired it through his job; the bus stop had been bought by the company as a smoking room and then the company had moved to another country. What else could a bus stop be but a fabulous gift to one’s green thumb wife? Not. Apparently she told him to get that monstrosity out of her driveway. So it was going for cheap!

 

[Toetwo]

12" of stone is a little overkill. Is there a way that stone pit can drain? It's eventually going to fill in with water during heavy rains.

It isn’t a pit. It is a level area on a slight slope so it drains. We just go 8 inches of rain in July and it is dry.