Added a ton of leaves to the coop and run= chicken heaven!

[nab58]

I added a bunch of leaves to our outdoor pen area too. Mixed with the grass clippings and wood chips, the birds love it and the poop just disappears.

 

[jtakacs]

So after months of lurking and two days of having chickens I'm learning that the run is nothing more than an auto-tilling compost bin!

My approach is going to be chuck in all my waste into their 200 sf run (4 birds), once a month rake it into a pile and I have compost. Then refill with yard waste...

(I know its not that easy but it sorta is)

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Actually you'll have the BEGINNINGS of "compost"

True "compost" takes time, moisture and heat.which won't happen to materials spread in a run

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost

 

[TOP KNOT]

I'm guessing the leaves were dry when you added them? Did you add them inside and out? Such a good idea!

oh yes very dry leaves, and I put them inside the house and in the covered run. They are having so much fun! When I approached the coop this morning all I heard was singing and leaves rustling!!

 

[TOP KNOT]

I've only had our five girls for three weeks, but I've been adding leaves a couple times a week to their 8'x12' run area so we can start the deep litter method. Their 4'x8' elevated coop on top of their run has sand on the floor.

I'm trying to figure out what to add for bedding after I run out of fall's leaves this winter. In the spring and summer I'll throw in cut grass.

I toss in alfalfa hay, I just got a shredder/chopper mulcher that belonged to my grandfather. OMG this thing is awesome! I chop up whole bails of alfalfa hay and it spreads all over really nice. They dig and eat!

 

[deacons]

Mine love this. I rake the leaves into a corner in the morning when I pick poop from the run to be sure there's not a lot of poop building up on the bottom (I'm not going for the deep litter method, just trying to keep the girls entertained), and then throw a handful of scratch into the leaf pile, which occupies them all day long if their free ranging time is limited.

Right now I have a hardware cloth roof on the run, so I do have problems with the leaf pile turning soggy, and I pull anything out if it's gotten soaked. We are adding a more solid roof for the winter, so hopefully I won't have to strip the leaves out again for awhile. I also plan to add a few straw bales as windbreak once the roof is on, so imagine I'll have some straw mixed in to the pile eventually- just don't want to put the bales out and have them ruined by rain/snow before the roof is finished.

 

[TOP KNOT]

I added a bunch of leaves to our outdoor pen area too. Mixed with the grass clippings and wood chips, the birds love it and the poop just disappears.

Isn't that awesome! And the girls stay entertained! I like it under the roost rails, keeps the odor down, and clean so I don't get poop prints on my eggs. I found with added material the eggs stay so much cleaner!

 

[ll]

I collected leaf bags last fall - alot.
I like to run the mulching mower blade over them once before putting into the run.

 

[whittychick]

oh yes very dry leaves, and I put them inside the house and in the covered run. They are having so much fun! When I approached the coop this morning all I heard was singing and leaves rustling!!

It's been so rainy and yucky here the past week, but I want to try this!! Thanks for the idea!

 

[Mike592]

I toss in alfalfa hay, I just got a shredder/chopper mulcher that belonged to my grandfather. OMG this thing is awesome! I chop up whole bails of alfalfa hay and it spreads all over really nice. They dig and eat!

I have a chipper/shredder and never thought of this! I imagine breaking up the hay would be very beneficial.