Advice on what to use on floor of run.

[Aleta]

Hi, I am new to raising chickens. Our girls are now about 5 weeks old and we are gettting ready to put them outside soon. I bought a commercial coop with a small run under it. we plan to put concrete paving stones under the coop to help prevent the wood from rotting. We are in the process of putting up a large metal run 9’ x 12’. It has a mesh roof and 1/2 of the roof will be covered with a tarp. I am wondering if I should get another tarp so it is completely covered? We plan to put up skirting around the perimeters of the run. our yard is totally fenced in as well. The coop will be located in the run. Right now we do not have a “floor” for the run. Should we put mesh under the run? Also do we need to have some type of bedding on the floor of the run? I read the articles about the litter used in the coops and concern for mold/ammonia levels if the litter gets wet. The sides of the run are mesh. we live in Texas so the winters are mild and the Summers very hot. I don’t know that I want to use sand on the floor as it sounds like that can be hard to get rid of. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[NatJ]

Run floor options:

--dirt (just leave it there; it will get packed down hard in time)

--wire fencing with dirt on top (helps block predators, dirt on top raises the floor for improved drainage)

--concrete (predator proof, can be washed with a hose, not particularly fun for the chickens)

--paving stones (about the same as concrete, but installation is different)

--sand or gravel (both supposedly have easy-clean features, both drain well)

--bedding/compost (can be on top of any of the above.)
Wood chips, straw/hay, whatever bedding you clean out of the coop, weeds from the garden, leaves that fall in the autumn, leaves your neighbors raked up in the autumn and set in bags by the curb, pine needles, vegetable peelings and coffee grounds and other stuff from the kitchen, and so forth--I prefer to have "chicken run" and "compost pile" be the same thing, and just throw it all in there. It gives the chickens lots of stuff to scratch through, and they eat some while turning the rest. They also take dust baths in the dusty parts. Even if you never do anything with the compost, it can just stay there, growing earthworms that the chickens scratch up and eat. It gets deeper when you add more, shallower as it decomposes at the bottom.

If you roof (tarp) the whole run, it will stay drier and will have more shade. If you roof half the run, then it will sometimes be wetter and sometimes sunnier. If you want actual composting to happen, some amount of water is needed--which can be provided by rain, or by you dumping out the water the chickens pooped in

 

[rosemarythyme]

Skip the wire under the run, it's something extra to manage as you need to keep an eye on it to make sure the chickens don't dig down to it and injure themselves.

Deep litter is what I do. Less concerned about composting myself but it's a great way to manage mud and smell, and depending on what materials are readily available, can be one of the cheapest options - I collect all my litter materials from my own lot so no cost and very compatible with the soil in my location.