Bedding/ground cover for run

[JacksonPearce]

I've always put pine shavings in my run, just like I do in the henhouse. It's mostly just because the red mud gets EVERYWHERE-- on eggs, on feathers, on my feet-- if I leave it as bare earth. However, the pine shavings do seem to retain a lot of water and don't smell great after a few good rains. Any suggestions? Perhaps just pinestraw? I'm hesitant to go the straw or hay route, since I had a hen get an impacted crop after eating hay...

 

[snow5164]

I use sand , it drains , scoopable ( I rake the run ),

I don’t like anything that becomes slippery when wet, straw, hay, deep litter,

 

[aart]

However, the pine shavings do seem to retain a lot of water and don't smell great after a few good rains.

How big is your run, in feet by feet, and how many birds do you have??
Dimensions and pics would help immensely.
.....also what is your general geographical location?

It's probably the poop(or spilled feed) that stinks when wet, not the shavings themselves.
Best to have a mix of sizes, shapes, materials of dry plant matter at least a few inches deep. Aged wood chippings from tree trimmers is the best main ingredient.
First fix any drainage issues if there's any standing water in run after a good rain.

 

[blackdog043]

It's probably the poop(or spilled feed) that stinks when wet, not the shavings themselves.
Best to have a mix of sizes, shapes, materials of dry plant matter at least a few inches deep. Aged wood chippings from tree trimmers is the best main ingredient.
First fix any drainage issues if there's any standing water in run after a good rain.

I second this.

Since your feet are getting muddy, I'm guessing you have a walk in run. If that's correct, deep litter like @aart described above should work out well for you. I have a covered run but use the deep litter method. Deep litter uncovered will also work well, as long as you don't have drainage issues.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I find that shavings tend to just get soggy whereas larger chunks of wood are better at letting it drain through.

This is what my litter looked like a few weeks back (it changes with the season depending on what's available). The night before this photo was taken, we had torrential rain and the area outside the run had several flooded patches in the morning, but the run itself drained well enough that I had no concerns with letting the littles out on it like normal. You can see a little residual moisture in the middle.

 

[aart]

I find that shavings tend to just get soggy whereas larger chunks of wood are better at letting it drain through.

Yes....and/or larger chunks of wood have more absorptive capacity.....
...and/or a good mix of sizes and shapes allow for air infiltration which speeds decomposition of poops.