bottomless run?

[catecorsaut]

hi! my chickens run is bottomless and the ground is a mulch bark mixture. any ideas on how to clean it or if it needs to be cleaned? i can’t move the run to a different area. i’m also worried about moisture build up. i just have three chickens so they don’t make a massive mess. any tips would be appreciated

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is it strictly mulch or is other organic matter mixed in? It really doesn't "require" cleaning as long as the volume of litter is sufficient to allow the poop to compost in place, and yes for that you want some moisture to help the process along. You will likely find it beneficial to remove some of the material once in a while due to build up but that could be once every few years, depending (again, without knowing what volume you're working with I can't comment on frequency).

This is an example of my deep litter run for my flock, and clean out after roughly 3 years of accumulation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prepping-deep-litter-for-fall.1599199/

 

[aart]

i’m also worried about moisture build up.

Why.... is rain water gathering in puddles in the run?
Pics of run and said mulch would help here.

 

[catecorsaut]

Is it strictly mulch or is other organic matter mixed in? It really doesn't "require" cleaning as long as the volume of litter is sufficient to allow the poop to compost in place, and yes for that you want some moisture to help the process along. You will likely find it beneficial to remove some of the material once in a while due to build up but that could be once every few years, depending (again, without knowing what volume you're working with I can't comment on frequency).

This is an example of my deep litter run for my flock, and clean out after roughly 3 years of accumulation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prepping-deep-litter-for-fall.1599199/

this is super helpful thank you!! i’m not sure what the volume is for mine…

 

[catecorsaut]

Why.... is rain water gathering in puddles in the run?
Pics of run and said mulch would help here.

 

[catecorsaut]

this is the best pic i have right now lol

 

[rosemarythyme]

this is super helpful thank you!! i’m not sure what the volume is for mine…

Length x width of the run x the depth of litter, vs number of chickens.

 

[aart]

Length x width of the run x the depth of litter, vs number of chickens.

This^^^^
...and....

is rain water gathering in puddles in the run?

 

[catecorsaut]

This^^^^
...and....

it’s 10x6.5x6.5 and probably have a couple inches of litter/mulch

 

[rosemarythyme]

it’s 10x6.5x6.5 and probably have a couple inches of litter/mulch

That's not too bad for 3 birds but you may find that you do need to do cleanouts if the material breaks down too much or it starts to smell or become muddy/stinky.

If there's a drainage issue (since you mentioned moisture) you would want to add drains if possible. Run litter getting wet isn't a problem as long as the water doesn't pool there.