Cement run . . .

[scorwin]

My coop opens up into an old dog run which is cement. It's about 10 x 10 and I have 5 little 4 week old chicks that I will be moving to the coop in a couple weeks. My question is: What should I put on the cement base? It will be out on the weather unless I cover part of it with a tarp. Should I use shavings, old leaves, sand, dirt?????? Help. I'm a new chicken owner.

 

[scorwin]

Can someone please help me with some suggestions for the cement run????

 

[Jaxon4141]

I don't have a concrete run but you could try this link https://www.backyardchickens.com/search.php?search=concrete+runs

 

[scorwin]

Thanks so much. I found it! Lots of good info!!

 

[TK421]

scorwin,

My coop opens up onto a 4x16 cement dog run too. I was really worried about having to keep it covered all the time, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for my birds. Every few weeks I rake it out, hose it down and cover it with fresh hay, but could just as easily use straw. My chickens immediately move all the hay to one end regardless of the weather. The old hay gets put into the compost pile and is perfect for next year's garden. I wouldn't want to use shavings because it would scatter too quickly and make a mess. Plus, a square bale is cheaper and lasts longer than a bag of compressed shavings.

I really love my cement slab. It's a cinch to clean, and dries out really quickly!