Chicken Run Bedding While Still Allowing Foraging?

[sophiaw00]

I know people use a variety of things in the run as 'bedding' - sand, staw, hay, rocks, etc. Mine is currently still grass but it's getting to the point where it's just dirt because they've eaten all the grass. I want to use straw or hay as the bedding for the run so that it doesn't turn into a muddy mess but how do they forage then? My girls love scratching in the dirt but if there is hay covering it, how do they do that?

 

[junebuggena]

They scratch away the hay till they get to the dirt. I have a dirt floor in my coop with over a foot of hay on top. They scratch through the hay down to dirt all the time. The hay or straw still has grass seeds for them to find and eat. The chickens scratching through it helps aerate it and helps it break down. As it breaks down it attracts worms, beetles, and other bugs for your chickens to eat.

 

[aart]

Yep, they'll scratch thru it.

If you're concerned with mud, I'd seriously look at any water runoff in the surrounding area in relation to your run.
Keeping a run 'dry' can be tricky depending on the soil there and what happens during heavy rains and snowmelt season (if that applies).