Chickens on gravel?

[peopleRanimals2]

Hi, I was just wondering if it would be ok to keep my chickens on gravel? The dog run we are going to keep them in came like this. Also hoping it would double as grit. If they can't be kept on the gravel, I would just put down some dirt or sand. Thanks!

 

[coobreeze9]

Gravel works fine, mine never had any health problems. The only problem I had was cleaning up after the girls. It's hard to sift through or wash the feces out of the gravel, and composting feces with the gravel almost seems wasteful. But composting cut grass, straw, or pine chips seems a little easier. I hope this helps.

 

[lovemy6hens]

The larger the grain size, the more you'll haul out when it's dirty. That gets heavy quickly.
EDIT: If you decide not to keep the gravel, you could always take it out a little at a time as it gets dirty. That would be easier than removing it all at one time.

 

[aart]

I would put deep litter over the gravel:
Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992

 

[peopleRanimals2]

Ok, cool! I was just wondering if they would have trouble dust bathing. And could it possibly be used for grit? Thanks!