Cleaning a chicken run

[Slingha]

Hi everyone. Even though we have acreage our girls are in a large run due to predator activity early on in our chicken experience.

Our run is 12x16 and is a dirt floor. It's starting to get stinky. I change the coop litter frequently, but what do I do about the run? Do I clean it? If so, how? Should I put shavings in the run?

 

[jetdog]

Sand is great, I just rake it up and sift with a cat litter scoop, my run is 10x10 dog kennel with a roof so it stays dry and only takes about 10 minutes to clean up. Basically like a big cat litter box.

 

[supercoops]

Please recall that your chickens will start eating whatever is on the ground. You might want to read the label and see what's in your cat litter. The clay could clump up in their little digestive systems and cause constipation. I've been using horse bedding (pine shavings). I've been watching their dietary changes since I started using a feeder and they seem to be much less hungry now.


oops edit: looks like I misread your quote jetdog. You're using sand not cat litter. Nothing wrong with that -- and the University of Maryland has a publication about it somewhere.

 

[Slingha]

With all of those pine chips or sand, how do they take a dust bath?

 

[vehve]

With all of those pine chips or sand, how do they take a dust bath?

Sand is great for dust baths. Or peat. Those are the two ours prefer for their cleansing routines. Possibly with some ashes added.

 

[Coop de Cuse]

Hi everyone. Even though we have acreage our girls are in a large run due to predator activity early on in our chicken experience.

Our run is 12x16 and is a dirt floor. It's starting to get stinky. I change the coop litter frequently, but what do I do about the run? Do I clean it? If so, how? Should I put shavings in the run?

My run is also 12X16 and is covered so they can go outside in the weather. I left it dirt and I use a tiller every so ofter (once a month maybe). Keeps the ground fresh and there is no smell.

 

[6of6chicks]

I use dried grass in my run and LOVE it. It makes a soft bedding (good for heavy breeds), is clean, and smells nice. The chickens love scratching around for bugs and seeds, which keeps it turned and fluffed up. I have no problems with odor or flies.

Personally, I prefer organic bedding to sand, but that's just my opinion. I like knowing that it I can easily remove everything down to the 'floor' - and replace when necessary. Used grass gets added to the compost bin (chicken poop and all). Best of all it's free. The lawn mower chops it up and bags it for me, and all I do is dump it on the carport to dry. I have to mow the lawn anyway and the clippings were already headed to the compost bin. Now they just make an extra stop to pick up some poop, lol!

I do have one small spot that has coarse sand (design flaw - sand was a quick fix), but it is a very thin layer. Even though I don't like the sand, right now I'm leaving it because they prefer to lounge in that spot - I'm guessing because it's cooler (we hit 97 yesterday). I keep trying to put grass there and they keep kicking it out, lol! So for the summer I'll keep it sand, but in winter I'll pile the grass in there as well.

 

[vehve]

I use dried grass in my run and LOVE it. It makes a soft bedding (good for heavy breeds), is clean, and smells nice. The chickens love scratching around for bugs and seeds, which keeps it turned and fluffed up. I have no problems with odor or flies.

Personally, I prefer organic bedding to sand, but that's just my opinion. I like knowing that it I can easily remove everything down to the 'floor' - and replace when necessary. Used grass gets added to the compost bin (chicken poop and all). Best of all it's free. The lawn mower chops it up and bags it for me, and all I do is dump it on the carport to dry. I have to mow the lawn anyway and the clippings were already headed to the compost bin. Now they just make an extra stop to pick up some poop, lol!

I do have one small spot that has coarse sand (design flaw - sand was a quick fix), but it is a very thin layer. Even though I don't like the sand, right now I'm leaving it because they prefer to lounge in that spot - I'm guessing because it's cooler (we hit 97 yesterday). I keep trying to put grass there and they keep kicking it out, lol! So for the summer I'll keep it sand, but in winter I'll pile the grass in there as well.

Some sand is good to have so that they can get some grit. I like to throw almost all garden waste straight into the run, they eat what they eat, and the rest dries up. We keep adding a bit and removing the poopiest parts on a semi daily basis.

 

[6of6chicks]

Some sand is good to have so that they can get some grit. I like to throw almost all garden waste straight into the run, they eat what they eat, and the rest dries up. We keep adding a bit and removing the poopiest parts on a semi daily basis.

They have a dish of grit in there as well and I've seen then occasionally pecking from it, which is good. I'd rather they eat the grit (which is clean) than the stuff on the ground.

I tried putting their garden scraps directly in there, but they trampled it more than they ate it. The uneaten stuff would get buried and start to smell, so I started giving them all treats (like sprouts) on a plastic tray. Maybe less fun, but easier to clean up when they're finished. Every once in a while I do toss a little dry scratch in there when I want them to turn the grass for me. That, or I toss a few live crickets in the run. That's like tossing in a live grenade - chickens, grass, and crickets flying everywhere. And when they finally catch it the chase is on. So much fun to watch, lol!

 

[RonP]

Do a search on "deep litter".

Lots of information.

Hope this helps.