Cleaning the run

[Anny]

How do you normally go about cleaning your run and how often do you do it.

My run is sand...and what is still left of the grass. I plan to add more sand once all the grass is mostly gone. (I have only actually had the chickens for 2 weeks or so now)

Do you rack it out? or do you just add more sand? or what?

 

[BayCityBabe]

I rake out the coop and continue dragging along the straw and pine shavings, all the way to the end of the run. So, I sorta accumulate poo all the way to the end. This poo, straw, shavings mess gets shoveled out and composted. Often, I go ahead and blast the run with the hose. My chooks have "only" been out there for 2 months, so we actually have grass. I figure the grass benefits from having the poo dissolved by the water; it certainly helps get rid of flies.

Our little piece of (recycled) paradise...

 

[cmom]

I have never raked out my run, but is all dirt / sand, and the chicken scratch it up constantly. I sprinkle FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in their coop, in their run and places they dust bathe.

 

[cajunlizz]

I have sand in mine . ONLY a few places now chickens can scratch up enough sand to DUST . So we will be adding MORE sand . Like 3- 4 inches thick .


Please tell me how it works with the pine shavings ? Does it cause odor when the shavings get wet ?

 

[SewingDiva]

Ours is dirt & stone dust with DE raked in. DE doesn't change color, so now I can see poo really easily and I can just rake it up every day or so. Once a week I scrap off the whole top layer and replace it with combination of fresh dirt & stone dust, then sprinkle DE again on top and rake it in.

We have only three birds though so this is not really much work.

I'm not sure what I'll do in the winter when the ground is frozen, still pondering that.

~Phyllis

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
ADD SAND

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Never have to rake mine...it just seems to vanish

I walk in there all the time and I will see the new poo but it's never bad at all. No unbearable smells either.

OR

You could let your dog in to feast!

 

[EliteTempleton]

Quote:
ADD SAND

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