Cleaning the run

[deborahca]

[...]. I live in a very windy and dry climate and do not want to see any more sand, dirt, or clay than I already see around town naturally. [...]

I'm wondering how the sweet PDZ worked out for you. I also live in a dry and windy climate (high desert So Cal) and my 4 pullets are in a 10x10 run on bare dirt, which is relatively hard, sandy soil. I'd like to keep the run as tidy as is reasonable without making too much work, and the coop floor where they are choosing to sleep is on the same bare ground. I'm reluctant to put shavings down there for the same reasons.... II'd like to be able to pick up any remaining large droppings the birds don't spread without removing too much dirt (although it is pretty hard stuff, the birds are loosening it more than I would have expected.) My husband has suggested hosing the run down. Is this a good or terrible idea? In a desert climate the water shouldn't stick around too long. What I don't want is for it to become a cesspool when we do get a downpour, which might happen once or twice during a year.

 

[bucky52]

My run is 30x30 I have 10 hens.every morning I use a kitty litter scope and scope the poo up in a bucket.

 

[SusanPC]

I'm wondering how the sweet PDZ worked out for you.  I also live in a dry and windy climate (high desert So Cal)  and my 4 pullets are in a 10x10 run on bare dirt, which is relatively hard, sandy soil.  I'd like to keep the run as tidy as is reasonable without making too much work, and the coop floor where they are choosing to sleep is on the same bare ground.  I'm reluctant to put shavings down there for the same reasons....  II'd like to be able to pick up any remaining large droppings the birds don't spread without removing too much dirt (although it is pretty hard stuff, the birds are loosening it more than I would have expected.)  My husband has suggested hosing the run down.  Is this a good or terrible idea?  In a desert climate the water shouldn't stick around too long.  What I don't want is for it to become a cesspool when we do get a downpour, which might happen once or twice during a year.

Since originally posting this, I have tried mostly bare dirt and then after about a week, I spread straw (not hay) in the run. So far, having a thick layer of shavings or straw seems to keep the poop exposure to a minimum. The poop dries and slips below the straw or shavings and I don't see or smell. We are lucky to be in a dry environment. We had 3 days of torrential rains and the straw and run stunk to high heaven. After it all dried out, it's nice and tidy again. The shavings are still the superior product to me, but I think straw or grass clippings, or mulch or any similar products work well in the dry climate. The sweet PDA works nicely in combination with the shavings in the coop. I went two months before mucking out the run with shavings. The straw isn't as absorbent, but is pretty. If practical, covering the run with a product seems to keep things "cleaner" longer. The PDZ helped with drying things out after the rain and in a smaller more confined coop area, but doesn't seem as necessary due to the low natural humidity.

 

[HELPPLS]

I live in the south on the coast and its pretty warm and humid here but we had a LOT of rain for days and days recently. The coop is the worst part. I also give them fresh cut grass that I rake up for them. It was very dry but the ground underneath it stayed very wet. I raked everything out but had to end up putting a big fan in the coop for 2 days during the day. It STUNK and was just way too wet. I had sand in there. I don't know if it was the sand that made it stink so bad or what but that will be harder to get dry in the winter even with a fan. We built a berm out of sand and that helped but it is going to get wet no matter what we try to do. Any suggestions? I raked out most of the sand and put 2 bags of PDZ down. Its about an 8x8 area. Not huge but too big to fill with PDZ often.

 

[troy4]

Have a newbie question. Starting to look at seeing up the run and have access to a few large rolls of chain link fence and the accompanying posts.

Have enough to make an approximately 600 square foot run 20x30. With 6 birds in it how often would I have to clean it? Weekly, monthly, every few months?

Six hens won't make a large mess about every threeweeks