Constructing Run Floor

[Silked]

I’ve read through a lot of posts on this but could still use some help.

We had chickens before and the run area was just bare dirt/clay floor and it was really muddy and slippery when wet. I don’t want that. I thought about sand but don’t want sand stuck to me when I’m in the run visiting them and I feel like if I throw strawberries or whatever else scraps that they’ll be covered in sand.

I love the idea of deep litter method but not sure how to pull it off. This time we are putting the run on a level area and we have to frame out and build up a little to be able to do this. Basically one side is going to be a retaining wall type thing. Then we were going to put down hardware cloth and construction gravel. Then what? Not sand if I want to do deep litter right? Top soil or organic mulch or? Or am I better off just doing sand?

The run is going to be covered and the chickens are going to be in there all the time due to predators. We get 4 seasons in East Tennesee.

Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

I would put down the cheapest soil you can find and then cover it with 4 to 6 inches of wood chips. Where I live wood chips can be taken by the truckload for free at the local highway departments. If your area does curbside branch collection, oftentimes they run them through shredders and then offer them back to taxpayers for free.

 

[Silked]

I would put down the cheapest soil you can find and then cover it with 4 to 6 inches of wood chips. Where I live wood chips can be taken by the truckload for free at the local highway departments. If your area does curbside branch collection, oftentimes they run them through shredders and then offer them back to taxpayers for free.

Thank you! This on top of the construction gravel and hardware cloth correct?

 

[thecatumbrella]

How often do you want to clean? Would you prefer to manually scoop poops out, or do one big changeout of all the medium in the run? How much moisture gets into the run when it rains? (I know you have a roof, but so do I and one side still floods when it's pouring out)

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you! This on top of the construction gravel and hardware cloth correct?

No. Don't put the gravel down or the hardware cloth. Put a 2 ft hardware cloth apron around the perimeter of everything and that's all you should need to prevent anything from digging into the run. If you put gravel down under anything it's all going to get mixed together when the chicken starts scratching through everything.

 

[Silked]

How often do you want to clean? Would you prefer to manually scoop poops out, or do one big changeout of all the medium in the run? How much moisture gets into the run when it rains? (I know you have a roof, but so do I and one side still floods when it's pouring out)

I think I’d prefer one big clean out but don’t mind doing small scoop outs a couple times a week. During a normal rain it should stay dry but during heavy rain I imagine it’s going to get wet. Thank you for the help!

 

[StinkyAcres]

I would think adding gravel and hardware cloth would prevent proper decomposition in addition to causing problems for the chickens when they dig. A proper, composting, deep litter run will hardly ever need to be cleaned out, only added to.

 

[Silked]

No. Don't put the gravel down or the hardware cloth. Put a 2 ft hardware cloth apron around the perimeter of everything and that's all you should need to prevent anything from digging into the run. If you put gravel down under anything it's all going to get mixed together when the chicken starts scratching through everything.

Thank you for telling me! I would’ve thought to still do rocks to help with the drainage. One side is going to have a retaining wall type of thing but with cinder blocks. Maybe 3 blocks high and then the other side that is up higher on the slope is going to just have one cinder block bordering. Was going to have the wood frame of the run sit on the blocks but I guess I can do a hardware cloth apron too. Thank you for your time!

 

[Silked]

I would think adding gravel and hardware cloth would prevent proper decomposition in addition to causing problems for the chickens when they dig. A proper, composting, deep litter run will hardly ever need to be cleaned out, only added to.

Ok thank you! So no gravel just throw cheap dirt on the hard clay that we dig down to and then lots of wood chips. Organic mulch that they sell in bags at the big box stores should be fine if I can’t get from a company as suggested before right?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Organic mulch that they sell in bags at the big box stores should be fine if I can’t get from a company as suggested before right?

I'm not sure... Garden mulch is not ideal as the pieces are small and decompose fast. Larger wood chips are better at filtering the poop and keeping the chickens out of mud. I get coarse playground pine chips.