Coop and run help please

[21hens-incharge]

Lowering it just a few inches should still allow them access under the house.

I "muck" out my run in the fall. I only do it in the fall and I have many birds. It goes to the compost pile for use 2 years out. That means I have basically 3 piles. One for use now, one that has sat one year and one fresh. I use it as a top dressing around my flowers and in my veggie gardens.

Even with my many birds I get no odor from my run even standing right next to it.

 

[richjan]

Lowering it just a few inches should still allow them access under the house.

I "muck" out my run in the fall. I only do it in the fall and I have many birds. It goes to the compost pile for use 2 years out. That means I have basically 3 piles. One for use now, one that has sat one year and one fresh. I use it as a top dressing around my flowers and in my veggie gardens.

Even with my many birds I get no odor from my run even standing right next to it.

Really! I'm doing it most days! It does smell. I just rake it. Does that mean your chickens are walking on poo ?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I suppose so. There are many so I think impossible to keep every poo picked up.
I simply cannot stand out there all day picking up every poo.

I do add straw and alfalfa to the run and it all ends up stirred together.

 

[richjan]

I suppose so. There are many so I think impossible to keep every poo picked up.
I simply cannot stand out there all day picking up every poo.

I do add straw and alfalfa to the run and it all ends up stirred together.

I had to look up alfalfa! Does it grow in the run or do you just throw it in? I tried grass but they tore it up

 

[21hens-incharge]

They decimate anything that is green. What they don't eat they dig up.

I buy bales of straw and alfalfa and toss a chunk in as needed. It's mostly to give them something to do.
I have a serious hawk issue here so mine stay confined most of the time. I don't like it at all but it is my reality. They stay penned or I have none left.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree with 21hens-incharge, consider turning the entire prefab into a coop. Depending on how it's built one option is to take out the interior walls to form a larger open area, then create a new roost lengthwise across the open area. Panel up any sides that face prevailing winds. Nest boxes will need to go elsewhere (in my setup, I turned a small dog house into the nest box and simply cut a passthrough in the coop wall for access.)

Really! I'm doing it most days! It does smell. I just rake it. Does that mean your chickens are walking on poo ?

Look up "deep litter method" - it's what a lot of folks on here do to manage their runs. Layer a mix of organic materials like wood chips, dried leaves, garden clippings, etc. - it allows for good drainage and the poop can just get mixed in with it. I do clean up any big, obvious poops, but otherwise the poop disappears into the rest of the litter. Properly managed it shouldn't smell.

 

[richjan]

They decimate anything that is green. What they don't eat they dig up.

I buy bales of straw and alfalfa and toss a chunk in as needed. It's mostly to give them something to do.
I have a serious hawk issue here so mine stay confined most of the time. I don't like it at all but it is my reality. They stay penned or I have none left.

Sounds like a plan. I'm going to try grow some. We have foxes here. It's a worry I.know. thanks for your help x

 

[richjan]

I agree with 21hens-incharge, consider turning the entire prefab into a coop. Depending on how it's built one option is to take out the interior walls to form a larger open area, then create a new roost lengthwise across the open area. Panel up any sides that face prevailing winds. Nest boxes will need to go elsewhere (in my setup, I turned a small dog house into the nest box and simply cut a passthrough in the coop wall for access.)



Look up "deep litter method" - it's what a lot of folks on here do to manage their runs. Layer a mix of organic materials like wood chips, dried leaves, garden clippings, etc. - it allows for good drainage and the poop can just get mixed in with it. I do clean up any big, obvious poops, but otherwise the poop disappears into the rest of the litter. Properly managed it shouldn't smell.

Ah thank you x I like the idea of deep litter method. I'm going to give all these ideas a try. Thank you x